The UC Berkeley Summer Reading List is an annual compilation of recommended (though not required) readings suggested by Cal faculty, staff, and students as a welcome to incoming freshmen and transfer students. This week we take a closer look at
Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash by Edward Humes, New York: Avery, 2013
“Did you know that the average American will produce 102 tons of garbage in a lifetime? In addition to such information Garbology, by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Edward Humes, contains stories of people such as Mike Speiser, aka Big Mike, who, with his 60-ton BOMAG Compactor, sculpts the 1,365-acre Puente Hills landfill into the largest active waste disposal site in the country. Humes helps us picture its size this way: “if Puente Hills were an elephant burial ground, its tonnage would represent about 15 million deceased pachyderms.” Written in a lively style, Humes conveys the complex history of garbage disposal as it developed into the highly profitable business it has become. More than a book, Garbology is a project. On Garbology’s Facebook page you can find updates on how various communities manage and reduce their garbage as well as ideas about how to reduce the amount of garbage you produce.”
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JANE HAMMONS, Lecturer, College Writing Programs
This post was contributed by
Michael Larkin Lecturer, College Writing Programs
Tim Dilworth First Year Coordinator, Library
Jonathan Garrett Site designer, Doe & Moffitt Libraries