Material Value

Posted on September 8, 2019 by Pam Lazos

MATERIAL VALUE

The word sustainability seems to be on everyone’s lips these days and if you don’t know what it means then you’ll want to pick up a copy of Julia Goldstein’s book, Material Value, More Sustainable, Less Wasteful Manufacturing of Everything from Cell Phones to Cleaning Products, and treat yourself to an eye-opening panoply of all things recyclable.

Part tutorial, part exposé, part field guide, this wonderful book does all the research so you can sit back and learn how the everyday items we buy are affecting the planet.

Goldstein discusses how goods are manufactured, how we as a society are addicted to wasteful consumerism, and how we all can take steps to reduce waste at the source, thereby improving our world.

She includes interviews with many pioneers in the sustainable manufacturing industry, giving dozens of examples of how various processes can be redirected so as to decrease our carbon footprint and reduce post-consumer waste, conserve virgin resources, and create a robust job market.

Material Value is a must read for consumers, marketers and manufacturers. Simply becoming aware of the waste stream created by each of the industrial products we buy frees us to make better choices at the point of purchase.

Pick up a copy of Material Value and learn how you can reduce your personal pollution contribution in a world that could use some positive environmental mojo.

After reading Julia’s book, I wanted to get her thoughts on a few more things.  This is what she had to say:

What is your hope for this book – other than to be a best seller, of course?

When I hear readers say that the book encouraged them to think carefully before buying a new smartphone or reduce their use of disposable packaging, I see that as a success. I want to spread the message that business and sustainability can and should co-exist by sharing stories of professionals who are making that happen. On a personal level, I hope that publishing Material Value will help me shift my client base toward writing for more companies that are truly embracing responsible actions and want to communicate their efforts honestly to potential customers.

You started your work life as an engineer. How did you get from there to here, an author and content writer for various companies on sustainability issues. Did you burn out on engineering or was writing always your first love?

My standard line is that I was always the engineer writing the project reports and the articles for publication in trade magazines, but there’s more to it. In 2000, I was working on contract in an engineering position that was veering toward project management. I liked the work but couldn’t put in enough hours per week onsite because my 2-year-old refused to nap at preschool. I had to pick him up at noon. Working for a trade magazine gave me the flexible schedule I needed and allowed me to further develop my writing skills. Although my children are now grown, I still appreciate the flexibility of setting my working hours and I enjoy writing. My unique background gives me credibility when I interview engineers because I used to be one of them.

What’s the biggest elephant in the room when it comes to sustainability? How about recycling?

Businesses like to use the word “sustainability” and tout their progress but often neglect to honestly discuss the true impact of their products or manufacturing processes on the environment. They can’t admit that stopping production would be the most environmentally friendly option. Then there’s the love/hate relationship with fossil fuels. We know that fossil fuels pollute and contribute to climate change, but we still want to power our vehicles and homes.

Many of the plastics that people toss into recycling bins don’t actually get recycled into new products. Cross-contaminated mixed plastic waste often ends up in the landfill. We like to give ourselves a pat on the back for recycling when we toss things into the blue bin because that’s easier than facing the reality of dismal plastic recycling rates.

I’m avid about getting plastics out of the ocean and am gathering data to write a plastics recycling law now. If you could write or change one U.S. law dealing with any environmental topic, what would it be?

I would like to end all energy subsidies. Subsidies for solar power got a lot of bad press when thin film solar cell producer Solyndra went bankrupt in 2011 after receiving large federal loans, but the fossil fuel industry has been receiving subsidies for decades. When I asked a question about removing all subsidies at a conference a few years ago, though, the panelists claimed that it would be impossible and not worth pursuing.

Impossible only because no one has done it yet.  It just takes a little vision, right?  So what do you think is most effective at changing behavior: laws; great marketing campaigns; public opinion; public persuasion; or something else?

Laws change behavior, but they often cause resentment. Individuals and businesses tend to complain about being forced to comply. In the absence of restrictive laws, businesses that sell consumer products will change their behavior to keep or gain customers. One example is major beverage manufacturers dropping membership in the Plastics Industry Association this year and moving away from plastic packaging. Public pressure is behind the move.

If you could write the playbook, how would you go about shifting us from the country that uses 37% of the world’s global resources to a net zero waste stream and zero carbon footprint, and is such a scenario even possible?

Achieving zero carbon footprint isn’t possible, even if we returned to a pre-industrial lifestyle, because we would still need to eat. Drastic reductions in emissions are possible but require a monumental shift in national priorities. For one thing, Americans would need to get over their love affair with cars. Electric vehicles aren’t a panacea since they require electricity to manufacture and power them, not to mention the looming battery disposal problem. If the cost of energy (fuel, heating, electricity) increased substantially, that would help incent people to use less of it.

Zero waste to landfill is more doable and also helps with carbon footprint, but it requires a huge investment in recycling and composting facilities along with massive consumer education. We need everyone to buy fewer items, use them longer, repair them when they break, and discard them properly when they have outlived their usefulness. Businesses have the opportunity to lead the way on waste reduction by viewing it as a cost-saving measure. Companies that rely on revenue from frequent repeat purchases will need to rethink their strategy and perhaps make fewer but longer-lasting, more expensive products.

