Confessions of an Eco-Sinner
Synopsis: You bought your jeans at a local boutique, sure - but where do they really come from? Curious journalist Fred Pearce tracks the origins of his purchases (his coffee, his computer, his socks…) and learns about the impacts of buying stuff, first-hand, from the people who are most affected by it.
About the author: Considered one of Britain's best science writers, Fred Pearce is a former news editor at New Scientist who's currently serving as its environment and development consultant. He won the British Environment and Media Award for Environment Journalist of the Year in 2001, and was nominated for it three more times. He's written for Audubon, Popular Science, Time, the Boston Globe, and Natural History, and has written five other books, including The Last Generation, When the Rivers Run Dry, and Deep Jungle.
About the author: Considered one of Britain's best science writers, Fred Pearce is a former news editor at New Scientist who's currently serving as its environment and development consultant. He won the British Environment and Media Award for Environment Journalist of the Year in 2001, and was nominated for it three more times. He's written for Audubon, Popular Science, Time, the Boston Globe, and Natural History, and has written five other books, including The Last Generation, When the Rivers Run Dry, and Deep Jungle.
Reading Selection Week 4:(August 24-28) Part 6, Ch. 23 through Part 7, Ch. 29 (End); 64 pages.
Label Me
On Monday, Pearce posed the question: "What part of my book shocked or provoked you the most?" I've been meditating on this question quite a bit this week, and if I answered it today, I think I would say that generally, Confessions got me thinking about how often I just take labels for granted - fair trade, made from recycled materials, organic cotton, bamboo - without thinking about what these processes really mean.
One of the greatest upsets lately has been the debunking of bamboo by the FTC. In question: the way it is often harvested, processed, and then replanted. "The Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, wants you to know that the soft “bamboo” fabrics on the market today are rayon. They are made using toxic chemicals in a process that releases pollutants into the air. Extracting bamboo fibers is expensive and time-consuming, and textiles made just from bamboo fiber don’t feel silky smooth."
Do you think this will affect your bamboo purchasing habits?
One of the greatest upsets lately has been the debunking of bamboo by the FTC. In question: the way it is often harvested, processed, and then replanted. "The Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, wants you to know that the soft “bamboo” fabrics on the market today are rayon. They are made using toxic chemicals in a process that releases pollutants into the air. Extracting bamboo fibers is expensive and time-consuming, and textiles made just from bamboo fiber don’t feel silky smooth."
Do you think this will affect your bamboo purchasing habits?
Submitted by hsnavely on Tue, 08/25/2009 - 11:00pm.
