Download or read book Encyclopedia of Consumption and Waste written by Carl A. Zimring and published by SAGE Publications. This book was released on 2012-02-27 with total page 1225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Archaeologists and anthropologists have long studied artifacts of refuse from the distant past as a portal into ancient civilizations, but examining what we throw away today tells a story in real time and becomes an important and useful tool for academic study. Trash is studied by behavioral scientists who use data compiled from the exploration of dumpsters to better understand our modern society and culture. Why does the average American household send 470 pounds of uneaten food to the garbage can on an annual basis? How do different societies around the world cope with their garbage in these troubled environmental times? How does our trash give insight into our attitudes about gender, class, religion, and art? The Encyclopedia of Consumption and Waste explores the topic across multiple disciplines within the social sciences and ranges further to include business, consumerism, environmentalism, and marketing to comprise an outstanding reference for academic and public libraries.
Download or read book Waste and Consumption written by Simonetta Falasca-Zamponi and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-08-06 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the link between waste and consumption through a cultural approach that integrates environmental concerns with reflections on the role that consumption has come to occupy in our contemporary capitalist societies. The mutual relationship between capitalism and consumption is addressed along with early critiques of industrialization that exposed environmental problems. Toxic waste and its illegal dumping are examined, along with the problem of abuse of poorere areas and nations when it comes to disposing of toxic material. The question of solutions to the problems created by consumption and waste is raised and the claim is advanced that we do not necessarily need to stop being consumers. This timely book can be used in introductory sociology, social problems, and classes on environment and sustainability. This book is part of the Framing 21st Century Social Issues Series which offers readable, teachable "thinking frames" on today’s social problems and social issues by leading scholars, all in short 60 page or shorter formats, and available for view on http://routledge.customgateway.com/routledge-social-issues.html. For instructors teaching a wide range of courses in the social sciences, the Routledge Social Issues Collection now offers the best of both worlds: originally written short texts that provide "overviews" to important social issues as well as teachable excerpts from larger works previously published by Routledge and other presses.
Download or read book Designing for Zero Waste written by Steffen Lehmann and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-07-03 with total page 615 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Designing for Zero Waste is a timely, topical and necessary publication. Materials and resources are being depleted at an accelerating speed and rising consumption trends across the globe have placed material efficiency, waste reduction and recycling at the centre of many government policy agendas, giving them an unprecedented urgency. While there has been a considerable literature addressing consumption and waste reduction from different disciplinary perspectives, the complex nature of the problem requires an increasing degree of interdisciplinarity. Resource recovery and the optimisation of material flow can only be achieved alongside and through behaviour change to reduce the creation of material waste and wasteful consumption. This book aims to develop a more robust understanding of the links between lifestyle, consumption, technologies and urban development.
Download or read book Waste Management and Sustainable Consumption written by Karin M. Ekström and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-12-17 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The accelerated pace of global consumption over the past decades has meant that governments across the world are now faced with significant challenges in dealing with the dramatically increased volume of waste. While research on waste management has previously focused on finding technological solutions to the problem, this book uniquely examines the social and cultural views of waste, shedding new light on the topic by emphasising the consumer perspective throughout. Drawing on a wide variety of disciplines including environmental, economic, social and cultural theories, the book presents philosophical reflections, practical examples and potential solutions to the problem of increasing waste. It analyses and compares case studies from countries such as Sweden, Japan, the USA, India, Nigeria and Qatar, bringing out valuable insights for the international community and generating a critical discussion on how we can move towards a more sustainable society. This book will be of great interest to post-graduate students and researchers in environmental policy, waste management, social marketing and consumer behaviour, as well as policymakers and practitioners in consumer issues and business.
Download or read book Unmaking Waste in Production and Consumption written by Robert Crocker and published by Emerald Group Publishing. This book was released on 2018-09-13 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides scholars working in the many disciplines that relate to the concept of the Circular Economy with a cross-disciplinary forum, looking at areas such as: Theory, Policy and Contexts; Improving Resource Efficiency and Reducing Waste; Changing Consumption and Behaviour by Design; and Transforming Technologies of Production.
