A number of people have asked me how I got on this path of exploring the materials economy. It started in grade school and crystallized on a spring afternoon on Staten Island.
I grew up in Seattle, at that time a green and luscious city. My family would go camping every summer. Since this was in the days before DVDs in the back seats of family cars numbed young passengers, I’d look out the window, studying the landscape, for the whole drive. Each year, I noticed that the stores reached a bit further and the forests started a bit later than the previous year. I wondered where all those forests were going. I wondered how I could stop them from going away entirely.
It turned out to be fortuitous that I went to college in New York City, even though at the time it seemed an odd place to go for environmental studies. My college campus was on 116th street and my dorm room was on 110th street. Every morning I would groggily walk those 6 blocks, staring at the piles of garbage that line NYC’s street’s every dawn. Ten hours later, I’d walk back to my dorm, staring at the empty sidewalks.
I became increasingly intrigued with this microcosm of materials flow. I started looking into the trash each morning to see what was in those never-ending piles. It was mostly paper. Paper! That is where my beloved forests were ending up. In the U.S., 42 percent of industrial wood harvest is used to make paper. And about 40 percent of the stuff in municipal garbage is paper, all of which is recyclable or compostable if it hasn’t been treated with too many toxic chemicals. By simply recycling, rather than trashing, this paper, we could reduce our garbage by 40 percent, which would also drastically reduce pressure to cut forests and help with climate change and that doesn’t even get into the massive benefits of reducing paper use.
Once I realized that those morning trash piles were nearly half paper – were once forests – I was determined to find out where they were going. So I took a trip to the infamous Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island. Coving 4.6 square miles (12 square km), Fresh kills, is one of the largest dumps in the world. When it was officially closed in 2001, some say its volume was greater than that of the Great Wall of China; it’s peaks 25 meters taller than the Statue of Liberty. I had never seen anything like it. I stood at its edge in absolute awe. As far as I could see in every direction were couches, refrigerators, boxes, apple cores, used clothes, stuff. You know how a gory car crash scene makes us want to turn away and stare at the same time? That is what it was like. I just couldn’t comprehend this massive mountain of materials, reduced to muck, by some system obviously out of control. I knew this was terribly wrong. I didn’t understand it back then, 20 years ago, but I vowed to figure it out. And I did. It’s the Story of Stuff.
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December 4th, 2007 at 9:42 am
Hi Annie–
Just wanted to let you know I love your project and will be posting about it on my blog tomorrow. Thanks for your wonderful work!
Best
Colin
December 4th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
Dear Annie Leonard,
Thank you for making this simple, brilliant film.
I volunteer to translate it into Spanish, for free.
December 4th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
Hey Annie,
I’m Louis’s sister – met you while you were filming at Free Range months ago. The site and video look amazing!
Just posted a plug for it on my blog: http://gardenofeatingblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/story-of-stuff.html
Hope it spreads like wildfire!
-Eve
December 4th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
Congratulations Annie – and all who work with her!!! What a great film and website! You’re bursting the bubble – and with such verve and panache! I’m sure the folks at my local film festival up here in the Comox Valley (Vancouver Island) will find a way to show it in Feb. – and it’s already getting passed around by email. I was so happy to see this – have been obsessed the last few weeks with ideas for several projects that if they get off the ground will be able to make excellent use of all this information. I have a feeling this will feed into some substantial action – you’ve created a wave . . .
December 4th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
Hi Annie,
Great work! I’m always happy when I see projects like yours blossom. I know this type of activity takes a ton of work. I worked on a short film about The Rebuilding Center in Portland, Oregon and it took a lot of spare time but it was totally worthwhile. You’ve got a great message, one that needs to be told over and over to compete with all the damn advertising messages we hear daily….over and over and over…Thanks for all your work on this,
Mike
December 4th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
Thanks for creating such a wonderfully impactful film!
I hope this film is shared widely, and that it awakens people to pursue and embrace meaning in their lives without trying to fill voids through excessive consumer materialism.
December 4th, 2007 at 8:54 pm
I am thoroughly disappointed with your video. It is true that we need to develop new steps to environmental protection and be proponents of further sustainability, but you are doing the same thing that many American media corporations are doing today, and that is inspire fear. To get their message across, many media corporations in the United States are showing an ever increasing amount of scary material to convince the people of their opinion. Similar to this, you are using half of the facts, and leaving the rest out to scare people into believing your opinion. You can not ignore the economic and social, as well as environmental benefits of increasing technology in a consumer economy. Saying that we should just stop buying stuff in an attempt to ‚Äúthrow a wrench is the gears of the corporate machine‚Äù is impossible. To protect our planet, we must continue to increase our consumer production while at the same time developing new technology and environmental standards. Consumerism and the interest in your so called “stuff” is what makes people happy, makes their lifestyles comfortable, and is sought after by people all over the world, weather they are in third world countries or fully developed first world countries. A consumer economy is what takes people in villages and moves them to cities where they are able to find work, and make pay, even though they are not living in the best conditions. Claiming that farmers in the countryside‚Äôs of countries like china have it better off before they are forced to move is simply not true. Many times the villages that are destroyed by advancement and development are slums in themselves, and farmers often work long hours with poor living conditions and with no modern amenities. The destruction of these villages is not actually something bad at all, but the winds of development and change at work. Our consumerist economy is changing lifestyles all over the world, and developing new and greener forms of energy and technology each and every year. While production goes up, so does development of new forms of economic protection and green energy development. What we need is not to pursue the futile goal of stopping the consumer economy, but to develop it and change it to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly through growth and encouragement. Next I would like to address the issue of using toxic chemicals in household items. People have been using toxic and potentially harmful chemicals in household materials since the middle ages. Disease was rampant, much more so that it is today, and it was dangerous to eat or lie down anywhere in public for fear of disease transmission. Compared to the past we have made leaps and bounds in toxic disease prevention, and we know when a product will be directly harmful to humans. Saying that a product which contains a neuron toxin should not be used for sleeping on, is like saying that we should not use chairs because they have the potential for bone fracturing if for example a chair falls on your arm, these products may both be harmful, but only if used in the most specific and rare of circumstances and generally are exponentially more beneficial to our daily lives. Overall the winds of change are blowing, and as our world globalizes it pushes further towards sustainability. No matter how slowly, at our current rate we will eventually be sustainable to a point where we can always live and interact with the planet, where as if we follow your plan, we are avoiding change, and hiding our heads below the sand. This approach will potentially set us back to an age where there was no consumerism, which is great because everyone knows that when you must manufacture your own steel and trade it to your neighbor for his milk to survive; you are surely protecting our mother earth in the best way possible.
December 4th, 2007 at 9:06 pm
I want to say THANK YOU, for making this film.
thank you thank you.
And, congratulations on your work and your travels/experiences, and making the world a little better.
“When you change how you live in the world, you can change the world yourself!”
- (sorry, I don’t know who it’s by!)
December 4th, 2007 at 9:35 pm
Thanks for a great video that can be used to educate a wide range of ages. A previous commenter mentioned translating it into Spanish. I help a lot of Chinese and Korean NGOs translate their websites into English, and think I could get them to help me translate this into those languages. If you’re interested just let me know.
Thanks again!
chad
December 4th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
And I’m glad to hear that your friends are safe. It’s too bad they won’t be able to speak at the climate change convention, but at least they are safe. And hopefully their story will help the people of that community block the incinerator.
thanks again
chad
December 4th, 2007 at 9:55 pm
I only have one question after watching your story… why would you make the story available to purchase on “DVDs” adding to the amount of plastic and toxic chemical waste you are trying to get people to stop doing?
December 5th, 2007 at 1:37 am
just found your site, and i loved the video! glad to have found you, and please let me know if there is anything i can do to help spread the word.
keep up the great work!
December 5th, 2007 at 6:36 am
Excellent!
Your presentation is a real gem!
Thanks
December 5th, 2007 at 7:15 am
From one Annie to another! This is awesome!! This is a wonderful educational tool for everyone. I’ll make sure that everyone I know is aware of your site and the movie.
Thanks!
Annie
December 5th, 2007 at 7:34 am
Thanks a lot for this wonderful project and vid?©os. I will post it on my blog.
Just a question ……Do you know how we could do to translate all in French? Because, unfortunately, most of the French will not understand your comments but ….the point you are explaining concern them too !
Thanks a lot for your reply (gregoire.jacob@voila.fr) and CONGRATULATIONS !
December 5th, 2007 at 9:27 am
This is great! Ideas like this need to be spread. I’ve recently read about Murray Bookchin’s idea of social ecology, that “bourgeois society not only pits humans against each other, it also pits the mass of humanity against the natural world.” We all need to start doing something that challenges the current broken system and offers strong and powerful alternatives. Thank you for making this!
December 5th, 2007 at 9:39 am
All this talk about ‘Stuff’ makes me hungry for real, organic food!
Way to go Annie Leonard!
December 5th, 2007 at 10:17 am
Very interesting report. I am intrigued by your statement that 99% of what we buy is discarded within 6 months. What is the basis for that quote. I would like to use it but I want to know how it was arrived at before I do, because I know somebody is going to ask me how I got that number.
Don
December 5th, 2007 at 10:21 am
Dear Annie,
I wanted to congratulate you and ask a question, but it is hard to resist responding to the convoluted ramblings and rantings of “Adam Smith.” No! I won’t do it! It’s a waste of time to try to reason with someone who has drunk so deeply of the KoolAid of consumerism.
So on to my question, which is about forests. In SOS you say that only 4% of our forests remain. Can you clarify that? Forest cover over much of the US is actually higher than it was 100 years ago due to abandonement/retirement of farmland, especially in the East. Are you referring to original (”primary)) forest cover? I’m curious myself, and quite sure that I’ll be asked about it.
More generally, is there a sort of bibliography or reference guide for people who see the video and have questions or want to learn more? Maybe this is shown somewhere on the site and I just haven’t looked hard enough, but I think it’d be useful, especially since you are trying to simplify a lot of information.
Congratulations again and thank you!
Jim
December 5th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
Bravo! I can’t help but share what we are actually “doing” to change the needle from over drive consumption to more relevant consumption. Unfortunately, there is this large device called the television that permeates the brain of children and makes them money grubbing little consumers. As parents, I want to share an example of a toy site that is moving in this direction.
Example 1: adorable plush toys from France are made from recycled materials and can’t wait for you to take them home.
Example 2: Only 100% natural pine from certified renewable forests in France is used.
Example 3: Our finished toys are coated with non-toxic and child-friendly colors. Children can now learn and play with toys that have the feel of nature.
Example 4: LANA specializes in 100% ecological, untreated merino wool and organic cotton from Holland.
As for Adam Smith above, he has some good points, and it is up to parents to educate, train and influence to the best we can. http://toysnotmadeinchina.org
December 5th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
In the annotated version you state under annotation #44: “For example, the No Dirty Gold campaign explains that there is 79 tons of min-
ing waste for every one ton of gold produced; that translates into about 20 tons of mine waste created to make one gold wedding ring.”
That is one VERY heavy gold wedding ring. Check your math; somewhere you made a mistake.
December 5th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Your video documents why take responsibility about all facets of our “stuff.” Conserving can a difference. However, I believe how we frame and present this idea message to change our habits is the greater challenge.
Your visuals and information does a great job of developing this dialogue yet this debate will offend many who do not see our materials economy is the same perspective. Economy and health care are the two leading issues that Americans feel they are most important. This issue can creatively tie them together if we made more aware.
Simply put, if we wish to prosper we need to become ingenious and waste less. Every time we become thrifty we celebrate a new American Revolution. Conservation matters that saving our land is paramount to everything we believe in.
It is time we defined what tough love is, and start to insure that we take care of ourselves by being tough with ourselves. The question is, can we change our destructive consumerist patterns? Can Americans awaken to the idea that economics is about saving, not wasting things? Is it possible for conservatives and liberals to work together to lessen, not increase our waste? I believe the answer is yes. However we must go through a form of emotional recovery to discover why we indulge in this present insane culture of consumption.
It is all about ecology and economy. “Eco” comes from the Greek meaning house and it is time to do some serious cleaning both inside and out. A new prosperous frontier awaits America if we can revolt and become thrifty, and not just be consumers.
I have been fortunate to be a participant in several conservation tipping points, and I have observed that Americans can change self-destructive habits. Ironically, we have the hardware and the physical ability to change our habits, but somehow our mental software is impaired. Our conditioned habits rule us without regard for our larger body, the earth.
It is evident that both government and capitalism are addicted to consuming. In order for us to begin the process of recovery, we must develop some market-based controls for wasteful greed. We must provide incentive to save. We must champion best management practices and create cost controls and good asset accounting.
I have spent most of my life in the Washington DC area (also it’s first recycling coordinator over 25 years ago), and have observed that this region is the universal champion of waste. Our nation’s capitol shows a regional carbon footprint that uses more materials than the whole nation of Sweden whose land area is 23% larger. We have a “design to waste” governmental policy of spending wastefully known by insiders as “use it or lose it.”
No other society has ever wasted more, and has affected our environment so much by rapacious acts of consumption. Our challenge now is how do we become better accountable, how do we manage our dwindling supplies of resources.
The harmful use and disposal of our resources needs to be called into question, especially by our federal government. Why is this so important? Our consumerist driven society has created serious consequences affecting future life.
