Depicting and tackling the waste problem: An (eco)stylistic study of Rob Greenfield’s “I wore all my trash for 30 days” TEDx Talk

Abstract

This paper analyses the way the waste problem is depicted in Robin “Rob” Greenfield’s TEDx Talk “I wore all my trash for 30 days.” It first explains the chosen framework – critical stylistics and conceptual metaphor theory – to conduct the analysis. Secondly, it studies the staging of the talk and of the problem, as well as the nouns and verbs used to refer to, respectively, the problem and its origin. Then, it explores the metaphors used by the speaker to denounce consumerism as linked to the exponential production of trash. Finally, it analyses how solutions are mentioned, and how the individual is depicted as having a role to play in tackling and solving the problem. This study demonstrates that, for the speaker, the individual is accountable and must take responsibility for the problem humanity and the planet are facing: by acknowledging the waste problem and showing people the power in their hands, and encouraging them to act rather than wait for other actors to make a move, the discourse appears as a beneficial one having a potentially very positive impact on our vision of the trash problem and on its tackling.