Use Less Stuff: Reviews

"Lilienfeld and Rathje go upstream and tackle waste at the source. If we are ever going to turn down the super heated metabolism of western civilization to a level we can sustain, it will begin at home and work with individuals using the practical knowledge the authors provide. Just as importantly, using less stuff cleans up more than your surroundings, it lightens your journey and vastly improves your life. If we are to have an enduring commonwealth, it should be required reading for every student in America."

-- Paul Hawken,
Environmentalist, Entrepreneur & Author
(The Ecology of Commerce, Natural Capitalism, Growing A Business)

"For most of the past 20 years, recycling has been practiced like religion in many American households. Now we are beginning to understand that recycling is not the highest and best way to save the planet. USE LESS STUFF dares to point out the devil lurking in the recycling bin: if Americans believe that recycling is the answer, the question must be something like, 'What can we do to feel good about the absurdity of consuming -- and tossing -- more and more stuff?' Lilienfeld and Rathje explain the fundamental fallacy of household recycling. They offer many practical suggestions for truly getting the trash out of our lives. It's not an easy agenda they've given us, but it's the right one."

-- Norm Crampton
Director, Indiana Institute on Recycling

"Lilienfeld and Rathje hit the nail on the head with this excellent book. They demonstrate convincingly that we can not recycle our way out of environmental problems. The challenge is more fundamental -- we must learn to live in a way that places less demand on material and energy resouces. Yet theirs is not a Luddite call to 'return to the caves.' Rather, they outline literally hundreds of ways to use less stuff while simultaneously improving the quality of our lives."

-- Stuart Hart
Professor of Management,
Kenan-Flager Business School, University of North Carolina

"Finally, a book that makes it easy to understand what the real environmental issues are, and what each of us can do to help."

-- Ron Howard
Director, Apollo 13

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