Pocket Change [hc]
Pitching in for a Better World
Book #9 in the Orca Footprints series
By Michelle Mulder
Until a few hundred years ago, people were embarrassed to buy bread in a store. Families took pride in making almost everything they owned. These days, many people take pride in buying as much as possible! New clothes, a speedier bicycle, the latest phone. If we've got money, someone can sell us a product that will supposedly make our lives better. But each year, humanity uses resources equivalent to nearly one and a half Earths, and we're still not meeting everyone's needs. Around the world, people are questioning consumerism, leaning toward more sustainable lifestyles and creating a whole new concept of wealth. What if you could meet all your needs while getting to know your neighbors and protecting the environment at the same time? Find out how growing a tiny cabbage can fight poverty, how a few dollars can help ten families start their own businesses and how running errands for a neighbor can help you learn to become a bike mechanic- for free! 48 pages
"Part condemnation of conspicuous consumption and part call for change, this selection aims to motivate readers to modify their buying habits and seek out alternative modes of energy and production... Luckily, the majority of the work focuses on ways that students can give back and even undo some of the devastation caused by mass production." -School Library Journal (Grades 4-7)
September 13, 2016
AR Level=6.3; Lexile Level=1060 NC Non-Conforming Text
