You Are Here: Exposing the Vital Link Between What We Do and What That Does to Our Planet [Paperback]

Thomas M. Kostigen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 19, 2010

In this groundbreaking book, the New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Green Book Thomas M. Kostigen reveals the vital missing link in today's environmental crisis: how we as individuals are connected to the most tenuous geography on the planet. Despite the recent prominence of "green" issues in the news, the direct relationship between our actions and the earth is too often ignored. But the seemingly insignificant things we do every day have the power to literally alter the landscape in the ongoing battle to resuscitate the planet.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It's not enough to abstractly consider being green, in the world today. Kostigen wants listeners to come face to face with the realistic outcomes of overexploitation of the world's resources. Traveling from cities where the pollution is so toxic people must always wear masks to a miles-wide flotilla of trash in the Pacific Ocean or where the rainforest meets industrialization, Kostigen provides listeners with some real evidence of excessive and detrimental waste. His goals are earnest, but though he provides typical and practical advice that people can follow every day to address these issues, his intentions don't translate well into his prose. Kostigen reads his text clearly and smoothly, and his voice and tone are easy to follow and enjoy. However, given the gravitas of his ideas, his voice lacks the passion and emphasis to reinforce his words that one might expect. A HarperOne hardcover. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

From Booklist

Kostigen travels the globe to connect the dots between countries, cultures and personal choices. He opens in Jerusalem, pointing out the damage done by excess greenhouse gases to icons like the Western Wall. From there he visits Mumbai, which is threatened by rising water levels, and Linfen City, China, whose air pollution, a quarter of it caused by manufacturing goods for the U.S., negatively impacts California. Relentless demand for palm oil is destroying Borneo forests, and excess trash is forming floating garbage patches in the Pacific. Kostigen bears witness to the adverse impact of wasteful environmental practices, then writes riveting passages about how our consuming lifestyles are causing monumental catastrophes. We suffer, he writes, “from a sense of immunity.” Certainly we need crash courses like this one, from knowledgeable authors who educate instead of preach. A Paul Theroux type with an environmental agenda, Kostigen doesn’t tell us to save the world; he shows us the price already being paid for our failure to do so. --Colleen Mondor --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; 1 edition (January 19, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061580376
• ISBN-13: 978-0061580376
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,056,250 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #81 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Urban Planning & Development > Environmental Planning

More About the Author

Besides my books, I write a column for Dow Jones MarketWatch. I am a former Bloomberg News editor and penned the Better Planet column and blog for Discover magazine. My journalism has appeared in numerous publications, including The Financial Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times magazine, National Geographic Adventure, Best Life, Men's Health, and others.

I regularly appear in the media as a guest expert on environmental and sustainability issues. The Today Show, Fox News, CNBC's Squawk Box, Morning Joe, National Public Radio, the Dennis Miller Show, Bloomberg Night Talk, Planet Green, Hollywood Green, Entertainment Tonight, The Daily Green, USA Today, USA Weekend, People, Vanity Fair, are just a few of the many media outlets that have quoted or featured me and/or my work.

I am also a frequent public speaker. I have spoken at The Climate Project in Seville, Spain along with Nobel-Prize winners Al Gore and Rajendra Pachauri; The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco; Disney's Environmentality; The Aspen Institute's Environmental Forum; the National Football League, and at many other conferences, events, and forums.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Think globally. Act locally., October 28, 2008

By 

Thomas A. Carver "well red" (Fairway, KS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: You Are Here: Exposing the Vital Link Between What We Do and What That Does to Our Planet (Hardcover)

Thomas Kostigen's book made me see how remarkably inter-connected we are, at home and across the globe.
I was particularly struck by how, as a nation, we largely and collectively presume that because we dutifully divide our garbage into color-coded receptacles, our consumption responsibilities are complete. Oh, how wrong we are! And while Kostigen gives us a lot to feel shameful for he ultimately speaks with optimism. And best of all he writes with humor and hope. A highly relatable, useful and thought provoking read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars So simple!, August 5, 2009

By 

Nothing new "biased_perspective" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: You Are Here: Exposing the Vital Link Between What We Do and What That Does to Our Planet (Hardcover)

Kostigen sets out to write a book that informs us how connected we are to each other and how our actions affect people and environments we don't see. I am someone who cares about the environment and have done some reading on the topic and thus this book provided nothing new. If you have not read anything on the topic then you may find this book informative--I found it redundant and simplistic. Here are some examples to justify the latter comment:

Page 174: "I'd swap a burger for a salad every once in a while. This is how water-saving actions here affect people, places, and things 'there.'" Elsewhere in the book he suggests maybe not flushing the toilet to conserve water (of course there are toilet water conservation kits that may be a better and aromatically preferred choice).

Page 199: "I can--we can--make a simple difference by investigating where our clothes come from and whether they are made sustainably. It isn't easy figuring it out." Then he goes on to talk about plastic. One thing I struggle with is if it isn't easy for someone who writes a book on the topic to figure it out, he is not being very helpful by telling people to investigate where our clothes come from.

He concludes on page 207: "We can just as easily change its [the Earth] course again--for the better. Embracing knowledge and creating awareness can reshape our lives and make the future more certain."

Maybe this is my main problem with the book; change is NOT going to be easy and fixing the problems we have created is not going to be as simple as having a salad once in a while or not flushing the toilet sometimes. It is going to take a change in the way we live, interact, and act "civilized."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be required reading, October 30, 2008

By 

Kaci - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: You Are Here: Exposing the Vital Link Between What We Do and What That Does to Our Planet (Hardcover)

Book should be required reading for middle school thru college. This is type of book that people like Oprah should lend their weight to in their personal clubs. If just 50% of the world's population read this book and followed some of the small suggestions for improvement, generations of people would benefit. I urge everyone to read this book - it is so interesting and presents facts easily understood - and change something in their life style to help save the habitable world.