Your video shows that our earth nourishes life as a blessing and not an object to exploit. As you show we are a nation create “externalities.” One perfect example of how we must become more accountable is how we can best manage the by-products of energy. For example, America must improve all aspects of how we use and dispose of oil. Americans use 20,730,000 barrels per day¬? One trillion gallons of oilfield waste are injected into deep wells each year in the U.S. As auto consumers, we yearly throw away 400 million gallons of used oil and 300 million oil filters in the United States
Only when we can address the issues of human needs and environmental needs by integrating them into a natural symbiosis can we achieve political and economic stability. Once we walk our talk, we can once again win the diplomatic respect of the global community, at last showing that American democracy works.
I estimate Americans use, discard and recycle more than 17 billion tons of waste, not including nuclear and hazardous waste. There is an “out of sight, out of mind” violence happening in our “waste mentality” culture. This “out of sight” attitude threatens our very well being, a form of waste that hides itself in many ways. We must detect the consequences by tracking waste more completely and responsibly.
Until we the people and our government become less wasteful then less stuff will become a reality. Our very freedom is in question until we awaken from the nightmarish myth that we have a limitless supply of goods.
Yankee ingenuity must be reborn. There are millions of kind acts we can do that show we care for this land. We can bike or walk instead of drive. We can fill up the empty spaces in our refrigerators with bottles of water thereby reducing our electricity requirements—and our electricity bill as well. Promoting sustainable economic growth by transforming waste is an investment in our happiness. What we do affects our planet, and also impacts our very spirit.
Yes conservation matters, and so does the America spirit. We are innovators who can improve our environment thus stimulate life-affirming and life- enhancing choices.
Conserving, preserving and protecting our environment is tied to the very notion of human excellence. Americans can demonstrate their virtue and make our human experience flourish by promoting a healthier relationship with our planet. Any choice that can lessen the threat of further habitation fragmentation and biodiversity loss is an investment in the future of our resources. Therefore, any way we lessen our stuff harming our planet directly betters ourselves.
In this exciting time we can both give by conserving and receive by consuming. However, we must show respect for what we use, and if we pollute we must directly pay. Bury now pay latter is wrong. Our actions must show a new eloquence in our use resources for the sake of our future. We must connect and create wholesome feedback loops not to just change our behavior but to plant seeds rather than casting despair.
Our very freedom is in question until we awaken from the myth that we have a limitless supply of goods. Presently, the total wealth of the United States amounts to $70 trillion dollars. Congressman Ron Paul cites the impossibility of funding Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and prescription drug insurance, in total amounting to $71 trillion dollars. We must awaken from the error of spending what we do not have. This mismanagement takes many forms.
Let’s show we respect our community and manage our resources more safely and thereby give hope to our world. In return we find such leadership gives us greater freedom and a peace of mind. Creating sustainable business is a critical democratic challenge demonstrating that conservation matters.
We, the people, will only prosper if we become truly conservative and economical. A rich life does not necessarily translate into a richer life if we spoil future opportunities without better and more frugal management. Thank you for your video and the opportunity to comment.
December 5th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
What an awesome video. I just got done blogging about it. I’d love to hear more by way of a bibliography as well. If I can review the sources, this would be a great seminar at my university. We’re all architectural, interior, and product designers to be, so your message would be hitting the future source. Thanks for the amazing work!
December 5th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
This should be required viewing in schools.
Although, there is an important topic that wasn’t, and usually isn’t, discussed, that directly impacts the motivations and consequences of the ‘consumer culture’. Population. We need to start thinking about and dealing with overpopulation before famine and disease do…
December 5th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
WOW THIS WAS SO AMAZING I AM MOST CERTAINLY GOING TO THELL EVER ONE IN MY WHOLE SCHOOL so amazing in every way
December 5th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
that is so terrible i feel as if i could cry i love stuff i own alot of stuff i like my stuff and i expecioly love new stuff but i deffenitioly DO NOT EVER want that to happen
i dont know what to do though but by more stuff i will soooooooooooo talk to my mom about this!!!!!!!! please e-mail me on what i could do i couldnt stand it if i continued commiting to such a horrible cause!
December 5th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
I WILL TELL EVERYONE (espesally my teachers,they can help tell more kids)
December 5th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
Ignore previous question! After reading Don’s comment I looked back and found the forest loss references.
December 5th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Absolutely brilliant. Very well illustrated and presented. Never mind the nitty gritty. It’s just so good to see presentations on the subject that are so well illustrated and convincing.
~Christina
December 5th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
I really liked your film. I hope it gets widespread circulation!
I linked on my blog: http://ravesrantsandreflections.blogspot.com/
Thanks and good luck with your message!
-Brady
December 5th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
The Story of Stuff is the best 20-minute communication I have ever experienced. It is clear, direct, concrete, factual, and yet comprehensive and connected as well. You avoid too much emotion while at the same time telling brutal truths that never get expressed. If information overload ever gets defeated, it will be by communications like this. Fantastic. I would like to hear comments about this “story” from each presidential candidate!
I admire your effort and courage.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
I’ll shortly link this to the blog http://www.realwealtheconomy.com It’s based on Riane Eisler’s book, Real Wealth of Nations…creating a caring economics. In it she shows how we got to the crisis of where we are today and how we can transition from a capitalistic/consumer economy to a caring economy doing the most important work of all: Caring for humans and the planet.
Thanks for your great work…
ann
December 5th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Wonderful. I’ll have my students watch it as well. They would be reluctant to read an article explaining all of this, but the video says and shows it all so well. We need more resources like this that can reach out to a broader audience.
Thanks. Come see my Buy Nothing Day video (at http://urbanbotany.blogspot.com/)if you like, which also tries to take a humorous approach to the subject of mindless consumerism.
December 5th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
Hi Annie,
Thank you so much for this clip! It really touches on everything we stand for. It’s a great educational tool and I’ll sure use it in our activities.
The world needs more people like you!
Herv?© Jodoin
Organizer
Green Party of Canada
December 5th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
When i hear someone saying something like “I’ve spent 10 years of my life researching this, and this is what I’ve found out” i expect something new, something eye-opening, or at least something i didn’t know.
This movie-thingy is just a list of ‘problems’ everyone who hasn’t lived under a rock for the past 10 years already knows about. There have been countless articles and documentaries about the various subjects mentioned which give a lot more in depth information about the specific subjects.
The subject area is much to big for a 20 minutes movie clip.
I don’t really know who is the target audience for this clip. There are to many ‘fancy words’ for elementary school, and anyone above the age of 12 should be ashamed if this contained any new information…
December 5th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Kept my 5 and 6 1/2 year old daughters engaged throughout. Excellent.
I would recommend adding the following reference to your reading list:
Meadows, D., Randers, J., Meadows, D., (2004), Limits to Growth The 30-Year Update
December 5th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
Your video is great, Annie, thank you! It does an excellent job of explaining the dangers of our consumer culture. I wish it could be required viewing in every school.
Also, while I respect everyone’s right to their opinion, reading the comments by Adam Smith just made me sad. His belief that buying more stuff is what makes people happy, and that to protect our planet we need to produce more of it just doesn’t make sense in my opinion. Adam, if you’re reading this, please consider the following. The current savings rate in this country is less than one percent. The average American is drowning in debt, and with current interest rates may never get caught up. Social Security is in trouble, pensions are becoming a thing of the past, and more people than ever can no longer afford health insurance. What will happen when these people are ready to retire? Do you really believe that they will look around and think, Well, I may not have any money to live on, but I sure have lots of great stuff? Our relationships with people bring happiness. Stuff is just stuff.
December 5th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
Hi, Annie – Great video (we talked last year via an intro from Scott Denman). Let’s collaborate! My work to encourage women to use their purse to change the world dovetails perfectly with your message. Diane MacEachern, http://www.biggreenpurse.com
December 6th, 2007 at 3:22 am
Great material this is. I’m presently downloading it, intending to use it in a Christmas activity for kids, which we are organizing – that is, with your permission. We’ll have 2 short stories: one promotes neatness among kids and the other one discourages kids from eating junkfoods and avoiding plastic-wrapped products (esp food). We’ll also have a short sermon of some sort on stewardship. Then we’ll have your The Story of Stuff (hope my downloading the file would be successful this time-it was not last night).
December 6th, 2007 at 7:34 am
This is absolutely fabulous. I can’t tell you how great I think it is. I will be using for future talks on ‘You are what you buy’ aimed at helping people reduce their consumption and make smart buying choices.
Any feedback you nedd from the UK just let me know.
rita
December 6th, 2007 at 9:21 am
Your efforts to affect change are to be applauded. However, awareness isn’t really the problem in the US, it’s execution of a complete process to deal with “stuff”. As one responder noted above, it’s about buying stuff to feel good. Not sure how you reverse the “aircraft carrier of need” that has infected the US.
The other aspect is motivation. It’s going to take more than good conscience for people to change. Government isn’t really motivated for the very reason you mention (corporations/power). Likewise, the slowness to respond and implement will take more time than is perhaps available.
I’m no environmentalist/Sierra Club/Greenpeace member by any means. In fact, I design “stuff” for a major corporation as my job. I am a minimalist though and am continuing to strip my own life back to basics.
December 6th, 2007 at 11:35 am
Great job !!
Thank you — I learned a lot !!
I posted links in my blogs and sent out bulletins.
Keep going !!
Jean Smith
Mecca Normal
December 6th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Congratulations
This is a fantasticly simple and straight-forward presentation connecting the dots. Its additional discussion and organizational features are spot-on.
Before one can begin the process of reclaiming our planet, it is helpful to clearly understand how we strayed from respecting it. Yes its pretty much doom-and-gloom, but without a basis connecting the pieces, how can we hope to fix the root problem.
Today, far too many corporations have begun exploiting the “green revolution”… they redefine organic standards, roll out pet products and projects to parade their “green-ness”, and capitalize on the real threat to our planet.
Yes, not ALL corporations or government officials are like that, but unless we understand the whole dynamic of the system, how can we separate the true-belivers from the want-you-to-believers.
excellent effort.
December 6th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
Hey Annie,
Huge congratulations for the movie — it’s amazing how much valuable information you managed to clearly explain in so little time.
Regards from Argentina, and thanks a lot for educating us
December 6th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
Thank you so much for your simple and explanation of how we got where we are. I read about it on No Impact Man and picked up the torch, er, recycling bin. Blogged, and may she reach many.
You explained in such a charming and funny way what makes me sound like a banshee!!! I think I’ll just click on your movie from now on. Shannon
December 6th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
You are like a breath of fresh air. Keep on keeping on. You are a true leader, and I am happy to help you spread your message. Rock on, sister!
December 6th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
Hey Annie,
that was a great use of animation to illustrate principles that can otherwise be very complicated to communicate. Now, when I want to explain these important realities to friends, I can just give them a site!
Now the issue emerges: how do we make a livelihood and break out of this insane cycle? Lots of my friends are finding ways to make a side income that involves MORE merchandise!
December 7th, 2007 at 2:25 am
Absoluetely fantastic piece. Well done and right on the money. This is the kind of stuff (no pun intended) we need to help people connect the dots and live sustainably. Knowledge is the first step in the revolution. Posted and linked to you on my blog http://achievingsustainability.blogspot.com/.
Thanks
dave
December 7th, 2007 at 2:27 am
Thanks!
Loved your animation and shared it with my kids.
Read a good book lately that expands on some of your themes by Naomi Klein called the Shock Doctrine- Disaster Capitalism.
If you haven’t read it I think you will enjoy if thats the word.
Phil Carson
December 7th, 2007 at 2:32 am
Great Work Annie!
I’ll be putting this up as a link on my website. You’ve done such a great job of putting it all together in a format that everyone can understand, efficiently and quickly. May this get out globally!
Peace,
Beth
December 7th, 2007 at 8:17 am
Hi Annie,
I found your Story of Stuff vids on YouTube, and what you have to say, I found it interesting enough to check you out on the web. Indeed, you’re one of those to make a pretty difference on our raped planet Earth.
I work in agroecological farming and use my work to also do some activism; my last one here is to localize our coffee trade and to recover natural corn seeds, everything produced organically of course.
Yes, Corporations spoil the world with their greed, but they forget people like us are out there everywhere around the planet. Anything you may need here in Brazil, just let me know.
Take care, we all need you! And keep up!
Jorge
December 7th, 2007 at 8:46 am
I found your Story of Stuff vids on YouTube, and what you have to say, I found it interesting enough to check you out on the web. Indeed, you’re one of those to make a pretty difference on our raped planet Earth.
I work in agroecological farming and use my work to also do some activism; my last one here is to localize our coffee trade and to recover natural corn seeds, everything produced organically of course.
Yes, Corporations spoil the world with their greed, but they forget people like us are out there everywhere around the planet. Anything you may need here in Brazil, just let me know.
Take care, we all need you! And keep up!
Jorge
PS: sorry for the e-mail typing error in my anterior post.
December 7th, 2007 at 9:30 am
Thanks, great work! I will be watching the film again tonight when I show it to my 7 year old daughter!
December 7th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
Just a thought..
But, doesn’t offering to purchase this as a DVD defeat the purpose?
Can’t you offer a higher quality download instead?
Thanks
Chad
December 7th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
The film is fantastic. I have spread it far and wide! Please consider including more on the devistating effects of animal agriculture in the next version you do.
Thanks!
