The Day the World Stops Shopping

J.B. Mackinnon

Consuming less is our best strategy for saving the

planet—but can we do it? In this thoughtful and surprisingly optimistic book,

journalist J. B. MacKinnon investigates how we may achieve a world without

shopping.

We can’t stop shopping. And yet we

must. This is the consumer dilemma.

The

economy says we must always consume more: even the slightest drop in spending leads

to widespread unemployment, bankruptcy, and home foreclosure.

The planet says we consume too much: in America, we

burn the earth’s resources at a rate five times faster than it can regenerate.

And despite efforts to “green” our consumption—by recycling, increasing energy

efficiency, or using solar power—we have yet to see a decline in global carbon emissions.

Addressing this paradox head-on, acclaimed journalist

J. B. MacKinnon asks, What

would really happen if we simply stopped shopping? Is there a

way to reduce our consumption to earth-saving levels without triggering

economic collapse? At first this question took him around the world, seeking

answers from America’s big-box stores to the hunter-gatherer cultures of

Namibia to communities in Ecuador that consume at an exactly sustainable rate. Then

the thought experiment came shockingly true: the coronavirus brought shopping

to a halt, and MacKinnon’s ideas were tested in real time.

Drawing from experts in fields ranging from climate

change to economics, MacKinnon investigates how living with less would change

our planet, our society, and ourselves. Along the way, he reveals just how much

we stand to gain: An investment in our physical and emotional wellness. The

pleasure of caring for our possessions. Closer relationships with our natural

world and one another. Imaginative and inspiring, The Day the World Stops Shopping will

embolden you to envision another way.

€ 25,06