Download or read book Garbage in Popular Culture written by Mehita Iqani and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2020-11-01 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Garbage in Popular Culture is the first book to explicitly link media discourse, consumer culture and the cultural politics of garbage in contemporary global society. It makes an original contribution to the areas of consumer culture studies, visual culture, media and communications, and cultural theory through a critical analysis of the ways in which waste and garbage are visually communicated in the public realm. Mehita Iqani examines three key themes evident in the global representation of garbage: questions of agency and activism, cultures of hedonism and luxury, and anxieties about devastation and its affect. Each theme is explored through a number of case studies, including zero-waste recycling campaigns communicated on Instagram, to fine art made with waste, popular entertainment festivals, tropical beach tourism, and films about oil spills and plastic waste in oceans. Iqani argues that we need a new vocabulary to think about what it means to be human in this new age of consumption-produced waste, and reflects on what rubbish allows us to learn about our relationship with the natural world.
Download or read book Food Waste written by David M. Evans and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-10-23 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent years, food waste has risen to the top of the political and public agenda, yet until now there has been no scholarly analysis applied to the topic as a complement and counter-balance to campaigning and activist approaches. Using ethnographic material to explore global issues, Food Waste unearths the processes that lie behind the volume of food currently wasted by households and consumers. The author demonstrates how waste arises as a consequence of households negotiating the complex and contradictory demands of everyday life, explores the reasons why surplus food ends up in the bin, and considers innovative solutions to the problem. Drawing inspiration from studies of consumption and material culture alongside social science perspectives on everyday life and the home, this lively yet scholarly book is ideal for students and researchers from a wide range of disciplines, along with anyone interested in understanding the food that we waste.
Download or read book Food Waste Management written by Elina Närvänen and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2019-09-03 with total page 455 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book focuses on the crucial sustainability challenge of reducing food waste at the level of consumer-society. Providing an in-depth, research-based overview of the multifaceted problem, it considers environmental, economic, social and ethical factors. Perspectives included in the book address households, consumers, and organizations, and their role in reducing food waste. Rather than focusing upon the reasons for food waste itself, the chapters develop research-based solutions for the problem, providing a much-needed solution-orientated approach that takes multiple perspectives into account. Chapters 1, 2, 12 and 16 of this book are available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license at link.springer.com
Download or read book A National Strategy to Reduce Food Waste at the Consumer Level written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2020-10-14 with total page 323 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Approximately 30 percent of the edible food produced in the United States is wasted and a significant portion of this waste occurs at the consumer level. Despite food's essential role as a source of nutrients and energy and its emotional and cultural importance, U.S. consumers waste an estimated average of 1 pound of food per person per day at home and in places where they buy and consume food away from home. Many factors contribute to this wasteâ€"consumers behaviors are shaped not only by individual and interpersonal factors but also by influences within the food system, such as policies, food marketing and the media. Some food waste is unavoidable, and there is substantial variation in how food waste and its impacts are defined and measured. But there is no doubt that the consequences of food waste are severe: the wasting of food is costly to consumers, depletes natural resources, and degrades the environment. In addition, at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has severely strained the U.S. economy and sharply increased food insecurity, it is predicted that food waste will worsen in the short term because of both supply chain disruptions and the closures of food businesses that affect the way people eat and the types of food they can afford. A National Strategy to Reduce Food Waste at the Consumer Level identifies strategies for changing consumer behavior, considering interactions and feedbacks within the food system. It explores the reasons food is wasted in the United States, including the characteristics of the complex systems through which food is produced, marketed, and sold, as well as the many other interconnected influences on consumers' conscious and unconscious choices about purchasing, preparing, consuming, storing, and discarding food. This report presents a strategy for addressing the challenge of reducing food waste at the consumer level from a holistic, systems perspective.
Download or read book Encyclopedia of Consumption and Waste written by Carl A. Zimring and published by SAGE Publications. This book was released on 2012-02-27 with total page 1224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Archaeologists and anthropologists have long studied artifacts of refuse from the distant past as a portal into ancient civilizations, but examining what we throw away today tells a story in real time and becomes an important and useful tool for academic study. Trash is studied by behavioral scientists who use data compiled from the exploration of dumpsters to better understand our modern society and culture. Why does the average American household send 470 pounds of uneaten food to the garbage can on an annual basis? How do different societies around the world cope with their garbage in these troubled environmental times? How does our trash give insight into our attitudes about gender, class, religion, and art? The Encyclopedia of Consumption and Waste explores the topic across multiple disciplines within the social sciences and ranges further to include business, consumerism, environmentalism, and marketing to comprise an outstanding reference for academic and public libraries.
