Introduction, This Book is Not a Tree Summary and Analysis

The introduction opens with a picture of what seems to be friendly home environment. However, the chair is made of materials that are toxic in themselves and together. The computer used by a child contains "more than a thousand different kinds of materials," many of which are toxic and dangerous. The dust from the printer toner itself is extremely toxic. When the computer becomes outdated, it will be thrown away and contribute its toxins to the environment.

One can try to overcome these bad effects by recycling, but the authors point out that recycling usually means "downcycling," or in other words, using materials in a way that they were not intended for. To do this, many chemicals and much energy must be used to process the discarded soda bottles...