March 12th, 2010, posted by Annie Leonard
| The Colbert Report | Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Annie Leonard | ||||
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March 15th, 2010 at 12:55 am
Colbert is hilarious. I think it’s smart for the author to go on Colbert to introduce the issue to a broader audience because in his mock criticisms, Colbert shows how ridiculous criticism would be. A good way to disarm critics is to air the opposing view before opponents have a chance to and show how weak the criticisms are. Colbert goes on step further by getting laughs in the process. The righteous indignation of activists only goes so far. Great to see this issue see the light of day.
March 15th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
If Ms Leonard is so concerned with environmentalism, why would she print a book? Seems a bit hypocritical especially when she points out in her film the incredible reduction of US forestry? Why not make the book available as a pdf download? Skip the publisher all together, receive more profits while not becoming part of the problem.
March 15th, 2010 at 4:39 pm
along the way a lot of people are getting their jobs back.. what would all those people do if not use all that stuff.. but I liked the thought ,, as for the tanks .. lets get rid of them ..we live on a secluded island miles away ..we dont need them.. and if ever we do.. then we unleash a tiger bigger than any you have ever seen and in 3 weeks we are back in the tank business..
March 15th, 2010 at 8:46 pm
I loved this!!! What a great interview on the Colbert Report. I love watching his introductions of people and books, and especially his spin mastery. Yeah!!!
March 16th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
As an Eco Sales & Marketing Specialist, I find Annie Leonard’s work insightful and gratifying. I spend most of my time educating retailers about the importance of offering their customers more thoughtful and responsible purchasing options. The good news is that there are many small companies who are involved in responsibly making more durable and thoughtful goods. The bad news is that Americans are so used to buying really cheap and cheaply made disposable goods, that they expect to pay very little for well-made, durable, responsibly-made goods. Kudos to Annie Leonard for her leadership in the movement to change our thinking and hopefully, ultimately our buying habits.
March 16th, 2010 at 11:15 pm
Annie, wonderful stuff.
I have been concerned about these very things for some time. I refer to my PC as a toaster, to use and throw away when it no longer works. What a sad statement. How equally sad the critics will dismiss facts with “Beckism’s”. When will we realize the limitations of the planet?
Clearly John above is a good example. He has not bothered to either learn from the download or actually read the book, which I am working on now. John in his simplistic world fails to realize that books, especially well made ones will survive hundreds if not thousands of years and be enjoyed by many many readers unless thrown away deliberately. The podcast, while seemingly “free” of environmental consequences, requires ever more stuff to support, way more resources than a book, right up to nuclear power for the servers to run… Clearly there are no simple solutions just simple people like john. When the johns of the world finally get it, it will likely be too late and a revelation that was not appreciated in its lifetime. I have less than 50 years left, but I am sad for my children.
March 18th, 2010 at 2:00 am
Books can be recycled. Computers not so easily. There’s always someone who has to pick apart a good idea, throw a wrench in a cooperative plan. I know good and well my house is an eco-disaster, but one step at a time, I’m making my own difference as best I can. I suppose there would be criticism if it was known I only spent 4 therms of energy this month by not heating my house, compared to 40 therms the same time last year. I was comfortable enough without it. Criticism for that? People might lose jobs if everyone did this. The utility companies would have to charge higher prices for those therms.