Download or read book Discard Studies written by Max Liboiron and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2022-05-24 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An argument that social, political, and economic systems maintain power by discarding certain people, places, and things. Discard studies is an emerging field that looks at waste and wasting broadly construed. Rather than focusing on waste and trash as the primary objects of study, discard studies looks at wider systems of waste and wasting to explore how some materials, practices, regions, and people are valued or devalued, becoming dominant or disposable. In this book, Max Liboiron and Josh Lepawsky argue that social, political, and economic systems maintain power by discarding certain people, places, and things. They show how the theories and methods of discard studies can be applied in a variety of cases, many of which do not involve waste, trash, or pollution. Liboiron and Lepawsky consider the partiality of knowledge and offer a theory of scale, exploring the myth that most waste is municipal solid waste produced by consumers; discuss peripheries, centers, and power, using content moderation as an example of how dominant systems find ways to discard; and use theories of difference to show that universalism, stereotypes, and inclusion all have politics of discard and even purification—as exemplified in “inclusive” efforts to broaden the Black Lives Matter movement. Finally, they develop a theory of change by considering “wasting well,” outlining techniques, methods, and propositions for a justice-oriented discard studies that keeps power in view.
Download or read book Sustainability Management written by Steven Cohen and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2011-07-12 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Can we grow our world economy and create opportunities for the poor while keeping the planet intact? Can we maintain our vibrant, dynamic lifestyles while ensuring the Earth stays productive and viable? Aimed at managers, students, scholars, and policymakers, Sustainability Management answers these questions in the affirmative, arguing it is possible for environmentally sustainable business practices and policies to foster economic and long-term growth. Written by a former analyst and consultant with the EPA, this book originally combines sustainable efforts in water, agriculture, urban, and power management to achieve in practice, not just in theory a sustainable planet and economy. Steven Cohen begins with the technical, financial, managerial, and political challenges of such a project, and then honestly assesses sustainable practices in the manufacturing and service industries. He addresses renewable and carbon-free energy production; water sustainability, especially with regard to energy issues involving filtration, distribution, and changing rainfall patterns; food cultivation and distribution; and ways to maintain the interdependent systems on which we depend to live. Taking examples from New York City, one of the most sustainable and sustainability-minded metropolises in the world, Cohen explains how everything from construction to waste management can be designed to facilitate a sustainable environment, not just for New York but also for the world. He concludes with this macroscopic view, outlining the global efforts necessary to preserve biodiversity and ecosystems, and the impact of war, terrorism, and human conflict on sustainability.
Download or read book What a Waste 2 0 written by Silpa Kaza and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2018-12-06 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Solid waste management affects every person in the world. By 2050, the world is expected to increase waste generation by 70 percent, from 2.01 billion tonnes of waste in 2016 to 3.40 billion tonnes of waste annually. Individuals and governments make decisions about consumption and waste management that affect the daily health, productivity, and cleanliness of communities. Poorly managed waste is contaminating the world’s oceans, clogging drains and causing flooding, transmitting diseases, increasing respiratory problems, harming animals that consume waste unknowingly, and affecting economic development. Unmanaged and improperly managed waste from decades of economic growth requires urgent action at all levels of society. What a Waste 2.0: A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management to 2050 aggregates extensive solid aste data at the national and urban levels. It estimates and projects waste generation to 2030 and 2050. Beyond the core data metrics from waste generation to disposal, the report provides information on waste management costs, revenues, and tariffs; special wastes; regulations; public communication; administrative and operational models; and the informal sector. Solid waste management accounts for approximately 20 percent of municipal budgets in low-income countries and 10 percent of municipal budgets in middle-income countries, on average. Waste management is often under the jurisdiction of local authorities facing competing priorities and limited resources and capacities in planning, contract management, and operational monitoring. These factors make sustainable waste management a complicated proposition; most low- and middle-income countries, and their respective cities, are struggling to address these challenges. Waste management data are critical to creating policy and planning for local contexts. Understanding how much waste is generated—especially with rapid urbanization and population growth—as well as the types of waste generated helps local governments to select appropriate management methods and plan for future demand. It allows governments to design a system with a suitable number of vehicles, establish efficient routes, set targets for diversion of waste, track progress, and adapt as consumption patterns change. With accurate data, governments can realistically allocate resources, assess relevant technologies, and consider strategic partners for service provision, such as the private sector or nongovernmental organizations. What a Waste 2.0: A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management to 2050 provides the most up-to-date information available to empower citizens and governments around the world to effectively address the pressing global crisis of waste. Additional information is available at http://www.worldbank.org/what-a-waste.
