Name: y✦'s review of The Day the World Stops Shopping by J. B. MacKinnon
Item: The Day the World Stops Shopping
Rating: 5
Author: y✦

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.

How Ending Consumerism Saves the Environment and Ourselves

The Day the World Stops Shopping

Chourouk

The main topic here is consumerism, obviously: What would happen if the world collectively stops shopping? 

In this thoroughly researched "thought experiment," award-winning journalist, JB MacKinnon is not afraid to explore branches upon branches of fascinating subtopics to answer his million-dollar question.

Took me a while to finish this whale of a nonfic, and I'm not talking about the length—this is a decent 300+ pager—but I enjoyed it so much. It's encyclopedic. (Because why was I suddenly learning about the history of air conditioning and looking up Hawaiian marine life on Google.)

How most, if not all the ills of the world root from overconsumption is an insane thing to think about, but it should also be at the back of our minds as we push our grocery carts, decide what's a good brand or not... This book does not have a happy ending; it mellows out into a defeated "what can we do, really?" attitude. The world has stopped shopping many times in history, yet breaking news—it's still pretty bad out here. 

y✦

The main topic here is consumerism, obviously: What would happen if the world collectively stops shopping? 

In this thoroughly researched "thought experiment," award-winning journalist, JB MacKinnon is not afraid to explore branches upon branches of fascinating subtopics to answer his million-dollar question.

Took me a while to finish this whale of a nonfic, and I'm not talking about the length—this is a decent 300+ pager—but I enjoyed it so much. It's encyclopedic. (Because why was I suddenly learning about the history of air conditioning and looking up Hawaiian marine life on Google.)

How most, if not all the ills of the world root from overconsumption is an insane thing to think about, but it should also be at the back of our minds as we push our grocery carts, decide what's a good brand or not... This book does not have a happy ending; it mellows out into a defeated "what can we do, really?" attitude. The world has stopped shopping many times in history, yet breaking news—it's still pretty bad out here. 

Sophie Wang

very effective use of case studies and examples that made for a surprisingly easy and optimistic read, but the book stayed firmly within the scope of how we are to reject the accelerating consumer mindset on an individual level.

Leah Dutcher

The idea and the execution were very good, however it was a very hard book to just pick up and read. I enjoyed how in depth it went into each idea that the author wished to express, however some of it just got really boring by the end. I agreed with what the author was saying, but like, at what cost. He obviously spent a lot of time and effort on it which is admirable, but I checked it out from the library and it ended up being late just because I couldn't read it.

Sarah Vaughan

I wish I could place a physical copy of this book into the hands of everyone I know. J. B. MacKinnon has done a wonderful job of explaining the consequences of consumption and the economical, societal, and relational advantages of a world that consumes less.

I was fascinated by the evidence cited by numerous scientists, researchers, and thinkers who say the economy will not in fact collapse if we begin to consume more (as evidenced by the immediate cessation of consumption during the pandemic). 

It was also enlightening to learn that green technology cannot truly be an answer as we have ample evidence to show that we continue to consume both physical and digital resources at such high rates of demand that even green technologies cannot keep up with our pace. The only way to truly prevent the mass extinction of vital resources is to simply stop consuming so much.

I thoroughly enjoyed the stories of the individuals interviewed who had chosen to become conscious deconsumers living more simply. As it turns out, the anecdote to the overwhelm and burnout we all feel might be cured by needing to WORK less because we need to BUY less. 

I’m grateful for the work this author has done to educate readers on the implications of consumption and to explain the real cost of “economic growth.”

J. B. Mackinnon

In a brilliant work of imaginative non-fiction, prize-winning author J.B. MacKinnon asks what would happen--to our economy, our ecology, our products, our selves--if we stopped consuming so much? Is that alternative world one we might actually want to live in? We can't stop shopping. And yet we must. This is the consumer dilemma. The planet says we consume too much: in North America, we burn the earth's resources at a rate five times faster than they can regenerate. And despite our 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. The economy says we must always consume more, because, as we've seen in the pandemic, even the slightest drop in spending leads to widespread unemployment, bankruptcy and home foreclosures. Addressing this paradox head-on, J.B. MacKinnon asks, What would really happen if we simply stop shopping? Is there a way to reduce our consumption to earth-saving levels without triggering an 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 his thought experiment came shockingly true, as the coronavirus brought shopping to a halt and MacKinnon's ideas were tested in real time. Drawing on experts ranging from economists to climate scientists to corporate CEOs, 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. Imaginative and inspiring, The Day the World Stops Shopping will empower you to imagine another way.

Anyaconda

Great book! Lots of food for thoughts, discussions and self-experiments.

Chourouk &
The Day the World Stops Shopping by J. B. MacKinnon

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Chourouk &The Day the World Stops Shopping by J. B. MacKinnon

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The Day the World Stops Shopping by J. B. MacKinnon