December 7th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
What makes people happy? Stuff? Is Adam correct that stuff makes us happy? I don’t condemn anyone for questioning the points made in the video. It challenges the man made structure of Capitalism, and the dominant force of economics. Understanding is the key to creating change though. Deep down inside we know what truly makes us happy and what is right. If stuff truly does bring happiness then we should not be at war in the world. The richest nations in the world should be at peace with themselves and with others.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
I agree with most comments above, this is a great video and tool and I certainly will share it.
But why are you promoting that people buy the dvd? Isn’t that totally counter to your message to stop?
December 7th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
Hey Annie,
Me again.
I was wondering if your video comes with closed captioning and/or foreign language subtitles. Would love it if it did — could reach a lot more people that way. 
December 7th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
Fantastic educational video! Congratulations! I have put a story and link on my home page, sent out to our list, and encourage all schools and community members in our network to see this video and organize discussions about how to green schools and avoid more unnecessary, toxic, wasteful stuff! See http://www.greenschools.net for ideas on greening your school.
December 7th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
Amazing Concept….brilliantly executed. We need more aware ness to control the impending doom on us in 9 years time. The inconvenient truth by al gore was an eye opener and yours too is one! This is going to go places in the long run and it going to become a movement in the next 5 months.My Best Wishes to you for it.
If you need any support from India, I am game. And I am blogging about this for sure.
Gaurav Tekriwal
Vedic Maths India
December 7th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
Annie,
Great Video— Spot on Message. I hear the complaints others raised about the slight hypocrisy in asking people to buy the DVD–but, if its for mass education of people about the veiled reality we actually live in, it’s worth it.
If a bought DVD means several school kids, teenagers, or households reduce their consumption, then it’s a worthwhile purchase. And it’s not a product that will be thrown away in same short time most other products are.
I would love to translate this into Portuguese and get it through my network of folks down in Brazil. If you sent me the text, I could get the translation done much faster!!!!
Good on You Annie. Keep it UP!!!
December 7th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
A fundamental premise in your introduction is wrong — it is not the government’s job to take care of it’s people. It is each individual’s responsibility to take care of themselves. The governments job is to protect its people from invasion or threats to their liberty and resources, thus the the existence of the military. Government is not our parent or nanny -nor was it meant to be. It is elective whether people take care of other people – they do this if they are meeting their own basic needs. The history of the world is conquest and the fight for the possession of natural resources. We are blessed with many in the US, and it’s great to make people aware of excess consumerism and waste – for that I applaud you!
December 7th, 2007 at 5:28 pm
Excellent video. Great approach and execution of the subject. I heard of this video thru word-of-mouth. Perhaps you can get some plugins about it in the main stream media. Consumerism is a runaway train heading for disaster. Consumerism mixed with all the unncessary packaging is eating away at the planet…packaging which is made up of plastics and paper. THE HEALTH AND FUTURE OF OUR PLANET SHOULD BE A PRIORITY ACROSS ALL POLITICAL LINES. IT’S THE DOLLAR THAT WILL ALWAYS SPLIT THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT.
December 7th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Hi Annie,
Great job putting this together. While I disagree with many of your points about toxic chemicals and the degree environmental degredation, I totally agree with your points about materialism, consumerism and the broken business model.
We’re all covered with the slime of materialism, some of us alot and some just a little. Materialism has replaced the family in today’s society. Most people people don’t realize how much of their lives are controlled by the desire to acquire stuff. Loving stuff has replaced loving your neighbor. This is the most valid and important point your video makes.
While electricity, oil and machines have lifted the curse of having to earn one’s living by the sweat of the brow, the business model driving our economy is a train wreck waiting to happen. Angst over the disparity between workers pay and owners profits, detracts from honorable productivity and spawns concepts like planned obselescence.
Businesses must convert to employee owned enterprises. Every business that is employee owned is sucessful, regardless of what industry they are in. No one has the right to profit from anothers labor, be it as a business owner or a stockholder.
It sickens me to see “Green Businesses” gouging consumers, preying upon their guilt. Greed and Green are not mutually exclusive. If these businesses are to become sucessful, sustainable and competitive, they must be different. They must become employee owned. Couple that with a change in attitude towards stuff and there’s hope. Thanks
December 7th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
This looks like a very promising project. I’ve been focusing on sustainability on my own web site for a few years now, but your video will probably get more traffic than my dry essays.
I’ll have something to say about how rethinking consumerism also requires a rethinking of capitalism, when I see a blog entry that is more suitable than this one.
If we all really cut back on buying “stuff” what would happen to the jobs of all those who make, sell, finance and advertise the stuff? Change requires an integrated plan, expecting consumers to be the driving force for change is unrealistic.
One nit to pick about the film. I think the claim that 99% of stuff is discarded within six months is misleading. I assume this includes food which is consumed. If what you want to highlight is the amount of stuff that is not meant to be consumed (as your PC example shows) then this should be treated separately.
December 7th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
Annie, this was the most empowering thing I have witnessed on my computer screen EVER. Thank you for doing it simple, free of crap while helping to solve the problem of crap. Anyhow, I am passing this on to all my allies. Thanks to Tides for posting this as well. Ali
December 7th, 2007 at 9:24 pm
I loved the Story of Stuff. You might be interested to know that when I clicked “tell a friend” I got both an error message and a page that listed your site PLUS a lot of links to FREE STUFF. Argh!! Was this just my own personal glitch or something others have experienced? I emailed your page a different way, but thought you might want to know. keep up the great work!
December 8th, 2007 at 1:55 am
I always applaud efforts to point out the problem.
But what is the solution?
Buy a 20 minute DVD for $10.00?
For me this is an hour and a half of work.
An hour and a half taken from my life to make more stuff for my employer who will sell that stuff to others who will comsume and discard it.
Others who buy the DVD will probably discard it after one viewing anyway.
We all work in the industrial world. We must work. Everyone must play the game. The only way to become exempt is to get substitutes to work for you. In other words to become an employer. Everyone must work, and everyone must be paid in tokens. Everyone must spend those tokens in order to eat, be clothed, be housed. Nobody should produce their own food, spin their own cloth, or build their own house. These are the rules we live by in the industrial world. These rules are killing us. So what do we do with our extra tokens? We buy stuff. We buy more stuff. We buy even more stuff. We can’t stop. What else are we going to do with our tokens? We can’t eat them. Try asking your boss to pay you in land, or in dairy cows, or in cotton. Hah!
When the Boers in South Africa needed workers in the mines, they turned to the indigenous people. Naturally, they did not want to do this work. So the Boers offered them useful implements. Iron axes. Steel pails. Stuff like that. Some of the indegenous people came to work, but they quit as soon as they had earned enough to buy what they needed. A steel pail can last a decade after all. So what did the Boers do then? They had to confiscate the land of the indigenous people and remove their livelihood. That way they’d be forced to work for their living at terms dictated by the Boers. This is the story the world over of “Progress”.
When you don’t have your own life in your hands, all you’ve got is your tokens. You might as well spend them.
The solution starts in the workplace and works back out into the landscape. We have got to start working less. But who will cast the first stone? Who wants to hear the word “less”? We only know one word. MORE!!
December 8th, 2007 at 11:16 am
I’m guessing that Adam Smith owns or operates a corporation that makes “stuff”
December 8th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Annie,
I am a high school teacher who tries to get my students to connect the dots and one of my themes is “How does this product get from the earth to you?” So you can imagine that I was excited as I started to watch your video.
However, I also encourage critical thinking and encourage my students not to believe me or anyone else; rather, question the source of any information presented to you and ascertain its veracity. As soon as we believe, we begin to stop thinking, which is one reason why we are in the mess we are in today.
In an age of sell, everyone has an angle. I know that my students will love the fast talking and visual animation used to sell this message and
I personally agree with the message. But where are your sources of information for what you say? For this to have critical thinking credibility, could you include a trancript with footnoted sources for the statistics that you quote?
Then I would love to show it to my students.
December 8th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Guys, I’m sure “Adam Smith” is not his real name but a reference to the 1776 author of “The Wealth of Nations,” which provided one of the best-known intellectual rationales for free trade, capitalism, and libertarianism. (no or little govt intervention in trade.) This fellow’s arguments are a fairly off the mark (for example, buying a toxin-filled pillow to intentionally lay your head on while sleeping 8 hrs a night is not the same as a chair falling on you accidentally and breaking your arm.)
Bravo to Annie for inspiring us to become “mindful consumers.” We will never consume NOTHING, but we can be mindful of our actions. We can take action to call attention to the toxicity of the system so that progress will be made toward cleaning it up and protecting quality of life for all.
December 8th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
Annie, could you give me a cite for Victor LeBeau? I can’t find a reference to him–not sure about the spelling of his name.
thanks for a great movie. my students loved it!
December 8th, 2007 at 11:59 pm
ALL WILL BE FOR NAUGHT UNLESS 1-2-CILD FAMILIES BECOME THE NORM WORLDWIDE VERY SOOOOON.
December 9th, 2007 at 12:01 am
Dera Annie
I loved your video and am spreading it far and wide in my many networks. My 11 year old son loved it too and just ordered the DVD (Even though I love in an ecovillage he’s learned early to respond by purchasing)
HOWEVER
I wish brilliant people like you, Al Gore, and so many documentary-makers would get over making videos that are 95% about the global crisis we are in and 5% about the solutions. Why can’t the proportions be 80:20 or even 50:50? People need to be awakened in compelling and memorable ways, but they also need to be empowered through a coherent array of sensible, high-leverage systemic strategies, backed up shining examples . I’m hoping your brilliant mind, big heart and good humor can follow up on this sure hit you’ve produced , with round 2 that looks at cures on mental& emotional level (e.g., how to self-program for sufficiency and enoughness) and solutions on a design, policy, technical, and infrastructure level.
Elan Shapiro
December 9th, 2007 at 12:02 am
Dear Annie
I loved your video and am spreading it far and wide in my many networks. My 11 year old son loved it too and just ordered the DVD (Even though I live in an ecovillage he’s learned early to respond by purchasing)
HOWEVER
I wish brilliant people like you, Al Gore, and so many documentary-makers would get over making videos that are 95% about the global crisis we are in and 5% about the solutions. Why can’t the proportions be 80:20 or even 50:50? People need to be awakened in compelling and memorable ways, but they also need to be empowered through a coherent array of sensible, high-leverage systemic strategies, backed up shining examples . I’m hoping your brilliant mind, big heart and good humor can follow up on this sure hit you’ve produced , with round 2 that looks at cures on mental& emotional level (e.g., how to self-program for sufficiency and enoughness) and solutions on a design, policy, technical, and infrastructure level.
Elan Shapiro
December 9th, 2007 at 10:38 am
Hi Annie,
Indeed a great video. I have put a link on my blog at http://aerosols.blogpspot.com . However I have one question. You mention “Bush told us to shop” in reaction to 9/11 attachk. Is this a metaphor? can you please provide citation for that, otherwise video smells of political agenda.
Harish
December 9th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
Would also be interested in seeing some sources. So many things like this, using the ’scare’ tactic, are very emotive, but for me are worth nothing unless backed up. Seems like it’s the same for many.
December 9th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
Annie,
thank you for making this video. I have just blogged about it on my company’s website, http://lilipip.squarespace.com/blog/, as I am searching for “stuff free” Christmas gifts for my kids – and hopefully will give ideas to our Blog subscribers as well. I have just uncovered this great alternative – make your own product by printing out the designs here http://www.ponoko.com/.
Thanks again!
December 9th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Congratulations, Annie! A work of miraculous compression — and compassion!
Absolutely first-rate. Keep it up!
Best, Dug
December 9th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
If you knew all of this why didn’t you just put the radio back on the shelf?
December 9th, 2007 at 10:20 pm
In response to ADAM SMITH’s comments on Dec. 4…
Dear Adam;
(1) I agree that Annie’s Story of Stuff incites fear. The American media uses to get us to act, as is Annie The difference is the outcome. The big media companies want us to consume more, and fight to defend our consumer economy. Annie’s goal, aside from education, is to lighten the burden of consumerism on our environment.
(2) Yes, there are economic/social/environmental benefits of … a consumer economy. But increasing consumerism will NOT protect the planet, though perhaps with technology, we can lighten the economic/social/environmental burdens of production/distribution/disposal.
I lived for 2 years in an African billage, far far away from consumerism. Take my word for it…African peasants DO NOT WANT consumerism. They want education, health, and a decent, stable income from their crops in their own villages. They don’t want to leave their villages for the city’s bright lights. Consumerism is a creation of advertising.
3. You state that rural farmworkers, in some circumstances, may be better off when their lifestyle is destroyed as they enter a consumer economy. Maybe true for a few. But the vast majority of farmers want to remain farmers. Not corporate farmers…family-farm farmers. What’s needed is an economic model that supports that fundamental and just desire of many people.
4. You say, “as our world globalizes it pushes further towards sustainability.” Let’s hope so.
In the meanwhile, there are negative and lasting consequences of globalization, especially as it appears to be dependent on consumer economics.
The large corporations eagerly globalize their corporate structures, their operations and marketing. Will they also take responsiblity for the social disruptions and environmental problems engendered by consumerism? Will the USA have to go to war to protect McDonald’s cattle herds in Argentina, WalMart’s kitchen products manufacturing in China, etc.?!
The issues are complex and difficult to understand. The Story of Stuff is simple, but clear. Kudo’s to Annie!!
December 9th, 2007 at 10:57 pm
Annie -
My husband was watching the Story of Stuff movie and I got completely sucked in. It is amazing. I just posted it on my blog asking readers to PLEASE carve out twenty minutes to watch it.
