Edward Humes - Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash. Have you ever thought about how much trash you create? Honestly, have you ever stopped to consider how many trash bags you go through, how many trips to the curb you take, or how much food you throw out? Probably not...most of us don't. But the sad truth is the average American produces 102 tons of garbage across a lifetime and $50 billion in squandered riches are rolled to the curb each year! Although we have become extremely efficient with keeping trash out of site, unfortunately that has kept it out of mind, and it's creating a massive problem. This week we speak with Pulitzer Prize-Winning author, Edward Humes about trash - what's in it, how much we pay for it, how we create so much, what's wrong with it all and how we fix it. Edward's amazing book, Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash, is raising awareness of trash consumption and is sparking nationwide action.

Edward Humes is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and non-fiction writer. He received the Pulitzer Prize for specialized reporting for investingative stories he wrote about the US military for the Orange County Register. He is the author of 13 nonfiction books, and a contributing writer for Sierra Magazine, California Lawyer and Los Angeles magazine, among other publications. He is married to journalist and author Donna Wares and lives in Southern California.

"There is a reason we call it waste - you are throwing stuff away that has value. You are wasting it."

- Edward Humes

Quotes from Edward: 

What we learn in this episode:

Why did Walmart choose to make reducing waste a top priority throughout the company and what were the effects?

Germany and Austria send only 1% of the their trash to landfills, while America sends nearly 70%!

What happened when MIT students place tracking devices in random articles of trash throughout Seattle? The results are shocking.

What is the story of our garbage? Where does it come from and where does it go?

Resources:

Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash

http://www.edwardhumes.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Garbology

--

This episode is brought to you by:

Igloo: Go to igloosoftware.com/smartpeople to use Igloo for free with up to 10 of your favorite coworkers or customers!

Future Advisor: Let new technology give you complete clarity on all of your investments and a plan to meet your goals sooner - Go to www.futureadvisor.com/smartpeople for your 3 month free premium portfolio management.