Winners

The University of Pennsylvania Libraries is pleased to announce that Total Garbage: How We Can Fix Our Waste and Heal Our World by Edward Humes (Avery, 2024) has been named the 2025 winner of the Penn Libraries Book Prize in Sustainability.

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About the Author

A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and narrative nonfiction writer, Edward Humes has written about topics that range from the justice system to science, nature, and sustainability. His 16 previous books include Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash, The Forever Witness, Mississippi Mud, and the PEN Award–winning No Matter How Loud I Shout.

About the Book

Described as both "engrossing" and "convincing" (Kirkus Reviews), Total Garbage addresses a provocative question: What if climate change, plastic pollution, and the energy crisis are driven by a single enemy — waste — and it’s something we can fix? Through story-driven narrative and thorough investigation, this book exposes the waste in our daily lives and demonstrates how to replace waste with prosperity, joy, and health.

2025 Shortlist

Climate Capitalism: Winning the Race to Zero Emissions and Solving the Crisis of Our Age by Akshat Rathi (Greystone Books)

Into the Clear Blue Sky: the Path to Restoring Our Atmosphere by Rob Jackson (Simon & Schuster)

The Language of Climate Politics: Fossil-Fuel Propaganda and How to Fight It by Genevieve Guenther (Oxford University Press)

Total Garbage: How We Can Fix Our Waste and Heal Our World by Edward Humes (Avery)

Past Winners

Winner

The Darkness Manifesto: On Light Pollution, Night Ecology, and the Ancient Rhythms that Sustain Life by Johan Eklof (Scribner)

Praised as “rich in revelation and insight…lyrical” by The Wall Street Journal, The Darkness Manifesto draws attention to the hidden impact of our constantly illuminated world. All living organisms have evolved to operate in the natural cycle of day and night. In this book, Swedish conservationist Johan Eklöf describes the widespread effects of artificial light on insects, birds, and even humans, ultimately advocating for the preservation of natural darkness.

Shortlist

The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration by Jake Bittle (Simon & Schuster)

The Darkness Manifesto: On Light Pollution, Night Ecology, and the Ancient Rhythms that Sustain Life by Johan Eklof (Scribner)

Humanity's Moment: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope by Joëlle Gergis (Island Press)

Carbon Colonialism: How Rich Countries Export Climate Breakdown by Laurie Parsons (Manchester University Press)