Download or read book Saving Food written by Charis M. Galanakis and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2019-06-01 with total page 426 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Saving Food: Production, Supply Chain, Food Waste and Food Consumption presents the latest developments on food loss and waste. Emphasis is placed on global issues, the environmental impacts of food consumption and wasted food, wasted nutrients, raising awareness via collaborative networks and actions, the effect of food governance and policy in food losses, promotion of sustainable food consumption, food redistribution, optimizing agricultural practices, the concept of zero waste, food security and sustainable land management, optimizing food supply and cold chains, food safety in supply chain management, non-thermal food processing/preservation technologies, food waste prevention/reduction, food waste valorization and recovery. Intended to be a guide for all segments of the food industry aiming to adapt or further develop zero waste strategies, this book analyzes the problem of food waste from every angle and provides critical information on how to minimize waste. Describes all aspects related to saving food and food security, including raising awareness, food redistribution actions, food policy and framework, food conservation, cold chain, food supply chain management, food waste reduction and valorization Guides all segments of the industry on how to employ zero waste strategies Analyzes key issues to create a pathway to solutions
Download or read book Food Waste to Valuable Resources written by Rajesh Banu and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2020-04-28 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Food Waste to Valuable Resources: Applications and Management compiles current information pertaining to food waste, placing particular emphasis on the themes of food waste management, biorefineries, valuable specialty products and technoeconomic analysis. Following its introduction, this book explores new valuable resource technologies, the bioeconomy, the technoeconomical evaluation of food-waste-based biorefineries, and the policies and regulations related to a food-waste-based economy. It is an ideal reference for researchers and industry professionals working in the areas of food waste valorization, food science and technology, food producers, policymakers and NGOs, environmental technologists, environmental engineers, and students studying environmental engineering, food science, and more. Presents recent advances, trends and challenges related to food waste valorization Contains invaluable knowledge on of food waste management, biorefineries, valuable specialty products and technoeconomic analysis Highlights modern advances and applications of food waste bioresources in various products’ recovery
Download or read book Waste written by Kate O'Neill and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2019-09-04 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Waste is one of the planet’s last great resource frontiers. From furniture made from up-cycled wood to gold extracted from computer circuit boards, artisans and multinational corporations alike are finding ways to profit from waste while diverting materials from overcrowded landfills. Yet beyond these benefits, this “new” resource still poses serious risks to human health and the environment. In this unique book, Kate O’Neill traces the emergence of the global political economy of wastes over the past two decades. She explains how the emergence of waste governance initiatives and mechanisms can help us deal with both the risks and the opportunities associated with the hundreds of millions – possibly billions – of tons of waste we generate each year. Drawing on a range of fascinating case studies to develop her arguments, including China’s role as the primary recipient of recyclable plastics and scrap paper from the Western world, “Zero-Waste” initiatives, the emergence of transnational waste-pickers’ alliances, and alternatives for managing growing volumes of electronic and food wastes, O’Neill shows how waste can be a risk, a resource, and even a livelihood, with implications for governance at local, national, and global levels.
Download or read book Sustainable Food Waste to Energy Systems written by Thomas Trabold and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2018-09-05 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sustainable Food Waste-to-Energy Systems assesses the utilization of food waste in sustainable energy conversion systems. It explores all sources of waste generated in the food supply chain (downstream from agriculture), with coverage of industrial, commercial, institutional and residential sources. It provides a detailed analysis of the conventional pathways for food waste disposal and utilization, including composting, incineration, landfilling and wastewater treatment. Next, users will find valuable sections on the chemical, biochemical and thermochemical waste-to-energy conversion processes applicable for food waste and an assessment of commercially available sustainable food waste-to-energy conversion technologies. Sustainability aspects, including consideration of environmental, economic and social impacts are also explored. The book concludes with an analysis of how deploying waste-to-energy systems is dependent on cross-cutting research methods, including geographical information systems and big data. It is a useful resource for professionals working in waste-to-energy technologies, as well as those in the food industry and food waste management sector planning and implementing these systems, but is also ideal for researchers, graduate students, energy policymakers and energy analysts interested in the most recent advances in the field. Provides guidance on how specific food waste characteristics drive possible waste-to-energy conversion processes Presents methodologies for selecting among different waste-to-energy options, based on waste volumes, distribution and properties, local energy demand (electrical/thermal/steam), opportunities for industrial symbiosis, regulations and incentives and social acceptance, etc. Contains tools to assess potential environmental and economic performance of deployed systems Links to publicly available resources on food waste data for energy conversion