By the way, did you go to Barnard?
Best,
Jena
December 9th, 2007 at 11:03 pm
Annie,
Well, I have to be honest and say that, while the video was well visualized and produced, it’s content was probably the worst that I have seen on the internet regarding modern politics, economy, and social theory.
The ideological approach is so far removed from reality that I actually found myself embarrassed to continue watching the video after it was recommended to me by a friend.
I don’t doubt this is your honest view of the world. But maybe you do yourself and others a disservice to think so little of yourself and fellow man.
But I bid you best wishes regardless.
B.G.
December 9th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
I love this and have also shared it on my blog. Thanks for the video! I was surprised to see so many commentors asking for cites and references, maybe people were so passionate about this video that they felt the need to jump into the comment section, and they didn’t see that you provide a very detailed page for that right on the video site? Your references and script resources are wonderful.
I’m inspired to make some changes in our home; making big changes to our consumer habits, and most importantly my mental and emotional habits around the need for “stuff”. I’ve always cringed at this failing system (stopped eating fast food at age 17, by choice) and have always felt like a square peg trying to fit in a round hole in this consumption-obsessed world. I’ve always found nature and creativity to be so much more satisfying to indulge in… But as I’ve gotten older (and have my own family) I have to admit to getting sucked in to the “need more stuff” mentality, more than a few times. I’ve become aware of it over the last few years again, and have reverted back to making life simpler here at our house. We make our fun (instead of buying it) a lot more often than most of our neighbors. We are scaling down hugely this Christmas, giving eco friendly, thoughtful gifts (local made soap and chocolate etc.) and are trying to eat more within our “100 miles”.
I agree with the commentors who are asking for a sequel to this amazing video that can focus on what we CAN do to fix our planet and the system that is presently so sad and toxic.
Great job, Annie!!!
December 9th, 2007 at 11:23 pm
Hi Annie
Terrific educational resource.
Well done for creating such a clever and engaging tool which raises awareness and strongly communicates important messages about the rampant consumerism of developed countries.
I can see that I will use this as a stimulus for further discussion and investigation with my students.
Over the past couple of years there have been many online calculators and resources developed to educate about ecological footprint and how to reduce it. Underpinning an ecological footprint measurement is life cycle thinking. When we understand the life cycle of products and services that we use and consume we are better equipped to take action to reduce our ecological footprint.
Congratulations – I look forward to your next project.
December 10th, 2007 at 12:08 am
I really enjoy your stuff.
I noticed that when I click on the link “Tell a Friend” I get an error (Error 404: NOT FOUND!) which shows me a list of links to stuff like:
“Get Your Free Stuff Today – Reward Yourself with Free Stuff and Samples of Top Brands. Join Now.”
“Free Stuff – Get a Laptop Free of charge Free Stuff (Laptop) w/ Free S/H”
“Freebie Stuff – Free stuff includes samples, food, lotions, candy, and more.”
etc..
Of course I noticed that you have stuff for sale also:
“Buying Stuff – In order to buy The Story of Stuff on DVD:
Anyway, I do like your stuff and will be checking here often, keep up the good stuff!
December 10th, 2007 at 12:42 am
I like your video and support what you are doing, but after examining your fact sheet, it seems like you have a tendency to oversimplify your sources. For example, you say that less than 4% of our original forests remain, which is true, but you make it sound like none of the 96% that has been lost was ever replenished. Also, you report that 40% of US rivers are undrinkable, but your source actually states that they are either undrinkable, unfishable, or unswimmable, which is not really the same thing at all. Furthermore, it seems incredible to me that 60% of rivers is drinkable without any processing? What do you define as drinkable?
Also, I know it’s not possible in the time limits of the video, but in your fact sheet it would have been nice to get a perspective on the raw figures you report. 100,000 synthetic chemicals sounds like a lot, but how many of those are just variations of each other?
I’m not trying to undermine your project, I just like accurate information.
December 10th, 2007 at 1:18 am
To harish, here is the full text of the speech in which JR says the following:
When they struck, they wanted to create an atmosphere of fear. And one of the great goals of this nation’s war is to restore public confidence in the airline industry. It’s to tell the traveling public: Get on board. Do your business around the country. Fly and enjoy America’s great destination spots. Get down to Disney World in Florida. Take your families and enjoy life, the way we want it to be enjoyed.
Here is the link:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010927-1.html
December 10th, 2007 at 1:25 am
To harish, here is another link to another speech in which Jr. says the following:
“The unemployment rate has remained low, at 4.5 percent. A recent report on retail sales shows a strong beginning to the holiday shopping season across the country — and I encourage you all to go shopping more.”
Here is the link:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/12/20061220-1.html
And there you have it. Most entertaining president ever. Just set his words to a laugh track and you’re all set. Who needs sitcom writers with all this great material?
December 10th, 2007 at 2:39 am
Perhaps you can make a video about another aspect of conspicuous consumption that is causing huge problems.
Several years back, I noticed that communities no longer wanted smaller homes because they wanted the tax revenue from larger homes and high end consumers to spend in their stores, but they want the low paid workers to fill jobs in the motels and hotels because the they don’t have to share the revenue from hotels and motels. Some communities use so called “environmental responsibility” to restrict housing in their area, forcing lower paid workers to commute long distances.
This means that the hotel worker spend long hours commuting on the low status public transportation system to their residences. Commute time is less family, community, education, and recuperation time.
Some of the communities do ask for inclusionary housing for those in the bottom 75% of the workforce but there is never any amount even remotely approaching the demand. This means that everyone has to keep working madly to pay for the housing that is available and for the automobiles that make commuting long distances more dependable and less time consuming than public transportation. This means they need “time saving” products which are usually more expensive in many senses.
However, even if there were enough housing everywhere that workers were employed, the fact that we have hundreds of job classifications and many classifications have only a few positions available in any community means that it is rare for a two income family to have jobs in close proximity to each other. This means they will probably use separate vehicles or transit routes to get to work.
There are some “walkable city” movements, but the problem is that many communities want there lower paid employees to live elsewhere.
I probably could go on.
December 10th, 2007 at 9:06 am
To J. F. Mamjja,
Thanks for the links to President Bush’s speech. I did verified those links and found correct what you wrote or what has been told in video!
Thanks again for sharing such a good stuff
Harish
December 10th, 2007 at 11:57 am
I enjoyed the video. Another point that was touched on was how little time we have. This contributes to us using more disposable items. I used cloth diapers for the first year of my son’s life. I then gave up on them and I won’t get into the details of why, but it boils down to the time and energy (my energy or lack of it.) Sure, it could have worked but we have to pick our battles and be realistic with ourselves. I also use paper plates a good bit. With both people working, children, and very limited time sometimes we are left with fewer options if we want to stay sane!
December 10th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Fantastic film! Really gets you thinking about how we as individuals have an impact globally. You have given me a great idea; I am giving your film out as Christmas presents to friends and family, asking them to personally consider how they go about buying and using STUFF, and what they can do to personally turn things around.
Annie, I would like to send you copies of my last film Prescription:suicide?, a documentary about the dangers of prescribing anti-depressants to children and teenagers. More info on the film is at http://www.prescriptionsuicide.com. Send them to people and families that need this information, I will do the same with The Story of Stuff.
Great Work!!
Dave Statter
Executive Producer Prescription:suicide?
http://www.prescriptionsuicide.com
http://www.participatenow.net
December 10th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
Have you heard about Reverend Billy and The Church of Stop Shopping?
http://www.revbilly.com/
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4745497304652531044
His work seems very much related to your thesis, in my view.
December 10th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
Bravo and thank you, Annie!
In the U.S., indeed, the first step should be to recycle our government, although it is one stuff that could be permanently discarded.
It is also true that we don’t pay the true cost of manufacturing, and that we should: a good government should force the manufacturers, the middlemen, and the consumers to charge what it takes to pay for the total cost of production, distribution, and disposal of everything for sale. However, where I would want to start the process is with transportation: the U.S. has been and still is subsidizing driving cars and trucks. Europeans are charged a much more realistic price, with high taxes mainly channeled into alternative transportation (principally rail). But even there, there are far too many cars on the roads and streets. London’s drive-in tax is one solution but a much more heavy-handed set of regulations would be needed to effectively force people out of the car. A world-wide gasoline crisis would solve the problem — although I would prefer a people-oriented autocratic government to be the originator. The result would be a complete re-alignment of populations from urban to rural, de facto transforming the suburbs into deserts (hurray!). Of course, manufacturing gigaplants would also re-transform itself into small-shop artisanal plant workshops.
All this would be reversing history’s flow toward the past (which had its own problems) but the alternative is clearly suicidal.
Yours,
Pierre
December 11th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
C’mon people.
Adam Smith, Scottish philosopher died nearly 300 years ago after publishing social theories ( The Wealth of Nations) that became the justification of industrial society. A free hand to industry would determine best use of resources. Social good would (as Reagan later called it) “trickle down”. Wiki says that after his death it was discovered Smith had contributed much of his wealth to charity. Our breezy blogger A.S. and his winds of change is either too scared to give his real name or has his tongue firmly planted in deep cheek.
Anyway three cheers for this video. My 7 yr old watched it twice in one sitting. It should be shown in schools. It is clear and direct. Thank you Annie.Just in time for Xmas. Think we’ll go to the used book store. My son said “what’s a used book store?”….
Maybe Radio Shack will take you off their mailing list and save a tree. Wish I could stop the consumer mail deluge.
David
December 11th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
For those grateful to the awesome work of Annie Leonard and Al Gore and the IPCC, but wanting solutions, too, here’s a tip: check out the Solutions button at http://www.LegacyEconomy.org for loads of solutions in a mere 11 pages.
December 12th, 2007 at 11:54 am
I searched the blog comments first, but didn’t see any mention, so…one problem with the use of statistics is that folks treat them with great skepticism. When I send this movie to folks, one comment I hear is that the factoid about the military being over 50% of tax dollars is not true.
What’s the source for that claim?
Great work, though. Overall, it’s very well done. But, again, if the facts seem off, then skeptics won’t be swayed.
Thanks
Van
December 12th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Question : If the highest concentration of toxins in the food chain is in breast milk, why is breast still best? Isn’t this a contradiction?
December 12th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
What a refreshing 20 minutes of clear thinking. It’s the big picture, so I’m sure there are details to tweak, but everything you say rings true with me, reminds me to rethink what I’m doing.
On purely tech note: I would ask for controls on the film — it should be possible for viewr to pause and restart as well as FF and rewind. As is, it’s an ironically passive experience, this exhortation to take control of my life!
And, a second request: please, please put distance beetween yourself and these web-fashionistas who now make all body type grey. I.e., the text in your blog is too small and not black. There are simply too many of us with declining vision for this kind of thing — yet virtually every website I come across now has grey type (#333). Same with magazines. The only explanatoin I can think of is that I’m not meant to actually read anything but the brand names in the big, colorful type of the ads. That couldnl’t be true, could it?
Again, a great piece of teaching. Thanx.
December 12th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
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G’night
December 13th, 2007 at 6:34 am
Wow. Not only thank you, but BLESS YOU for creating this video segment.
December 13th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
The Story of Stuff is exactly what I’ve been trying to find! I am constantly in search of compelling, thoughtful stories that explain what’s really happening in our economy.
I would like to highlight one more piece of the puzzle in the linear model of extraction – production – distribution – consumption – disposal. The movie already points out the cozy relationship between corporations and government, and how that relationship supports the linear model. But it doesn’t specifically discuss the policy goal that drives the whole model — economic growth. All across the United States, economic growth is touted universally as a “good thing.” Economic growth is a policy goal shared by corporations, government, college economics departments, individual investors, and consumers.
Just look at the news on any given day. You will easily find headlines about how the Fed is trying to spur growth or how the city has to build big retail centers in the service of economic growth. Like the consumer culture, we’ve come to accept economic growth as a way of life. This way of life is now providing bigger costs than benfits.
There is an alternative — the alternative proposed by ecological economists, and that’s the steady state economy. The Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy (CASSE) is taking a stand against economic growth and promoting the steady state economy.
The Story of Stuff is a valuable aid in the struggle to achieve a sustainable economy. It’s going to take a paradigm shift for the U.S. and global economies to move toward stable and sustainable practices. The Story of Stuff is the kind of educational tool that helps get that shift going. Thanks so much for the effort,
Rob
December 14th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
Thank you for your enlightening thought-provoking video. My daughter emailed me with this yesterday and I am anxious to pass this link along to my friends and associates. It’s important to help folks realize that America needs to become a nation of thinking-class people. For too long we have been on a sort of consumer auto-pilot. For years I have deliberately avoided buying anything “NEW” in favor of recycling, bartering, or thrift store shopping for used items including just about everything I purchase except food. Although we have always driven used cars, we are now the only family I know with two working adults who share a single, gas-sipping vehicle. We still have a long way to go, but I applaud your efforts to get the word out. Ultimately I believe it is a spiritual issue, and stewardship and responsibility are not generally embraced as they were when I was young. Keep up the good work.
December 15th, 2007 at 12:22 am
What a wonderful piece of work. Thank you. You have managed to take the “big” issues of the world today and condense them into a manageable yet attention grabbing 22 minutes of intersting fun and learning.
As a conscientious resister (at least when I can), to the sweet lures of consumerism, I commend you for a work well done.
