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You’ll never look at a credit card the same way again after reading the top of my latest story.
The article is about Edward Humes’ 17th book, “Total Garbage: How We Can Fix Our Waste and Heal Our World,” which is due out Tuesday. And the credit card anecdote is just one of many startling facts Humes uncovered while researching his book, which is about how fixing our waste problem can make our lives better and save the planet along the way. Here are five more:
- The equivalent of 149 billion meals go uneaten or unsold each year in the U.S. The average family of four loses $2,760 a year to food waste.
- Estimates for 2023 put worldwide annual plastic waste at more than 400 million tons a year, which is roughly the weight of 1,100 Empire State Buildings.
- More than 80 pounds of clothes for every person in America ends up in the landfill every year.
- With roughly 4% of the world’s population, Americans consume 20% of the world’s energy. We waste more energy than most countries produce.
- Gas stoves pump out harmful pollution and create a 42% higher risk of childhood respiratory ailments, especially asthma.
Humes’ book isn’t just doom and gloom, though. He chronicles stories of people around the country who are pioneering solutions. And he includes practical tips for people to cut waste in their own lives and to help push for world-changing policies. Here are five tips he shares:
- Bring your own containers to restaurants to use instead of foam take‑out containers.
- Cool and heat only rooms in use.
- Unless you’re baking, use recipes as guidelines rather than strict rules so your fridge and pantry don’t pile up with ingredients you don’t often need or use.
- Buy used or refurbished electronics instead of new.
- Set your washing machine to cold water, wash full loads and consider line‑drying clothes when possible.
Humes is kicking off his book tour for “Total Garbage” with a live virtual talk hosted by journalist Andy Revkin at 4 p.m. Tuesday. Click here to RSVP.
You can also catch him in person at one of several appearances scheduled in Southern California in coming weeks, including a panel April 20 during the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. The session “Climate change isn’t fiction” will be moderated by the Times’ Sammy Roth and will feature authors of three more recent books on the subject. That includes the Times’ Rosanna Xia, whose book “California Against the Sea” is on my to-be-read pile. (I’ve also run into Xia out in the field, and she’s just plain kind along with being a fantastic writer. So support her work!)
Another local author has a related book coming out April 9.
Jade Sasser, who teaches a course on gender and climate change at UC Riverside, has spent years researching themes in her book “Climate Anxiety and the Kid Question: Deciding Whether to Have Children in an Uncertain Future.” I spoke with Sasser about these topics last year for an article I did about data showing women in general worry more and are more likely to take action around climate change. She also hosts a podcast called “Climate Anxiety and the Kid Question.”
When asked about one of the biggest surprises she uncovered during work on this book, Sasser said she was not expecting to learn that some young people are actually facing peer pressure not to have kids.
“Girls and women have been socialized for so long to expect to become mothers someday, and research shows that childfree people are still viewed with suspicion across society,” Sasser said. “But this is changing among young, college educated people who are worried about the climate future, to the point where expressing desire to have children is sometimes met with a very negative response from their peers. I was shocked that this is how some of their conversations are going.”
Last but not least, I’m certainly not alone in believing few things pair together better than exploring our great outdoors and then grabbing a cold beer. (Sours and reds have my heart.) So I clicked quick when this landed in my inbox:
“At 27 years old, journalist Jo Flashman has tasted over 190 different beers from 50 breweries in Southern California. Now, we’re happy to introduce her book ‘Beer Hiking Southern California: The Tastiest Way to Discover SoCal’s Beaches, Mountains, and Deserts.’”
Flashman’s book also comes out Tuesday, and you can catch her discussing it at RT Rogers Brewing Co in Sierra Madre on April 5. Click here for details and to preorder the book. I got to peruse a digital advance copy, and safe to say I’m already planning my next adventure.
Lots of food for thought and exploration in these impressive works by local authors. And the TBR pile grows…
— By Brooke Staggs, environment reporter
⚡ ENERGIZE
Gas leak harmed unborn babies: A new study from UCLA shows that pregnant women who lived near SoCalGas’ Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility during and after its 2015 blowout had a higher chance of premature births and low-weight newborns compared to women from other communities. Our Olga Grigoryants has the story. …READ MORE…
- Quote: “The prevalence of premature births was about 50% higher than expected.”