March 18th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Annie seems like a nice person, but a bit naïve. In ten years she still did not learn the government does not “watch out for us” or “take care of us” and is not “their job”. The government’s job is to govern. She references the Constitution, and that’s nice, but she clearly does not understand it. The military is the responsibility of the government and is not the scary thing she tries to convey either. That misconception by her pretty much disqualifies the rest of her little performance. She seems a bit off on her characterization of government versus corporations. Corporations employ people who pay taxes to fund the government, which coincidentally is growing to the size which Annie seems afraid of in the context of corporations. More cutesy finagling of reality. Annie then makes a peculiar remark about “our share”. Who is the arbiter whose share it is? Annie seems a bit off the mark again. We produce more than other nations, then export. Annie seems ignorant of other producer nations on the globe and has a fairly predictable self-hating American outlook on the topic of production and consumerism. Annie’s confusion over why we are using flame retardants is pretty amusing. If she spent some of her 10 year quest to read a label or two, she would find a government agency behind the need for flame retardants. In other words Annie, the government which takes care of us, requires such flame retardants. I expect she would get a poor reception in China or India. I would invite to her take her little show on the road to these countries. A good exercise for Annie would be trace the path taken to manufacture a Toyota Prius. Annie makes a practice through this video of trashing the truth and reality in the name of her sermon on the evils of consumerism. There is a lack of balance in this which makes it inherently dangerous to younger impressionable minds. She assesses no responsibility to those foreign governments who do little to protect their populations. Annie’s oblique and thinly veiled swipe at Walmart would be humorous if it was not so dishonest. Annie has conveniently forgotten the cost of our government (remember it is supposed to “take care of us”?) has driven up the cost of peoples’ living such that the little disposable income left can only be used at the scary “Big Box Mart”. Most people cannot afford to shop at L.L. Bean or Whole Food, Annie. Again she tips her hand and for some odd reason she criticizes George Bush for what he said after September 11th, huh? The president encourages people to try and carry on a normal existence and this is bad in Annie’s estimation? Again Annie, remember that an economy runs on the propensity of consumers to spend money. If people do not engage in meaningful commerce, the country becomes much like the cesspools the 9/11 attackers came from, remember? It is indeed sad to witness the short sighted, maybe near sighted, perspective of this poor woman. Recall Annie, the nation in 2001 was in a recession inherited from the Clinton administration. Ii is still good that Annie and those like her produce this content to expose themselves. It is still not clear though whether she is dishonest or just ignorant. Maybe a bit of both. Annie again puts her foot in her mouth on the computer monitor allegory. Annie, the big fat CRT on your desk consumes more energy than the flat panel monitor your co-worker uses. By that same analogy, the Prius hybrid is just a gimmick which has been contrived to get us to get rid of our Ford Taurus’s. Again, Annie attempts to make some lame connection from the Eisenhower administration and the lack of free time. Annie, look at the amount of time people spend working to fund the government that takes care of us. She neglects to account for the cost of regulation and related government impositions on our cost and way of living. Crisis, crisis crisis. She advocates fixing the perceived problems through taking back government when it was the pushing of government into our lives which caused the problems she thinks she has articulates. The answer to the problems is not the abandonment of consumerism rather responsible consumerism. This means, Annie, putting your money where your mouth is. If you want to help, bring to market the things people want in a manner which is compatible with your prescription. I predict you would learn an appreciation for the people who and organizations which make our consumer economy work.
March 19th, 2010 at 9:11 am
Thanks Annie, for raising awareness about these important issues. We appreciate the work that you do, and try to make more conscious choices.
March 19th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
There are two types of imagination, one is only imagination but yours is creative imagination. congratulations on that inspiring book, blog, and interview. You have done a good job. What is next? I imagine your life is just beginning.Have you read Dianetics, The Modern Science of Mental Health? It is strongly recomended.
With Love, Eusebio Castillo
March 20th, 2010 at 1:45 am
I was impressed with your appearance on The Colbert Report. There’s a lot of truth in what you have put together in this humorous and charming video.
That said, I think you may have gotten at least one thing wrong.
I think what you said about computers is probably not very accurate. It’s just not as simple as “replace the CPU with a faster CPU.” I really don’t think that is designed obsolescence. It is the frustrating and liberating fact that we can pack more technology into cheaper products that use less energy so fast that what was top-of-the-line 2 years ago really is a pile of crap today. And that CPU needs to communicate with other chips using new and faster and cheaper protocols that simply were not conceived of 2 years ago. Your old computer is trash because we make things faster and cheaper today than when that thing was designed, not because someone thought “Hey, this will sell great! Let’s make it crap in 2 years so we can sell them a new one!”
I’m barely scratching the surface. But I think when it comes to microchip technologies, it’s not as simple as you declare. You would have better success talking about how poorly motor vehicle efficiency has grown over the same period of time.