December 15th, 2007 at 8:21 am
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce
December 15th, 2007 at 8:57 am
Annie-
I hate you. You are everything wrong with our current world: a well-intentioned, but fairly stupid (or at least strategically ignorant) person who thinks that the only way to get anything done is by rigid control of EVERYONE. I hate your patronizing attitude, head slightly tilted, arms flailing, as you list off all of your wildly skewed “facts” and give your “simple” (read: ridiculous) solutions (of course, these solutions are impressively few in number). I hate that you’ve done nothing but create a ridiculously polarizing video, capable of converting no one new and actually hurting the cause you set out to help. Most of all, I hate that you’ve evidently managed to brainwash ~95% of the people here into being your sick little meat puppets (That symbol right before 95%, by the way, indicates approximation, hinting to people that this is a rough guess and not an actual figure. I thought you should know).
Let’s just go straight to the end of your cartoon. You hoist up the idea of 100% sustainability and renewable energy, proposing some kind of global perpetual motion machine and saying that the problems aren’t like gravity, implying that they are not conflicts with the basic nature of the universe. Technically, they are. The specific problem is with the 2nd law of thermodynamics, stating that the universe is constantly moving towards a state of increased entropy and making it impossible not to gradually lose energy from any system. This is considered one of the most basic laws governing our understanding of physics, just like gravity, and if it is in fact false, a very large number of very smart people have a very large amount of very interesting explaining to do. Assuming this isn’t a global conspiracy by almost every living physicist your quaint little model is impossible, as we will always lose SOME energy. Admittedly, we may be able to DELAY the inevitable with certain techniques, but that doesn’t sound as good for use in propaganda, does it? In order to continue to exist, we WILL have to expand.
I could keep going about your ridiculous attacks on any form of free enterprise, your apparent distaste for scientific/ technological advances, or your idea that using resources = RAPING TEH LANDZ!!!!1 I could also just start pointing out some of your ambiguous statistics and much-loved percentages. But I’m tired of writing, so I leave it to someone else.
Before I finish, let me just explain that I am not a member of an evil business trying to sabotage the environment. I am, in fact, an undergraduate at the University of Washington majoring in Microbiology. I am, for the most part, an extremely happy person, and plan to go into research. I am not in this for the money, as there is very little to be had in most forms of research. I would genuinely like to help mankind, and think science, not empty propaganda, is the way to do it. The sad part is that I agree with some of the basic ideas presented in your video, but they’re all so twisted and deformed that I think they do immensely more harm than good. Make no mistake, you are a formidable enemy to your own cause.
December 15th, 2007 at 11:11 am
We have an entire generation growing up right now that thinks the world is literally going to be destroyed in their lifetimes because of panic mongers like yourself. Your half truths and statistical juggling is destroying their perspective not expanding it.
As for the consumerism you so obviously hate, like all privileged Western socialists, it will continue unabated despite your objections. The “third” world is going to continue developing whether you like it or not. Just like China and India the remaining developing countries will shed the Western monikers that pigeon hole them into that eternal third place setting. There will be economic strife and environmental damage but eventually the whole world will be just like Europe and North America. The world will not end, it will just be less diverse. Too bad, so sad, but but despite people like yourself the consumers in developing countries want it that way.
I’m sorry you won’t have your third world farmers and noble aborigines to patronize any more but I believe they will be better off without your fake sentiment.
December 15th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
To Peter from comment #35:
The point of the 20-minute video is to convey a sense of urgency without losing the attention and interest of the common viewer who is distracted by TV and shopping, as the video itself has mentioned.
No one is going to dive right into watching a 20-hour documentary or reading a 400-page report on a subject area “much too big for a 20 minutes movie clip” before being drawn to the problem first – and this may be why the problem is still going on despite the “countless articles and documentaries” you mentioned. Besides, the website does have links to further information, which is really its intention – for people to go further.
Unfortunately, although many people in the US (and elsewhere) do not live under a rock, they do live in some sort of bubble and are really (intentionally or otherwise) unaware of the problems mentioned. So, yes many people above the age of 12 should be feeling ashamed right now.
December 15th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Great job, Annie.
I put a similar message in video form myself – but, with a more comedic twist – a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down.
I’ve created a skit called “Big Mama’s Kitchen” in which Mother Earth wakes up to find we’ve made a mess of her “kitchen”. My Earth Mother character could be the love child of Mae West and Bugs Bunny, she’s a bawdy vaudevillian with a Brooklyn accent and long pointed ears. She gives us the lowdown on sustainability, her relationship with God and other juicy stuff.
You can see it on YouTube at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUKM7jH2VAY
Also available with Closed Captioning on Google Video at
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2981693050231355199
Thanks and Best Wishes,
M.
P.S. Someone suggested you put Closed Captioning on The Story of Stuff. I can recommend Google Video as DIY possibility.
December 16th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
I would have never found this if it wasn’t for Stuble Upon! I’m going to show this to my students. What a great idea. A++
December 16th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
A very well made piece, congratulations. It echoes my sentiments exactly.
December 16th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
Annie –
I’m pleased to see, as time goes by, that more people are posting with concerns about your video. I’m sorry to see that some of them are completely unconstructive, which may limit the usefulness of their counterpoints to yours.
While I understand and in many instances agree with your overall framing of the economic/industrial production/consumer problem driving global environmental degradation, little of what you present in your video is new. Much of it is based on stretched “facts”. Further, characterizing the Government and Corporations as “Them” immediately sets up an adversarial relationship, ignoring the fact that the government, in fact, is us, and for the most part corporations are too. We’re all in this together. Or, if you like, put it in Buddhist Terms – All the Universe is One. There is no “Them.
(For those of you in academia and non-profits who are reading and thinking “Not me”, go to the funding pages of your organizations. Where do your organizations’ dollars come from? The government? Who pays the taxes? Corporations. Foundations? Who are the donors? Corporate foundations or wealthy individuals who earned their wealth in business. In fact, a number of the smaller foundations cited in the Thank You section for this video are funded by corporations or individual beneficiaries of corporate wealth. The Tides Foundation was funded by a wealthy couple in the Southwest. The likelihood is, their dollars were originally derived in the world of business.)
Like it or not, business and government are going to be the source of real, long-term, creative solutions to the problems you’ve described, solutions that are more meaningful than the 10 that you’ve suggested at the end of your work: including turn out the lights, waste less and talk about it. In light of the magnitude of the crisis that you’ve described, those suggestions feel about as helpful and constructive as George Bush’s September 2001 suggestion that we go shopping. While you were making your video many businesses have been out looking for practical, profitable solutions to today’s production inefficiencies and energy issues. I don’t know if you saw it, but Al Gore recently joined the VC firm Kleiner Perkins. You can be sure that Gore chose to align with business for a reason: it is imperfect, yes, but it gets stuff done, when there are problems to be solved, be it in energy, environment, health care or technology.
Let’s face it – every single person who powered up to watch your video, comment, and potentially buy a DVD (!) leads a very good life. Further, few of them really, truly want to be on the receiving end of the impact of slowed consumption – a stagnant economy and reduced labor force. Finally, the reality is, citizens of emerging economies are highly unlikely to accept a fixed role in this world as non-consumers, which is where your video implies they should stay – down on the farm. Yes, some may in fact love their lives in the village, others are going to feel the same pull millions before them have felt – and that many of us feel Рto expand their worlds and their fortunes over time.
So, instead of outrage, why not spend the next 10 years engaging in real positive problem solving? Create a company that makes things the way you think they should be made, run for office. You’re clearly smart. In my experience productive engagement is a lot more fun Рspiritually, financially, relationally- than a 20 minute rant with no real, meaningful solution in sight. I’m sure you’ve heard the quote from Gandhi: Be the change you want to see in the world.
Although I know it was well-meaning, and clearly it’s spoken to a lot of people, your video, in the end, to me feels deeply, deeply toxic, a continued part of the problem, rather than a force for a profound, positive solution. It saddens me that teachers have written here that they’re going to show your video in their classrooms. There are so many better ways to engage the hearts and minds of our kids in this issue.
So – here’s hoping, through the feedback and learning that comes to you from the video, to hear that you are next inspired to wild, progressive, positive political or business success, as a follow up endeavor to this one. Maybe even one that employs some of the kids (and adults) who see you here.
Peace.
December 17th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
I loved this video!
I shall upload it to my blog.
I wanted to mention one way that some of us are working to break this cycle and its ill effects.
There are a growing number of environmentally conscious haulers (I’m one) who take the time and effort to separate out all of the reusable item received from customers, rather than just hauling everything to the dump. This not only greatly reduces landfill, it also reduces the amount of new stuff that needs to be created. It costs a little more in time and fuel (multiple stops) but its made up for in savings on dump fees. In the SF Bay Area there has been a salvage store (Urban Ore, in Berkeley, CA) open for almost 25 years, and this concept is finally catching on around the country.
In the end, where the beginnings of solutions are touched upon, maybe the next version of the movie could contain a mention of the salvage and reuse industry, or at least of thrift stores, which all but eliminates all the environmental concerns raised by endless consumption.
December 17th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Just noticing some of the other posts, had to say something:
Enterprise, productivity, and the first world do not make excessive consumption inevitable.
The US has far greater consumption of both materials and energy than any other FIRST WORLD country, yet, we DO NOT have the highest standard of living.
We also have the third highest income inequality, (after Mexico and Turkey), so that high GDP does not actually benefit the majority of us.
The numbers in this movie are not all made up or grossly exaggerated. It is well known and independently acknowledged that, for example, we have 5% the worlds population and use around 25-30% of the worlds resources. This is easy enough to look up and verify on your own.
One last thing: entropy has nothing to do with this system. That only matters in a closed system. We get free incoming energy from the sun. Until the Sun burns out in a few billion years, there is no reason (physically) why we could not have a fully sustainable system.
December 17th, 2007 at 6:35 pm
I would like to take a moment to address some of the comments made by recent bloggers. I was disheartened by the tone taken by Michael (#107) & Steve (#106). Steve, I think this discussion is important, and the more voices the better, but I don’t believe name-calling and insults are helpful. Hate is a useless emotion, and more self-destructive than constructive. That said, let me first say I haven’t been brainwashed. The points made in the video speak to what I already believed. You state that in order to exist, we must expand. To what point? Last time I checked, the earth wasn’t expanding to make more room for us and all of our stuff. I apologize if that sounds sarcastic; I don’t mean it to be. Michael, you say that China and India want to become like the Western world, and that if their doing so leads to less diversity, you are okay with that. I very much disagree. I think that for many years our consumption levels appeared to be working. We had increased prosperity and were blissfully ignorant of the harm we were doing to our planet. Most of us now realize it’s not working as well as we once thought it was. Think about what it will mean if China and India, with their large populations, decide to use us as their role model. We can have all the green technology in the world, but if we run out of resources, especially water, we’re out of luck. Also, Be The Change (#112), I would take exception with the comment that slowed consumption equals a stagnant economy and reduced labor force. I think we can all work together to find a better way, a new economic dynamic. I don’t believe we’re near the end of the world, but I do believe that if we continue on this path with business as usual, we won’t have a world that many of us would want to live in. I absolutely agree, Be The Change, we are all in this together. Let’s work together to find solutions that will leave all of our beautiful planet’s inhabitants (non-human as well), in a good place.
December 17th, 2007 at 10:52 pm
I never expressed hatred Diane, I pointed it out. Annie hates consumerism. It is really quite obvious.
I also pointed out her arrogance in assuming that the citizens of the developing countries would want to remain at their current level of development. You want the same apparently. Neither of you will get what you want and not because I want it that way but because the people of these developing nations want it that way.
We created the consumerism in the Western world, not policy or conspiracy. It will be the same economic forces creating a market driven economy in the remaining developing countries. The five billion or more people living in those countries will join us on a level playing field in the free market and there is nothing you can do to prevent them from achieving this goal.
As I said before, the world will not collapse though the ecosystem will lose diversity. The oceans may rise or they may not. Deserts may expand and permafrost may melt. I don’t want it to happen any more than you but I will not tell Brazil to stay out of their own rain forests in a vain attempt to prevent it from happening. I will not tell China to stop building power plants, coal or hydroelectric. I will not tell India to stop building nuclear weapons. I will not be so arrogant as to tell them they can and cannot do in their own countries. We have all those things so they have every right to strive for them for their own people. I will not be that very worst kind of hypocrite.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
Thank you for your comments, Michael. To clarify, with regards to hating, I was referring to Steve (#106), who began by stating that he hates Annie. For the record, I don’t believe we in this country have any right to tell other countries what to do, nor do they have any reason to listen to us. We are hardly a shining example of sustainability. I don’t believe, however, that we should just throw up our hands and not try to effect positive change. The best we can do is work on whatever we can improve in our individual lives, and hope to set an example for others. We all must consume to a certain extent to survive, but I can personally testify that getting to a place where you recognize that you have enough is very liberating. At the risk of sounding like a John Lennon song, I would love to see a world where it wasn’t us versus them, and where we recognized that we are all connected, and by harming another, we are harming ourselves. I realize that may seem like an unrealistic dream, but at the end of my life I want to be able to know that at least I tried and did my best. If we except things as they are then there is no way they can ever change. Please don’t give up on our planet!
