You Are Here: Exposing the Vital Link Between What We Do and What That Does to Our Planet
Average Rating: out of 5 Reviews
Price: $25.95
Sale: $12.97
Manufacturer: HarperOne
EAN (European Article Number): 9780061580369
Number of Items: 1
Binding: Hardcover
Author: Thomas M. Kostigen
Publisher: HarperOne
Edition: 1
Dewey Decimal Number: 363.7
Publication Date: 2008-10-01
Reading Level: 272
Description:
In this groundbreaking book, the New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Green Book Thomas M. Kostigen reveals the vital missing link in today's environmental crisis: how we as individuals are connected to the most tenuous geography on the planet. Despite the recent prominence of "green" issues in the news, the direct relationship between our actions and the earth is too often ignored. But the seemingly insignificant things we do every day have the power to literally alter the landscape in the ongoing battle to resuscitate the planet.
There are living narratives of climate change that reveal the consequences of our everyday actions. You Are Here allows us to both comprehend and care about what's happening in these encampments of ruin. Kostigen shows us what may well be a glimpse of our future in Linfen City, China, one of the most polluted places on the planet. From a garbage patch twice the size of Texas in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, to the melting arctic ice shelf, to the flood zone that is Mumbai, India, to the dwindling rainforests of the Amazon, You Are Here describes the environmental crisis in a way we can feel, see, and touch. Kostigen presents us with opportunities for change and shows us how to take action on the spot, wherever we are. Combining groundbreaking research and page-turning frontline reporting, Kostigen pulls back the curtain on the most pressing and provocative issues of the day and in so doing we see the earth and our place on it in a brand new light.
Customer Reviews
Review Summary: Informative
Date: 2008-11-11
Details: The book gives lots of problems that I was not aware of in a different view.
Review Summary: Should be required reading
Date: 2008-10-30
Details: Book should be required reading for middle school thru college. This is type of book that people like Oprah should lend their weight to in their personal clubs. If just 50% of the world's population read this book and followed some of the small suggestions for improvement, generations of people would benefit. I urge everyone to read this book - it is so interesting and presents facts easily understood - and change something in their life style to help save the habitable world.
Review Summary: Think globally. Act locally.
Date: 2008-10-29
Details: Thomas Kostigen's book made me see how remarkably inter-connected we are, at home and across the globe.
I was particularly struck by how, as a nation, we largely and collectively presume that because we dutifully divide our garbage into color-coded receptacles, our consumption responsibilities are complete. Oh, how wrong we are! And while Kostigen gives us a lot to feel shameful for he ultimately speaks with optimism. And best of all he writes with humor and hope. A highly relatable, useful and thought provoking read.
Review Summary: Great Read
Date: 2008-10-28
Details: A great book that really makes you think about your actions. Many interesting adventures that tie together to make a good point.
Review Summary: This book is a real wake up call.
Date: 2008-10-22
Details: Tom Kostigen does all the leg work as he takes us to the earth's most polluted, environmentally corrupt places to remind us of one beautiful truth: we are all connected by the earth. We are all affected by what we do to it.
He links my toothpaste to the gangster-run logging camps and palm oil industry of Borneo. He explores the world's dirtiest city, Linfen City, China and how it affects global climate change and investigates a garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean twice the size of Texas! Why is this the first time I'm hearing about this?!
He travels to these ugly places, deals with shady guides, guards and gatekeepers to open our eyes. He urges us to live simply and be conscious of what we use.