Great advice, Julia.  Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me and for writing such a useful and informative book.  Great luck with marketing Material Value.  We’ll look forward to a sequel.

pam lazos 9.8.19

 

About Pam Lazos

writer, blogger, environmentally hopeful
This entry was posted in conservation, environment, environmental conservation, environmental effects, evolution, recycling, regeneration, renewable, renewable energy, Sustainability, Uncategorized, upcycling, zero waste and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

39 Responses to Material Value

  1. K.L. Allendoerfer says:
    October 14, 2019 at 10:23 pm

    I’m thrilled to see this book get more publicity. It was a great idea to do an interview too! I also reviewed it on my blog in the spring. https://klallendoerfer.wordpress.com/2019/04/28/book-review-material-value-by-julia-goldstein/

    I recently got an electric car, and we have solar panels on our roof that supply almost all of the electricity that we use. We get a lot of sun here in Mountain View, so I know this wouldn’t work everywhere, but it seems to me that there are many areas of the country and planet where it would.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. jeanleesworld says:
    September 24, 2019 at 10:25 am

    Wonderful interview! Say, isn’t it…shoot, I’ll get this wrong, but what about Sweden’s garbage disposal system? I think it’s Sweden that uses garbage to burn for fuel. What if we adopted such a system?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. cath says:
    September 17, 2019 at 8:00 am

    A fascinating interview, Pam and Julia. There are such a lot of challenges.

    I think we need more lateral thinkers. Changing the minds of those who care is easy, but so many people still think this is not their problem, even when they are not climate change deniers, and after they’ve experienced some of the extreme weather situations.

    I hope the book does really well.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Bette A. Stevens says:
    September 13, 2019 at 1:06 am

    Excellent tips from Julia, Pam! 🙂 Her closing sums up our individual and societal responsibilities in sustaining the life of our planet so well… Sharing!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  5. hilarymb says:
    September 11, 2019 at 10:46 am

    Hi Pam – thanks for highlighting her book … I’ll try and get it from the library … we just all need to do a little every day and each day … and then a little more – and set examples for other … not easy to do – but possible with the right mind-set. Thanks for the book … I’ll check it out – cheers Hilary

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. Yeah, Another Blogger says:
    September 8, 2019 at 9:20 pm

    Hi Pam. It wasn’t eons ago when milk and yogurt were packaged in paper rather than plastic. It would be painless for companies to do so again. That’s one small example of changes that would make a big difference, resource-wise.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  7. Rosaliene Bacchus says:
    September 8, 2019 at 7:12 pm

    Thanks for the recommendation, Pan. Sounds like a must-read.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  8. Jacqui Murray says:
    September 8, 2019 at 2:27 pm

    This is good advice. I laugh at the actors who fly their private jets to climate change conferences, at activists who drink from plastic bottles and straws while telling us to cut back. Sigh.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Pam Lazos says:
      September 8, 2019 at 2:38 pm

      Oh yes, Jackie!! Flying is sooo carbon intensive!!

      Like

      Reply
    • Julia Goldstein says:
      September 10, 2019 at 11:56 pm

      Yes, I’d like to attend the ASBC Sustainable Business and Advocacy conference but it’s in Washington DC. I think about the emissions from travel as well as the cost of the trip. I suppose I can buy carbon offsets for the cross-country flight, but that seems a bit of a shell game.

      Like

      Reply
      • Pam Lazos says:
        September 11, 2019 at 1:27 am

        Interesting. Do you always travel this way, Julia? I mean, do you think about carbon offsets every time you get in the car? What a huge difference it would make if we all thought that way!

        Like

      • Julia Goldstein says:
        September 11, 2019 at 5:11 pm

        Yes, Pam, I do think about my emissions from travel. I carpool and ride transit often. I would commute by bus every day to my co-working office if it didn’t take 3 times as long as driving. I do take the bus or ride my bike to my weekly noon Toastmasters meeting that’s 1.5 miles from the office. Brion, one of the people I interviewed, buys carbon offsets for all his business travel.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Pam Lazos says:
        September 11, 2019 at 5:19 pm

        Wow, buying carbon offsets is dedication!

        Like

  9. shehannemoore says:
    September 8, 2019 at 10:49 am

    Excellent interview and spot on even about what goes in when we think we are re-cycling.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  10. Mick Canning says:
    September 8, 2019 at 9:32 am

    One elephant in the room we need to recognise is that, especially in the light of your interview, the majority of the population will not be willing to make the necessary adjustments to their lifestyles without new laws compelling them to. And since it is literally a matter of life and death, those laws will have to be passed, and soon.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
    • Pam Lazos says:
      September 8, 2019 at 2:34 pm

      I agree, Mick. I think the right kind of laws do help shift society in a better direction. Businesses would have never stopped polluting in their own. Initially it took a change in the law and the creation of the EPA to do that!👍

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply
  11. Susan Scott says:
    September 8, 2019 at 4:21 am

    I truly hope that the cost of electricity, petrol and the like is NOT increased at least here in my country South Africa where the cost of them is already high, and this would stretch the less economically sound people far tooooo much. It’s such a complex issue but I reckon one way to substantially reduce landfill would be for the consumer to buy less, be more discriminating in choices (eg what is source of product, does it use palm oil, do I really need it etc). Thanks Julia and Pam, the message must continue – and be acted upon.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Pam Lazos says:
      September 8, 2019 at 12:13 pm

      Thanks, Susan. The one thing Julia said (well, many things) that I’ve been saying for years is that it still often takes fossil fuels to make electricity so going electric is not the “be all end all.” We do need to think in larger, more durable, more long-lasting terms for all of the stuff we use. A Circular Economy is the way of the future!🥰

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
    • Julia Goldstein says:
      September 11, 2019 at 12:04 am

      I understand that it’s tricky when considering the social justice piece, which I haven’t touched on but is also important. When gas taxes increase, people drive fewer miles, but it’s the optional trips that people choose to avoid. Those who are stretched financially already might not have other options to get to work, school, etc.

      Liked by 1 person

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