Environment

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.

What is the environment, this elusive object that impacts us so profoundly—our odds to be born; the way we look, feel, and function; and how long and comfortable we may live? The environment is not only everything we see around us but also, at a lesser scale, a hailstorm of molecules large and small that constantly penetrates our bodies, simultaneously nourishing and threatening our health. The concept of oneness with our surroundings urges a reckoning of what we are doing to 'the environment,' and consequently, what we are doing to ourselves.

By taking us through this journey of questioning, Rolf Halden's Environment empowers readers with new knowledge and a heightened appreciation of how our daily lifestyle decisions are impacting the places we occupy, our health, and humanity's prospect of survival.

With illustrations by Griffin Finke.

Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in the The Atlantic.

About the Author

Rolf Halden, PhD, PE, is Director of the Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, Biodesign Institute, Professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, and Senior Sustainability Scientist at the Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University, USA.

Professor Halden's scientific discoveries and opinions have been covered in documentaries, radio shows, podcasts, and media outlets, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Time, Scientific American, and Forbes. He serves on the Expert Team of the American Chemical Society and has been invited repeatedly to brief decision-makers at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Academies, and members of U.S. Congress on issues pertaining to environmental health and sustainability.