Your larger point, however, is valid: we make more crap that more people buy and those things are used for less time than ever before. I have often wondered about that gallon of gasoline in my car. I sincerely do not understand how all that energy that goes into extraction of crude oil, shipping, refining and distribution can possibly be recovered by my dollar at the pump unless someone somewhere is offering credit and charging interest on it all.
Side note: Elizabeth writes:
> Books can be recycled. Computers not so easily.
Actually, that’s not quite right. Computers used to be very difficult to recycle. Today, they are mostly recyclable.
March 20th, 2010 at 3:29 pm
I strongly believe that Annie has done an amazing job as she shows what lurks behind capitalism! Nevertheless, I also think that the book could have been made available as a pdf download. It would perfectly tally with her ideas.
March 22nd, 2010 at 1:02 pm
I can’t see the video because I live outside the USA.
March 23rd, 2010 at 7:08 am
My comment is in response to Alan’s many remarks; this statement in particular: “There is a lack of balance in this which makes it inherently dangerous to younger impressionable minds.” I believe that Annie is in fact attempting to tip what has been out of balance back to us – back to thinking about our actions and our culture as well as our responsibility.
By the way Allen, I mostly see a lack of paragraphs. Take a breath. Live thoughtfully. There is no danger in this.
March 23rd, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Dear All,
Thanks for the comments! For those of you wondering why I wrote I book, I am re-pasting below the text from this very website, which appears under the “why a book” section. I hope this sheds some light on my thinking. If you want to know more about the book, see http://www.storyofstuff.org/book.php
Cheers,
Annie
From Annie:
Deciding to write a book is not something to take lightly. Not only did it take months of work to sift through the reams of information in these 300 pages, requiring many long nights and missed weekends with my daughter, but printing and shipping it requires energy and materials.
After thinking long and hard about it, I decided that a book’s ability to share ideas and inspire action was well worth the investment of time, energy and materials.
A book contains far more information than I could fit into a 20 minute cartoon, even talking as fast as I do! After releasing the film, I received tens of thousands of emails and letters from people asking for more information, ideas for getting involved, and examples of solutions. At first, I naively tried to answer them all, working all through the night and not getting near reaching everyone. The format of a book allowed me to share far more information, in far greater depth, which, I hope, will answer viewers’ questions and inspire readers to get involved in these issues.
A book breaches the digital divide. Around the world, and even right here in the U.S., millions of people live outside the reach of high speed internet. Downloading big files is just not an option for the majority of the world’s people. When I was living in South Asia, my friends and I would often feel frustrated at being excluded from important conversations because we couldn’t download big files or sometimes get on line at all. Change of the magnitude we need requires a movement that goes out of its way to include and engage people beyond the reach of high speed internet which, let’s remember, only reaches a minority of the world’s peoples.
Printing a book does consume resources, and this book is an example of how much better book making can be with a publisher committed to reducing environmental impact. A year ago, when I was meeting potential publishers for this book, some actually rolled their eyes when I insisted the book be printed on 100% post-consumer waste (PCW) paper. Free Press didn’t need to be convinced. They came to the meeting with a long list of ideas for reducing materials and energy use throughout the process. The book is printed on 100% Post consumer waste paper, was not chlorine treated, and is printed with soy inks and solvent free glues. This book not only describes how we can make things differently, it models it. Hats off to Free Press for raising the bar on responsible book publication.
Some people have emailed me to ask why I didn’t self-publish or why I don’t make the book available free on line. Reality check here, please. I’m a hard working parent. When I decided to write the Story of Stuff book, my days were filled with my job, and my evenings – into which work already seeped too often – were spent with my child. There was simply no space in my day to fit in the gigantic task of writing a book. And, as a single parent, I couldn’t just quit my job because I – like many of you – take care of my family. That is what parents do. I am enormously grateful to Free Press for believing in this book enough to provide me support to take a leave from my job, while still being able to put food on the table.
And while the book has a cover price, there is a great institution where anyone can get it free, an institution that I describe in the book and recommend we all frequent more often – the library! Please call them up and ask them to order a copy or two!
