Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don't Know You Have

Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don’t Know You Have

Author	Tatiana Schlossberg
Language	English
Subject	Environment, consumer behavior, climate change
Genre	Non-fiction
Publisher	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date	August 27, 2019
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (hardcover), e-book, audiobook
Pages	288
ISBN	978-1-5387-4708-7

Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don't Know You Have is a 2019 non-fiction book by American journalist Tatiana Schlossberg. The book explores the hidden environmental impacts embedded in everyday consumer choices and global supply chains. Schlossberg argues that modern conveniences such as online shopping, streaming media, fast fashion, and industrial agriculture, carry significant ecological costs that are often invisible to consumers. ^[1]

Background and Publication

The book was published by Grand Central Publishing in August 2019. Schlossberg, formerly a climate and environment reporter for The New York Times wrote the book to illuminate how individual consumption connects to large-scale environmental systems and global industrial practices. ^[2]

Synopsis

The book is divided into four thematic sections: ^{[3] [2]}

• Technology- Schlossberg examines the environmental impacts of digital life, including the energy demands of data centers, electronic waste, and the mining of rare-earth metals used in electronic devices and infrastructure.
• Fashion- This section investigates the global clothing industry, focusing on water consumption, dye pollution, synthetic microfiber pollution, waste created by fast fashion, and the resource-heavy manufacturing processes behind inexpensive apparel
• Food- Schlossberg describes the environmental footprint of modern food systems. Industrial agriculture, fertilizer use, packaging, transportation, and food waste. She emphasizes how dietary choices influence emissions and resource use.
• Fuel & Energy- Schlossberg connects everyday behaviors to energy systems, exploring fossil-fuel extraction, transportation emissions, electricity usage, and the environmental consequences of energy infrastructure.

Reception

The New York Times praised the book's clear explanations and its ability to make complex environmental issues understandable without oversimplifying them. ^[4] Publishers Weekly described the book as a straightforward and accessible. ^[5] In 2020, the book won first place in the Society of Environmental Journalists' Rachel Carson Environment Book Award. ^[6]

Author

Tatiana Schlossberg is an American journalist specializing in climate and environmental issues. She has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, and other publications.

References

1. "Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don't Know You Have | Climate One". www.climateone.org. 2020-01-10. Retrieved 2025-11-23.
2. Inconspicuous Consumption. 2018-12-04. ISBN   978-1-5387-4708-7.
3. Zissu, Alexandra (2020-04-21). "Inconspicuous Consumption Author Discusses Climate Change". Moms Clean Air Force. Retrieved 2025-11-23.
4. "To Fight Global Warming, Think More About Systems Than About What You Consume". The New York Times . 28 August 2019.
5. Schlossberg, Tatiana (2019). Inconspicuous consumption: the environmental impact you don't know you have (First ed.). New York: Grand Central Publishing. ISBN   978-1-5387-4708-7.
6. "Winners: SEJ 19th Annual Awards for Reporting on the Environment | SEJ". www.sej.org. 2020-07-02. Retrieved 2025-11-23.