December 18th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
Very nice video! I have placed a link on my website. http://www.squidoo.com/safecleaning If you want to buy from a company that is certified as a Climate Neutral Company, try http://www.shaklee.net/good_health
December 18th, 2007 at 10:03 pm
I started to watch this piece and ended it when I realized it was just more twisting of alleged facts and statistics used to sustain a political agenda. A case in point is the alleged fact that “we have used up on third of the worlds natural resources” Natural resources are replenishing themselves all the time. We are finding huge oil reserves that we didn’t know existed six months ago. The logging industry plants new trees in harvested areas and have been doing so as far back as I can remember. Be weary of people that only give you half the story.
December 18th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
Hi Annie;
A “good job” and “thank you” would be just understatements for the work that you had been (and is) doing for the environment.
I share the same sentiments & I have already posted about this in my blog (http://paadamudra.blogspot.com). I am spreading the word & the work in my network of people. And you are on the right path. Policing, Subsidies, Sanctions – None of them are long term solutions – Educating the people is the way!
Hats off to you!
- Santosh
December 18th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Dear Ms. Leonard:
Thank you ever so much for your brilliant description of Cradle to Grave
industrial process design. I thought you might be interested in exploring
a novel approach to counter the Pandemic. The original concept of Cradle to Cradle design was originated by Walter Stahel of the Product Life Institute
in Geneva and is very much alive and well in the work of William McDonough Partners.
You may want to go to TED.com and see conference his video.
His book, Cradle to Cradle is also worth a read.
Thank you so much, again, and
God Bless…!!!
December 19th, 2007 at 2:19 am
Jessie…
Thanks for sharing. I agree and would add that th…
December 19th, 2007 at 10:30 am
Hi Annie,
Great job, absolutely so on the material presented, but equally on the animations and the animated presentation. I agree with all you have said but would like to differ with you on the point of lumping all the evils together and dumping on the doorsteps of the ‘corporations’.(Disclaimer, I worked for corporations most of my life and now have moved to the federal government sector)
Think about it a bit – governments, at least democracies, are founded by the people for the people with social welfare in mind. Similarly corporations are founded, or at least supported, by the people for the people, for their personal greed- either as employees or as stock holders. Thus both these entities are agglomerations of people with big labels, but with different intents. I am sure that even the noblest social worker today participates in the stock market, directly or indirectly for their retirement, and directly or indirectly pressures CEO’s to increase the value of their portfolios. Thus none, or almost none, of us, at least in the west, has the right to blame corporations from which we directly or indirectly reap benefits either or both in terms of employment or wealth.
To make the point further, I refer you to the book by Sharif M. Abdullah, titled’ Creating a world that works for all’ where he advocates against ‘pinning the blame’ approach and urges us to accept the notion that each one of us is equally responsible for all the current problems. With that attitude we could move from pinning the blame on corporations to finding solutions jointly. Remember each one of us is the government as well as the corporation.
So, perhaps you could make another nice presentation about how our aggregated individual greed transforms into corporate greed, thereby enlightening us individually and ameliorating the attack on corporations, whom you personify as a fat individual but who in reality is all of us.
Please send me an e-mail and I am eager to pursue this line of thought with you further.
Ram
December 19th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
Very nice job Annie!
It’ll be great if we have subtitles for this movie, so more people around the world could fully understand the Story of stuff.
Maybe you could share the narration in a text format so people could translate it for other languages.
December 19th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
I loved the video. It was very well made, and got across many important points for people of all levels. There were a couple of things, I’d like to know more about:
1. I’d like to know where you got the quote about 99% of the stuff we buy is discarded within 6 months. Where does that come from?
2. I’d like to know the source of the quote by guy (I cannot remember his name) who said we need to create a culture of consumerism.
3. There is more to a new computer than a CPU chip. Not to say we couldn’t make computer parts more modular so you could update them easier – that would be wonderful.
4. There are tradeoffs with stuff, right? I mean the flat screen wastes less energy. That might be more important than throwing the old one away, right? What are the tradeoffs. That’s what we need for a lot of these decisions we make every day – when we upgrade a technology because of energy consumption, are we really doing good? Are all those light bulbs we’re swapping for compact florescence good for the landfill/recyclable?
Thanks and very nice job!
- Jon
December 19th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
Note to Diane Gandee Sorbi,
As you requested, I won’t call you a name or insult you. However, I would like to urge you to read a few books so that you can learn the real state of the world. Start with “The Skeptical Environmentalist” by Bjorn Lomborg. Follow up with “Global Warming and Other Eco-Myths” edited by Ronald Bailey and “Hard Green” by Peter Huber. Read these texts with an open mind and you will no longer have to worry about being from Lennon’s “Imagine” fantasy land. Things are not perfect and we need to continue to improve matters, but it’s a long way from the crisis Annie suggests.
December 19th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
Just an answer to #35, Peter, who says that there’s no new info in The Story of Stuff- or that if anyone over 12 watches it and finds any new info in it, they should be ashamed… Peter, think of it this way: whether or not we already “know” the things that are portrayed in Annie’s video, the fact remains that we are not doing much about it. What we need is to be REMINDED that we’re using up the planet – and we ain’t got another one to live on! Now maybe someone may be able to figure out how to clone Earth over and over and then send each nation to live on one of the clones… but until that time (if our air, water and natural resources remain long enough to allow us to make it to ‘that time’), there are no two ways about it – we are using up our resources and our governments MUST TAKE ACTION, and WE MUST MAKE OUR GOVERNMENTS REALIZE THAT WE WANT THEM TO TAKE ACTION! So, even though we know the situation, we need things like The Story of Stuff to keep reminding us to DO OUR PART! Have you done yours? If you have, then pass the video on to someone you know who could benefit from a reminder!
December 20th, 2007 at 3:38 am
AP Blog: Beijing Shows Many…
And its unhurried citizens ‚Äî even the poor ‚Äî lived in picturesque one-story houses with tiled roofs, adorned inside with…
December 20th, 2007 at 5:12 am
The Story of Stuff…
A friend of mine sent me a link to a web site called The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard. The site contains a 20-minute animated video describing the “consumer economy” and it’s effects on society and the planet. The bulk of the vi…
December 20th, 2007 at 5:28 am
Great information. I could have used this a few months ago when I was trying to create a business plan for a sustainable start-up for the California Clean Tech Open competition. The competition is over, but I am still learning how to build in sustainability principles to my start-up business model.
While a big part of the solution is changing consumer habits, we also need to develop an economic model where sustainability equates to profitability. Maybe the first step is to require transparency for the product cycle to uncover environmental impact and externalized cost, then if you go to Radio Shack and see the $4.99 radio has 12 grams of toxic chemicals, caused 7 tons of CO2 emissions, and employed uninsured workers, you might decide to buy the $9.99 version…
December 20th, 2007 at 6:24 pm
Why is it that as soon as paper consumption has decreases left , pro environment governments want to save paper mills. It doesn’t make sense. What are the energy benefits of recycling paper? Is there an energy loss? What about overgrown forest in the parklands.
Now you mention increased urbanisation, while this is true of Washington, Montana, Saskatchewan, and most of the Great Plains has seen a drastic decline in people, an increase in tame hay an increase in native hay and an increase in wildlife.
Now what is a particular concern is the idea that corporations are to blame, and that big government is good. We need to limit the size of government because government has the guns. We need government not to take the role of corporations. We need government to defend our nation from other governments with nuclear bunker busters and police are streets, not to look out for us. Otherwise the government will look out for us as it did in Orwell’s 1984.
December 20th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
To Steve #106 and others.
Quit worrying and start living. You have to get over it. LOL: for your comments on how you describe Anne’s attitude through the video.
Just Get the MESSAGE.
Dont shoot the MESSENGER.
December 21st, 2007 at 9:52 am
This video is not going to inform or convert anyone like “Steve” who is so vehemently opposed to reasonable debate about these issues — but it is a useful and informative video to help some people who are on the fence, for instance those people who recycle, but still consume excessively.
I agree with one poster above who mentioned that simple solutions like buying used stuff instead of new stuff could have been included in the video for a more hopeful and inclusive approach.
I also agree with the poster who questioned the assertion in the video that replacing a CRT with a flat-screen monitor is necessarily (or simply) an instance of “planned obsolescence”. While there is plenty of that in the electronics world, it’s also true that switching from CRTs to flat-screen monitors results in energy savings, and reduction in ELF and VLF radiation exposure in the immediate area (low-frequency emissions from the cathode ray tubes in CRTs, which aren’t present in flat-screen monitors). The highest level of ELF/VLF radiation from CRT’s is from the back of the monitor. So, actually, if you’re sitting across the desk from someone with a flat-screen monitor, she is actually doing you a favor by switching to a flat-screen, thereby exposing you to less ELF/VLF radiation — and by continuing to use a CRT and sitting directly across from her, you’re not returning the favor.
All that said, this video brilliantly encapsulates the major points related to consumerism and its harms. Bravo!
Jennifer
December 21st, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Dennis,
Thank you for the book suggestions. I actually had already read Lomborg’s book, and several excerpts from “Hard Green”. The books raise some interesting points, many of which are not without merit. I try to always keep an open mind. If you are interested in checking them out, a few favorites on my bookshelf are “The Great Turning”, by David C. Korten, “Deep Economy”, by Bill McKibben, and that popular one from a certain recent Nobel prize winner that I happen to admire, but that the very mention of causes some of my conservative relatives and friends to cringe. I sincerely hope for all of our sakes and for future generations that those that believe our planet will ultimately be just fine turn out to be correct. But all points considered, I believe at my core that we are headed for trouble if we don’t make serious changes soon. None of us can know for sure what will happen in the future, or when. I ask you to consider though, if we assume the worst and take preventative measures and it turns out you were right, what do we lose? But if people that think as I do are correct, and we continue with business as usual, then we will reach a point where it really is too late. I’m not willing to take that risk.
December 21st, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Hey there, selling DVD’s in a pack of 10 is a great idea. It helps easy distribution and spreads awareness. But wouldn’t it be easier to just distribute the URL like a friend did. Selling ‘dvd stuff’ in packs of 10 – isn’t that promoting consumption (9 of the 10) are bound to be trashed anyway! Just a thought.
December 21st, 2007 at 9:56 pm
Diane,
Thanks for your suggestions. I haven’t heard of the books by Korten and McKibben, but I’ll check them out. However, I will not read the book of the “certain recent Nobel prize winner,” because I cannot believe anything he says since his claim to have invented the Internet.
Regarding your assessment that no harm will be done by taking “preventative measures,” please read p 189-191 of Huber’s Hard Green. Huber briefly touches upon what environmental ideologues call the Precautionary Principle. However, the best discussion of the Precautionary Principle that I’ve seen is Chapter 10 of the book edited by Bailey (mentioned in my previous note to you). I urge you to read this chapter (by Jonathan Adler) to learn what we have to lose by implementing the precautionary principle.
Compared to other liberal environmentalists with whom I’ve argued, you are remarkably open-minded. You are willing at least to consider the arguments of the other side. I hope you will continue and I think you will eventually see through the alarmism of people like Annie Leonard.
December 22nd, 2007 at 12:02 am
Dennis,
Thanks for your comments. I happen to be a big fan of the Precautionary Principle. I can’t imagine what anyone would have against the concept, so in the interest of fairness in the next week or two I will look into the two references you mention. I’m glad you might be reading two of the books I wrote about also. In the meantime Happy Holidays to you, Annie, and all of the other bloggers on this site.
December 22nd, 2007 at 1:25 pm
Annie,
Please read the following as a helpful comment towards refining your excellently crafted telling of a vitally important story.
As an MIT-educated product design engineer for over 20 years, I find your assertion that products are generally designed with intentionally limited lifetimes fanciful. There may have been instances where this is true, but they are far from the norm.
Rather, reduced product lifetimes are created by an all-consuming focus on reducing cost, which reduces design time (leading to functional inadequacies) and materials quality (leading to breakage). Reduced cost is demanded by a public which buys on price rather than quality, thanks in large measure to marketing which creates unrealistic expectation of material possession, while focusing on features and price over quality and longevity. In other words, it offers ever cheaper facsimiles, and people keep buying them.
Companies hide their cost-cutting from the consumer at purchase time, and the result is products that fail to satisfy because they’re not well designed – too hard to use, don’t perform as expected, break or stop working in one way or another, or simply provide a brief thrill that quickly evaporates as the user realizes the product doesn’t really do anything useful, is more trouble than it’s worth, or doesn’t fit or feel good to use.
The whole time I was involved in product design, I was intensely aware of the destructive effects of short product lifetimes/cheap product design. But every case I’ve seen of premature product end-of-life was caused not by any desire to cause that end of life, but rather by poor design and/or materials, usually caused by cost/price pressures which shorten product development cycles and cheapen materials and processes. In fact, this is why I no longer do that kind of work. They’re mostly trying to get rich quick; the idea that these greed vultures are planning obsolescence is laughable. Most of them are looking no further ahead than the consumer that buys their junk!
In sum, the portion of your presentation which claims that manufacturers intentionally reduce product lifetimes in order to increase demand strikes this experienced observer more as recycled paranoia than documented fact. As an experienced, successful product designer AND committed environmentalist, the product lifetime issue has been of great concern to me for more than two decades. But to issue a blanket claim that it is caused by deliberate misdesign is simply naive. Willful underdesign? Greed? Laziness? Absolutely. But not intentional failures. Short product lifetimes are the byproduct of myopic greed at worse, survival business practice at best.