And, don’t forget, all the films that we make are available on the internet to watch, download, duplicate and screen at no charge. Making and hosting those films takes time and costs money too. Thanks to the many people in the Story of Stuff community who have made financial contributions, we’re able to keep making and sharing those films for free. So stay tuned, because we have more in the works!
March 23rd, 2010 at 2:55 pm
Querida Annie
! FELICITACIONES !
Su acción es muy ! muy importante!
Desearía poder servir de algo a su causa , por ahora he subido su trabajo , sus videos , a mi humilde blog de caricaturas y establecido un vinculo con su pagina , sin lugar a dudas su empeño de cambiar la ruta de la humanidad es uno de los mas significativos para enseñarle a los niños y adultos un asunto tan importante , si alguna ves desea mi trabajo como artista para sumarse a su idea , cuente con este viejo artista para ello, sera un placer en mi ultima etapa de mi vida trabajar para causas vitales
Como veras en mi blog ( clic sobre mi nombre ) soy un artista que ahora esta dedicado a las caricaturas , seria un honor para mi que las usaras sin ningún costo , para algunos de tus proyectos
Abrazos
Edgar Moreno
March 24th, 2010 at 12:31 am
Thanks very much, Annie, for a very, very cool video. There were some things in there that hit me hard, even though I spend hours upon hours reading and watching critical comments on our current economic and consumer system.
With that said, there is something about this video that gives me pause: I think that the way you phrase certain statements, and the labels you put on things (like the death sign on consumer goods), are a little too over the top. I know they were meant to jolt the audience, but I believe they may actually decrease your effectiveness with some people, especially those on the right.
Now, I’m not sure you can convince people who still deeply believe in our current way of life and its correctness, but I can easily imagine them just turning off the video upon hearing statements unambiguously accusing their system and way of life as baby-killing, third-world trashing, etc. They’d just tune you out.
I think there is a lot of truth and wisdom in this film, and there is so much that’s shocking about how we live, so many areas where we can improve… that it suffices to just present them, without putting labels like “death” on them. (although I totally understand that some of the things you have seen during those 10 years are so appalling, there’s no way you can put them in morally neutral terms).
Anyways, great work!
March 28th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
I enjoyed the interview and loved her video. I am delighted it is doing so well. I hope this begins an enlightenment era for society, while there is still hope. Many people neglect to recognize the danger zone that we have landed ourselves in. It is a large issue. The media has purposefully and confusingly bombarded us with so many different issues (some real, some not) that it camouflages the information that we really NEED to hear. And it is on purpose. They hope we do not learn because that would mean less “cha-ching” and that’s all they really care about. Not whether you or someone you know, has a child that has been diagnosed with a terminal illness that was probably caused by an environmental factor, that they caused.
Wake up Awareness!
March 30th, 2010 at 12:22 am
Annie,
you rock. Keep up the great work. I’m sharing your work with students, started a sustainablity website in my community, planning an Earth Day event, etc. in an effort to make a difference in my little corner of the world. Thanks for the inspiration and the motivation and the education!
Take care!
tammy
April 3rd, 2010 at 10:29 pm
ever sense i saw that video i wanted to go to the goverment and be on tv to say “if we all recycled and dident buy as much as we do we would save money and our earth if we continue at the rate were at then in about 5 to 10 years we will have to sleep over trash with gas masks on and we wont have any food unless we have 1000000000000000$ and thats just for 1 thing of food but if we stopped today we will make it safe for our children and their children do you want to see your kids grow up well i do and that wont happen if we keep at the way were going stop shopping unless you absolutely need it like food if you want clothes go to thrift stores and donate instesad of throwing things out like clothes or give old things to the poor or the homeless whenever you can help save our world and make it safe for kids everyhwere please” save everyone and yourself
written by hannah age 11
April 10th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
Get a life lady. We like out stuff. Are you trying to destroy our economy more? If people stop buying stuff then businesses go out of business. We don’t need to stop buying stuff, we just need to get more better at producing stuff for other countries.