CPUC backs Edison’s plan: The state utilities commission rejected Norco’s request to make Southern California Edison bury power lines by the Santa Ana River, for a project I’ve been following since the fall. Norco is now eyeing a legislative fix. Otherwise that closes this chapter of a debate over burying power lines for fire safety vs. rising rates and quickly boosting the grid. …READ MORE…
Drumming up support for oil well buffer: Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger teamed up with actor Jane Fonda and Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday to build support for voters in November to uphold a state law that would ban new oil and gas drilling within 3,200 feet of homes, schools and parks. Tony Briscoe with the Los Angeles Times has the story. …READ MORE…
🖋️ REGULATE
Property tax relief eyed for Chiquita Canyon sufferers: Thousands of homeowners who are trying to protect their families from strong odors of decaying garbage and eye-stinging chemicals from the Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic may soon get some financial relief through a new county program, our Steve Scauzillo reports. …READ MORE…
Irvine eyes new trail system: Irvine is looking into developing a trail system south of the intersection of State Route 133 and Interstate 405, our Hanna Kang reports. If it’s completed, the system would provide a walkway in the city’s southern area all the way down to the beach in Crystal Cove State Park. …READ MORE…
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🛡️ PROTECT
Tragedy inspires push for protections from extreme weather: Here’s an important story by our Sarah Hofmann about how the death of a 12-year-old Lake Elsinore boy, who collapsed while running in heat, has inspired “Yahushua’s Law,” which would require the state to set guidelines for student activity during extreme weather. …READ MORE…
Organic farming push raises concerns: In the latest installment of a well-intentioned move with unintended consequences, Karen Kaplan at the LA Times reports an effort to increase organic farming in California could actually lead to an overall spike in the use of pesticides. …READ MORE…
Virus killing seals and sea lions: Avian influenza is killing tens of thousands of seals and sea lions in different corners of the world, including on the West Coast. It’s also disrupting ecosystems, the Associated Press reports, and it’s flummoxing scientists who don’t see a clear way to slow the devastating virus. …READ MORE…
Fellow allergy sufferers unite!: Another side effect of climate change: longer and more intense allergy seasons. We’ve got a column from Devi Shastri with the Associated Press on how to keep pollen from ruining your spring. …READ MORE…
🚆 TRANSPORT
Gondola project faces pushback: Environmental advocates this week delivered on their promise to sue Metro for approving planning documents for a proposed gondola project that would provide access to Dodger Stadium. …READ MORE…
- Quote: “The board’s action ignores 20 years of community advocacy that went into building a park in a neighborhood in dire need of green space and recreational opportunities and essentially gifts the public’s land and air rights to a billionaire for an illegal commercial exploitation.”
How to score a deal on a used EV: Used electric vehicles are now as cheap as gas-powered cars, a new study shows. But our Lisa Krieger reports it’s important to understand the incentives available and what to look for in terms of battery health. …READ MORE…
🎉 CELEBRATE
New trail could be coming soon: Southern California hikers just inched closer to legally visiting popular waterfalls in lower Cucamonga Canyon for the first time in 11 years, after Rancho Cucamonga got $2.6 million to buy 122 privately owned acres to preserve and build a new trail. I spoke with government leaders and public land access advocates about the news. …READ MORE…
New climate-focused campus coming soon: A new UCLA South Bay campus in Rancho Palos Verdes will focus on sustainability, climate change and environmental justice, our Lisa Jacobs reports. The campus will be built on the former site of Marymount California University, with a goal to have programs for students open by fall. …READ MORE…
🐟 EXPLORE
Check out this regional park: I spent a lovely spring morning this weekend with my husband and our dog, Bruce Hornsby, circling the lake at Prado Regional Park in Chino. If you’ve never been, it’s a great time to go. There are so many activities, from fishing to pedal boating to playing disc golf. We just took a leisurely walk for two miles around the lake, with lots of stops to watch birds and admire wildflowers and let Bruce Hornsby sniff all the things. It’s $10 to get in on weekends or $8 on weekdays. There is plenty of parking and lots of picnic tables and barbecues. Such a great, dog-friendly spot in our backyard!
💪 PITCH IN
Get to gardening: For this week’s tip on how Southern Californians can help the environment… Growing groceries at home is good for the planet, your health and your budget. Click here to read our column with practical tips for getting a home garden started this spring, even if you only have a balcony or patio to work with!
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