The reason I take the time to write this (and please forgive the length) is because I think what you are doing is awesome, except for this one point, and I beg you to correct it, or show some justification for an assertion that I believe seriously undermines your credibility, especially with knowledgeable business persons.
Sincerely,
Nancy Nangeroni
Design work site: design.nangeroni.net
December 22nd, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Gemma Ward Picture…
Man i just love your blog, keep the cool posts comin…..
December 23rd, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Very nice movie!
With this picture you not only bring an utmost important message. You also demonstrate the power of simplicity. Many thanks!
I volunteer to translate this movie into Dutch. Please let me know if I can be of any help.
Ben
December 23rd, 2007 at 6:12 pm
I love this blog – and The Story of Stuff is the best explanation of the problem I’ve seen.
I’m working on another angle, which is quite complementary. The Story of Stuff addresses people who don’t understand the production system we’re stuck in. It refers to the economic and political factors, and begins to get into perceived obsolescence as one of the cultural aspects that trap humans into the consumer role. I get more deeply into the cultural factors keeping us from changing, and they are powerful and controversial. For example, it is in the nature of primates to become fascinated with stuff, and I explore how our primate nature is getting in the way of our behaving in a more sustainable manner.
http://www.divineprimate.zaadz.com/blog
http://www.divineprimates.com
December 26th, 2007 at 9:11 am
Dear friends
In Argentina, my countrie, a little number of peoples can read english.
The DVD is spectacular, but… we can`t show to the community because the peoples can¬¥t understand the idiom.
Is possible to obtain one in spanish, or with titles?
Thank you very veru much. Is a better work about the consumer.
Good year!
Silvana
silvanabujan@yahoo.com.ar
December 26th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
I think you are doing amazing work! Keep it up. I watched “The Story of Stuff” and was blown away by how you broke down the system into digestible parts so that everyone can understand what’s going on. You are incredibly inspirational! I am a changed woman!
December 26th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
“Start with ‚ÄúThe Skeptical Environmentalist‚Äù by Bjorn Lomborg. Follow up with ‚ÄúGlobal Warming and Other Eco-Myths‚Äù edited by Ronald Bailey and ‚ÄúHard Green‚Äù by Peter Huber. Read these texts with an open mind and you will no longer have to worry about being from Lennon‚Äôs ‚ÄúImagine‚Äù fantasy land.”
–
Wingnut welfare research funded by giant corporations not to STOP the green tide, but to raise enough doubts (ie. every error or missing fact means FAIL for teh entire greenshirt argument!) to create a “fair and balanced hmmmm, lets wait and see” as a holding action against the inevitable.
Kinda like the creationism debate, create one where there wasn’t and call it a debate.
December 27th, 2007 at 4:18 am
Thank you for your great, inspiring and educating work. I found your website on http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/people-and-blogs
Like you I discovered early that we don’t need material goods to be happy, I went camping in the wild with friends when I was 17 and maybe my peasants roots helped: I enjoyed just living outside, washing myself using the water of a stream, I’ve never been so happy in my life. I never forgot the lesson I learnt from the nature. Of course like everyone I participate to the waste of our planet, maybe not as much as some, since I never found a way to live according to my ideals. I never bought my daughter a lot of goods, books were an essential part of our life, certainly not television: she was then reading 5 books/week from the library. She now has a different approach to the world than the other girls of her age.
I was born in 1954 and the idea brought up by the hippie movement and condemning the consumerism society was the only one with which I totally agreed. I was going to be disappointed…
I must update my website, need to do something totally different, more about things which matter most in life and I’ll put a link to your website.
In the meantime I’ll make a note with your website address for my granddaughter’s Head teacher.
I can translate your story in French if you want, please let me know.
I don’t want my website address to be published.
Again, thank you very much for your work.
kind regards,
eve
December 27th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
This is a very nice reminder and excellent teching tool, especially for young teens. Two years ago I was present at a screening of a 2004 documentary titled “Darwin’s Nightmare” (www.darwinsnightmare.com” at a festival in France. The film is an excellent resource for what happens in the first phase of Annie’s animation: exploitation of natural resources and the long reaching socio-political-cultural impacts. Returning to the US, I could not find the video in event the largest video store in LA. The film was not available in the US. It never received distribution and has never been seen here. Eventually I bought a copy on the web that I was able to show in my classroom of advanced ESL learners. Out of three films: An Inconvenient Truth, Blood Diamond, and Darwin’s Nightmare, Hubert Sauper’s documentary on the Eco-cide of Lake Victoria effected by the introduction and extraction of the Nile Perch made the biggest impact on my students. It helped them understand the importance of Concious Consumerism. Kudos to Annie for introducing this very important concept in an idiot friendly format!
December 28th, 2007 at 8:47 am
I don’t think that this film spreads fear at all. I do believe that it asks people to do something that we fear more than anything else in our lives of responsibility and duty and loyalty to the society that we percieve. This film asks us to STEP OUT OF LINE. I think that it is beautifully executed in that it captures the attention of an audience in which short attention-spans are often a barrier. Thank you!
December 29th, 2007 at 11:22 am
Catalogchoice.org is a new website designed to make it easy to stop unwanted catalogs from showing up on your doorstep at the rate of 40 lbs per man, woman, and child, per year.
It is FREE and only takes a few minutes! Please, Sign up and tell those companies to stop killing 53 million trees.
https://www.catalogchoice.org
December 29th, 2007 at 7:12 pm
This is a response to ‘the amazing steve’.
Tisk tisk on you. Even if you do not agree with the views presented in this video, who are you to publicly state that you hate someone you don’t even know!!!! What kind of example are you setting for those young ones who ARE watching this video. Shame on you! What ever happened to the freedom of speech!
The decision to save the planet is a personal choice and if ~95% of the people who view this vidio choose to do so, then what is it to you? When all of our efforts have paid off, feel free to apologize and give thanks. We’ll forgive you
Annie, keep spreading the world. These haters just don’t get it!
December 29th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
Hi Annie
You’ve done a terrific job with the website… the story of stuff is powerful … and the word is out… “the story of stuff” was forwarded to me 67 times in the week before christmas… i hope it helped to curb some of the excess …
I’ve got some concerns about one of your suggestions, though. I remain skeptical about the energy efficient fluorescents … not that i dispute the carbon exchange claims, but i’m really concerned about the mercury. i don’t feel like i’m doing much to save the planet when i buy one of these bulbs … they seem to all be made in china, where i’m certain there are not adequate protections for the workers. maybe in the 21st century people can be ‘mad as a lightbulb maker,’ instead of ‘mad as a hatter’ (did you know that expression derived from the practice of using mercury to block hats?)…
i’m also very concerned that most places have nowhere to recycle these bulbs and most consumers are completely unaware of the mercury content.
your thoughts, comments and reassurances (if possible) would be very welcome.
In solidarity,
anne
December 30th, 2007 at 9:50 am
mike in brazil free movie…
Weird! What motivated you to write this. Keep posting, Mike in Brazil…
December 30th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
Let me congratulate you and your team members who came up with this idea and presented in a very simple and convincing way, a complex problem.
This should be part of schools & universities’ curriculum. You should also go on lecture circuit.
Can you team up with environmentalist Dr. David Suzuki of Canada? “Building A Sustainable Economy” -http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Economy/ [http://www.davidsuzuki.org/]. Including political activists in USA, Canada and Europe, they go hand in hand. Presently these countries are the heart of the problem and solution and if corrected, will put a stop and others will follow.
However there is one aspect which is missing is moral, accountability, being happy, without being consumer junky besides to fill and kill time with buying. This and other aspects are very clearly dealt in Islam, a complete socio, geo, political and economic system, a code, and way of life from birth to death with accountability to Al-Mighty. Solutions to all our problems in “Al-Quran*” Manual for Mankind from our Maker [*THE HOLY QURAN (Yusuf Ali Translation) SURAH INDEX http://www.harunyahya.com/Quran_translation/Quran_translation_index.php
Understanding Islam http://www.angelfire.com/me/anneesa/understandingislam.html http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/277/
I will do my part in a small way as I am also accountably; I am going to circulate to my mailing list.
Many cities in Canada have re-cycling program. In 3rd world countries like Pakistan, where I originally come from, re-cycling was in place out of economic necessity since the beginning as for some it was means of livelihood, as local industries could not afford to import expensive raw material, so they use re-cycled material.
Thanks and best regards.
December 30th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
“Some Guy” (#141): You are fluent in gibberish.
December 31st, 2007 at 12:37 am
I’ll add that half of Ellis Island is a landfill.
“Artesian wells were dug, and landfill (from incoming ships’ ballast and New York City subway tunnels) doubled the size of Ellis to over six acres.”
~http://www.ellisisland.org/genealogy/ellis_island_timeline.asp
December 31st, 2007 at 6:14 pm
Dennis,
Regarding #133, I’ve been unable to locate the book you mentioned for the chapter on the Precautionary Principle. The library doesn’t carry it, and one of the bookstores that I checked said it was out of print. Perhaps you can discuss the points the author made? I think it’s always good to hear other points of view if only to understand where someone else is coming from. I do believe though that when the debate is about something as important as this, we all need to listen to our own instincts, and as I mentioned before, mine tell me we need to change course very soon in order to keep this planet inhabitable for future generations. If you get a chance to check out those two books I mentioned, let me know what you think. And happy new year to you and all the other bloggers.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:37 am
Diane,
Happy New Year to you. The book (Global Warming and Other Eco-Myths) is available at Amazon.com.
I did indeed check out the books you suggested. I learned that David Korten is a member of the Club of Rome. If you haven’t already done so, I suggest you read the Club of Rome book entitled “The Limits to Growth” published in 1972. Though the thrust is different, contentions in this book parallel those made today by global warming alarmists. “Limits” and Paul Ehrlich’s “The Population Bomb,” published in 1968, are among the reasons that I am so skeptical of claims of environmental ideologues that ecological Armageddon looms if we don’t return to horse-and-buggy transportation and 19th century agricultural techniques.
January 2nd, 2008 at 11:00 am
billy martin attorney…
I Googled for something completely different, but found your page…and have to say thanks. nice read….
January 2nd, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Hi Annie,
Happy New Year!
I am interested in helping you develop a spanish edition of the film.
Best,
Jose T. Bravo
Just Transition Alliance
January 2nd, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Dennis,
Thank you for making me do my homework. I had only read portions of both books, so I’ve been doing some research. Let me start with a concession. Ehrlich’s book does have an alarmist, negative tone, and obviously the conclusions he reached in his book were off target. However, fifty years ago the population was 3 billion, now it’s 6+ billion, and all forecasts I have found predict it will be 9 billion some time around 2040. Given that there is only so much space for people, and for growing food, I consider that a real cause for concern. I think his premise was correct, just decades off mark. Also, I found a reference to an article by Ronald Bailey (editor of Eco Myths) from August 2005 titled “Global Warming – Not Worse Than We Thought, But Bad Enough”. In it he states that “Al Gore got it more right than wrong on the science”, but that he feels that Gore exaggerates some points. I also found an interesting article (fairly long, but with lots of graphs and charts) by Matthew R. Simmons, “Revisiting The Limits To Growth: Could The Club of Rome Have Been Correct After All?”. His conclusion for the most part is that the information in the book is correct, and that the authors only used the dates they gave as an example, not a prediction.
I don’t think anyone can know for sure how bad things could get, or when, but I certainly don’t believe the situation is hopeless. I think this will turn out to be a very interesting time in our history some day if we can learn to embrace change. There are lots of great ideas out there. I think we can find a way to sustainability without reverting to the old horse-and -buggy, if business and government will get on board. Maybe it’s the start of a new year, but for someone who has to fight pessimistic tendencies, I’m feeling positively hopeful!
January 4th, 2008 at 5:07 am
Got the dvd, got the determination and the message. I/We involved with more than one MSN community and will spread the word on international links to your site. Dana is a retired media (print) member, Jean (Bradshaw) and Dana have both worked for casinos and corporations in the electronics field and frankly, we are going to get this dvd out as a challenge to at least two of these corporate sobs currently engaged in bragging just how much they recycle. One of them is really a prima facie offender and I am going to let Dana deal with that fat cat as she is a former employee wrongfully terminated due to age, handicap and race among other things and can’t talk much because of upcoming litigation on those and other issues.
However, I have her contacts and we will both be stamping out dvds thanks to your permission and providing you with eMail addies of interested people. You get two for the price of one on this and she is the one who originally wrote and sent you the check but doesn’t get out much except to the ER but will make signs and attend demonstrations as she is an old “campaigner” from the ’60’s-’70’s and went to jail for non-violent protests as per Ghandi.
We both expected most of your data, think your stats about American forestry are actually those of the Rain Forest, not US as the football field comparison is oft quoted from RF accounts, but keep us on update status. Neither of us had really considered the corporate role as we’ve both been rather encapsulated by them as employees and join you in pointing out just how caustic/toxic corporate irresponsibility developed over the last 30 years of employees including “blinders” in the dress code.
Dana said be sure to tell Annie and the staff that “The Story of Stuff” has redeemed California in her opinion and hopes to visit you some day in ‘Berserkeley’ as she remembers how to get around UC, downtown and Golden Gate Fields.”
Yer newly begotten friends, Jean and Dana
January 4th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Hi Annie- I am always happy to hear the truth spoken. You have managed an informative and easily navigated video. I have forwarded this information to all in my address book. I do try personally to live by a better way and verbally communicate this plight to all I know. I am always willing to help with a cause this important and if you need help- you have my
e-mail. Thank you for your extensive work and sharing this dire and important message with the world. Lets hope for happier new years to come, starting with 2008.