April 11th, 2010 at 10:29 am
Annie, this is amazing! I’m from Brazil and two of my teachers have already showed your video in a class – the Geography teacher to talk about the use of natural resources and the impact of “throwing them away” and my Religion teacher to talk about Consummerism. In both ways, the video helped us understand a lot more easily what the teachers ment.
Also, in this interview, good job! Colbert seemed to try to throw you off your game a little bit, but you responded really well! I just hope I can buy your book around here.
April 15th, 2010 at 1:17 am
Just to let you know, I keep trying to watch The Story of Stuff but it seems like it’s broken. It gets stuck on buffering and won’t go any further. I’ve been trying to watch it for several weeks now.
April 16th, 2010 at 7:34 am
Thanks Annie for your thoughts you are spot on and I get rerally angry at producers making stuff taht lasts for a year or two. The guy who inteviewed you is an idiot because he tried to make fun of the issue and made a fool of himself because U had the poise to not react and stick to your theme.
Well done
April 17th, 2010 at 3:47 am
I vote Annie for President!
April 17th, 2010 at 3:56 pm
Thank you Annie, this was incredible to watch and amazing to know. Here’s my question. Does anyone in Washington know about this video? Better still does anyone in Washington know the “system is in crises”?
April 22nd, 2010 at 7:18 pm
annie ur awesome thanks 4 lettin us kno how much u care 4 EARTH
May 7th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
Thanks very much, Annie, for a very, very cool video.
May 25th, 2010 at 12:07 am
Great…excellent rehash and review of the Utah State University Environmental Studies Education I received in the 1980’s…Al Gore and Annie Leonard create more stuff for us to be conscious of….and we consume at ever more increasing rates….at what true costs to the other-than-humans. we humans and our perspectives are busy…very busy sharing an ‘all fix mission’ full of over simplification of the disassociation of our place in the animate world….check out David Abrams “The Spell of the Sensuous”, or Leonard Shlain’s “Art & Physics” for a more in depth discussion of our current state of being. Joseph Campbell is another great read/video….I know…the endless quest for more info…more stuff…more awareness…more ego…more life….when will being ‘what is’ be enough? We’re all doing our part in this DNA Dance…
May 28th, 2010 at 3:36 am
In the UK, every attempt to watch the Colbert Report online meets with a blank black rectangle bearing only the following brief sentence in stark white letters:
“Sorry, Videos are not currently available in your country.”
Duhh… “That’s all Folks…!!!”
June 13th, 2010 at 1:42 am
It really is inspiring to see the length and the depth of comments on blog pages such as this one, seeing how much people care and how willing they are to type up a very well thought out comment is very inspiring.
June 20th, 2010 at 7:41 pm
Excellent interview. I’m kind of shocked Colbert has time for “the little guy”. I think that speaks extremely well to his character, and his morales.
Also, I’m pretty impressed at the community of ‘intelligencia’ you’ve managed to assemble here, well done. I’ll be checking out your book.
Josh
June 21st, 2010 at 1:33 pm
Annie,
How awesome for you. I cam across your interview on the Colbert Report by happenstance and was incredibly impressed by what you have accomplished with your book and messages. In spite of what some others have written and Colbert teased you about, it is common sense thinking like this that might actually help us save ourselves from unteathered consumerism and destrcution of planet.
Congratulations and keep up the great work out there.
Warm Regards,
CCS
June 21st, 2010 at 3:48 pm
eu ameeeei,”CONCIENCIA” *-*
July 9th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
You are Amazing!!
July 9th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
Have you considered doing a “story of stuff” piece on the way GM created “manufactured demand” for automobiles…purchasing and dismantling public transportation in the early part of last century? And persuading everyone they needed/deserved their own car?
August 2nd, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Well illustrated, Annie. Yes, as she tries to convey, the government is us – IF we choose to vote and participate in it more responsibly. It is in fact high-jacked presently by MIC/corporate interests, but that does not kill any chance of reforming government here in the U.S.. Then it will be ‘us.’ What do you say we take it back? We can start by holding the current Admin. more accountable and call the MIC military imperialism for what it is and support investment in infrastructure instead. And frankly, I don’t think Scientology will fix the country ;-l ,