Jess Haight
January 7th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Beware Electronics “Recyclers” that Don’t Recycle
Consumers Warned of e-Waste Recyclers that Ship Old TVs or Computers to
Developing Countries — Urged to Use “e-Stewards”
Seattle, San Francisco. 7 January 2008. In the wake of the Christmas electronic gadget buying season, with many of us buying new flat screen TVs, cell phones and computers now faced with disposing of the old ones, the Basel Action Network (BAN) and the Electronics TakeBack Coalition (ETBC) today cautioned consumers not to be fooled by the majority of businesses nationwide calling themselves electronics recyclers who in fact don’t do any recycling at all, but instead ship your old equipment to developing countries.
The Recycling Lie
“We may think we’re doing the right thing by giving our old electronics to a ‘recycler’ or a free collection event,” said Sarah Westervelt, BAN’s e-Stewardship Program Director. “But most of those businesses calling themselves recyclers are little more than international waste distributors. They take your old equipment for free, or pocket your recycling fee, and then simply load it into a sea-going container, and ship it to China, India or Nigeria.”
Once on foreign shores your old computer or TV becomes part of a cyber-age horror story. In China, woman and children breathe in the toxic solder vapors as they cook circuit boards, dioxins are produced when wires are burned, and micro-chips are washed in strong acid baths and flushed into the rivers as primitive metals extraction techniques take their toll on the local environment and the health of thousands of migrant farmers. In Nigeria the imported techno-trash that is not repairable is dumped and burned in swamps. BAN revealed these sad truths as early as 2002 in their film and report ‚ÄúExporting Harm: The High Tech Trashing of Asia‚Äù and again in another report and film entitled ‚ÄúThe Digital Dump: Exporting Re-use and Abuse to Africa,” in 2005.
Unfortunately, according to BAN and ETBC, this ugly waste trade continues unabated from the United States because the government refuses to ratify the Basel Convention and the Basel Ban Amendment ‚Äì international accords prohibiting trade in hazardous waste to developing countries, and has otherwise expressed little interest in controlling its toxic waste exports as long as they are claimed to be destined for recycling or re-use. As such, US e-waste exports are in contravention of international law, but not US law, and thus US ‚Äúrecyclers‚Äù are able to claim they abide by all environmental laws and are even “EPA approved”.
Doing the Right Thing: The e-Stewards Initiative
To help distinguish between these unscrupulous exporters and the responsible recyclers and refurbishers, BAN and ETBC created the e-Stewards Initiative – a program identifying North America’s most responsible e-Waste recyclers that have agreed to adhere to strict criteria created by the non-profit environmental groups. The criteria require that no hazardous electronics equipment or parts (as defined internationally) will be exported to developing countries or be processed by captive prison labor, and that none of it will end up in landfills or incinerators. These responsible recyclers can be found at: http://www.ban.org/pledge1.html or http://www.computertakeback.com/responsible_recycling/index.cfm. Consumers are urged to avoid recyclers not on this list including free e-waste collection events that do not state that they only use e-Stewards recyclers.
“We strongly urge all consumers to avoid all but those recyclers that have qualified as e-Stewards. If your local recycler has not qualified for the program, ask them to do so. Otherwise while trying to do the right thing with recycling, you can unwittingly become a player in a global digital dumping game, and end up poisoning those in developing countries,” said Barbara Kyle, National Coordinator of ETBC.
For more information contact:
Sarah Westervelt at BAN in Seattle: 1.206.652.5555, or swestervelt@ban.org.
Barbara Kyle at ETBC in San Francisco: 415-206-9595, or bkyle@etakeback.org.
For photographs of electronic wastes dumped in Africa and China: http://www.ban.org/photogallery/index.html
For more information on the horrors of e-waste export read the reports Exporting Harm and The Digital Dump, found on the Basel Action Network website: http://www.ban.org
For a list of responsible recyclers/refurbishers (e-Stewards): http://www.ban.org/pledge1.html
ATTN. Editors: Many newspapers and media outlets have been promoting recycling of electronics without paying attention to what the “recyclers” really do with the waste. Please be cautioned against helping promote free collection events or local recyclers that are not vetted as being non-exporters. Please call us if you have any questions in this regard.
January 8th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Loved the video. Check out “Not Buying It: My Year without Shopping” by Judith Levine. A great book about a woman who decides to buy nothing for one year.
January 9th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Annie, way to go girl! Love the site and the cause. I will be linking from my blog.
Peace and wholeness.
Alan
January 9th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
As a pre-adolescent, I lived in a Third World Country as a common citizen. My parents didn’t earn much. My two cousins gathered plastic and tin daily, wherever they could, in order to afford rice and dried fish for their evening’s meal. Someone commented that “Our relationships with people bring happiness. Stuff is just stuff.” Well, sure, we had each other – my family and I – and we were “happy”. But “opportunity” got me out of that situation. Not so my cousins. Sadly, I do not know what their fate was – we lost touch many, many years ago. But I’m sure if they had a choice between their situation (they had a large family) and being given “opportunity” (via jobs needed by the ‘greedy” corporations) – they’d take opportunity and love all the “stuff” it would have allowed them…
“Adam Smith” stated: “What we need is not to pursue the futile goal of stopping the consumer economy, but to develop it and change it to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly through growth and encouragement.” Balance and realism is the key… not fear and extremism. However – what do they say? The Squeaky wheel gets the grease…
January 11th, 2008 at 2:50 am
Adam Smith: What are you talking about? We should continue to consume that which sustains us and wish and hope that some miracle technology comes along to fix our big f-up? Does buying something really make someone healthy and happy? Are you really saying that those toxins (which have been proven harmful) aren’t ‘that-bad’? Give your head a shake. Why does a society need to consume for the sake of consumption?
We’re going to be in big poop if everyone doesn’t get aboard…but…they never will when the almighty dollar is at stake.
Annie: Thanks for a great little movie about our world…definatly going to be sending this out to those that may not be as informed as they should be.
January 29th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Awesome film for my Environmental Science class! My students will definitely be engaged in blog assignments as well as choosing a book from your recommended readins section. Thanks again.
February 2nd, 2008 at 12:11 pm
I will help you spread the word. Hope this is the Achilles heel of WalMart!!! You have provided the big comprehensive picture for all to understand the consumption problem is more than excessive packaging and landfill shortages. Very good, keep up the good work. Humanity so needs to SLOW down…think and evaluate. Legeons will follow.
February 5th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
In you case you didn’t already know Annie, Rosie O’Donnell has put a link to this site on her front page.
You are doing a great thing and I truly hope more people watch your video. You created something simple enough for people who “don’t have time” to stop and watch.
Good job, you’re a soldier for change!
March 1st, 2008 at 2:34 am
this is really sad and scary. southern ca. is already detroyed by all the junk and the waste and the quality of life is no more. if everyone would put a moritoium on spending and there was a major earthquake ,perhaps we could have some open fields again, more room, and less crime and less diseases. los angeles is a third world country now. you should see what people throw out. it’s stupid and ridiculous. easy come, easy go, and no value for human life. it’s all corrupt and it makes me miserable. all the driving, all the c phones that have microwaves that are toxic electronic smog. if everybody stopped buying stuff all at the same time the greedy pedlers of garbage we don’t need, would be forced to change. and there is homelessness evereywhere. and our dollar is becoming worthless, and furthermore people are going to stop buying stuff because everyone is becoming too poor. our economy has already collapsed unless you’re very rich.
March 5th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
the insurance companies don’t want you to know…
Information on the life insurance industry…
March 7th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
You have good intentions, great initiative.
But you could also design for accessibility, simply add subtitles to you movie
March 13th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Thanks for your film. It was shared for us at a very opportune time when I had earlier that day discussed with my young daughter why I was fixing an item instead of buying a new one. She’s now thinking of how to incorporate the ideas into our lives.
A couple of nits…while I was surprised that in the aftermath of 9/11, our government did not call upon us to conserve oil & sacrifice to improve our security in this way, your film stretches the truth too much. Postings show Bush’s speeches in late September urging the economy to go back to normal. But, on 9/11 itself, he said:
“Tonight, I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us, spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me.”
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010911-16.html
Second, I think you mis-characterize the computer industry (of which I am a part) as building in planned obsolescence. Most of the parts in the computer I purchased this month would not have been possible to build back when I purchased its predecessor (coincidentally a few days before the 9/11 attacks). That one small part (presumably the CPU) would just sit idle most of the time (wasting the resources that went into producing it) if it did not have the faster & more capacious memories, disk drives, etc which surround it.
March 20th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Annie for president…
March 31st, 2008 at 4:40 pm
To, Annie Leonard
Hello, i’m a 14-year-old college student in NZ who would like to ask some suggestions on The Story of Stuff. As our social studies project, me and severals of other students in my group have to say whether or not the Story of Stuff is right or wrong.
I was just wondering if your statements were slightly over reacting. I mean people wouldn not be able to change our nature any more. It’s not like nature lovers don’t have any possessions. They might even have more stuff then any body else since they want to somehow protect the world.
This doesn’t mean that I’m disagrreeing with your points. I just want to say that even though your points and proof are great, I believe that people won’t change as long as there is money and greed in the world. People just won’t be able to realise that the nature is our money and our everything because money and greed will be in front of them. I know it is a very sad fact. But people aren’t God. They just can’t change the world just like that.
In addition, althiugh there are many belivers in a clean, green nature of the world out there, as long as there are people who only see what’s on the outside, the world wouldn’t be able to change one bit.
I just want to say thank you for your time reading this. I hope you would reply on what YOUR suggestions are. I can’t say I’m completely sure about my points. However I think that people need to consider my points and think of how people a.k.a, us, have conpletely destroyed our lives forever. No mathematicians or scientists could have seen this coming. So we can’t change much. We’ll just have to get over it.
Sincerely, D.K
April 7th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
i think your video makes a great point in what’s happening today in earth, i really got inspired by this video and i never thought that natural resources are so important in life, great video.
April 8th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
With eloquence and poise, the video of The Story of Stuff seems to confirm what all viewers probably suspect but dare not admit; that we tend to be fat, dumb, and lazy. (my sincerest apologies for my candid observations) And I claim no immunity from any of these three. Three characteristics, however, we can try to modify without much effort.
So…I’m going to call my cable TV provider tonight and cancel service. If I can tolerate this, the TV goes to a thrift shop in a week. Forever. Anyone else care to attempt this challenge?
Godspeed
April 16th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
To Annie Leonard.
i have just found out some facts about breastfeeding. The fact is that breast milk has several important antibodies not found in bottle milk that can actually prevent the baby from illnes, and if the baby is actually sick then breast milk is good for curing it.
The average bottle fed baby gets sicker than a breastfed baby.
Plus, if there’s toxins in the breast milk, and nobody’s getting harmed, then what’s the point of mentioning it in the first place?
Please reply. Me and my friends would like to know your point of view in this statement. Thank you.
Sincerely, D.K and T.A
April 28th, 2008 at 11:16 am
I don’t get whats the sense of shaving gel lighting up being a flashlight or toy!!!! Is the gel edible then????
April 28th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Hi,today 4-28-08 my class watched the
“Story Of Stuff”. And i think that everyone that visits this site should watch the whole entire thing. It’s a really good movie about what is happening in the world today! [=
I think that ALL teens should watch tis and reconsider all the things they do.
.Thank You For Reading This. c[=
April 28th, 2008 at 11:21 am
Same i have noticed more stores EVERYWHERE and less trees that support us! what has happened to us when products overcame happiness in going outside, camping?
I love your propject and we all must work to help our econmy before it completes falls.
April 30th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Hi Annie, I’m a student at a middle school in MI, and our class watched your movie. After we watched it we were all shocked. It changed our view of life, and everything going on. The best part was that we actually understood everything. Usually we get stuck w/ 2 hour movies and you have no idea what their talking about, but not yours. We couldnt believe how you buy something, it has a 99% chance of being thrown away after 6 months. We are still talking about how crazy that is! I hope your movie will get even more viewers, and that we will take action!!! Your awsome, and my class and I hope you someday create another video. Sinserly, Mary.
May 10th, 2008 at 2:31 am
I have a degree in geology and I read one of the comments above by a gentleman who posted on December 4th, 2007, and it makes me angry how some people can be upset by this video. It makes me angry to know that people out there actually think all of the resources of this planet are infinite and do not pay any attention to this problem… I would like to ask those same people if they have ever seen how deep the Kennecot Copper mines outside of Salt Lake City are, or have taken a look at a topographic map of the coal mining regions of West Virginia to see that nearly 1/2 of the mountains have been flattened for coal mining. The resources of this planet are not infinite…..and every time a piece of metal or other object is throw in a land fill, some day that might actually have to be mined again…
I saw a great show on the discovery channel of a landfill that separated all the metal/wood/plastic products. It used magnets, water, conveyer belts and employees to help sift through it and it wasn’t that difficult. It gave people jobs and it helped save on dumping fees through the use of recycled metals and space. I think every landfill should be required to sift through the recyclable materials and save the metal and plastics and should be mandated by the gov’t to eventually do this.
It’s depressing to think about and
May 15th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Miss Leonard:
I enjoyed your 20 minute presentation, and respect the basis of the message you are attempting to disseminate to the public at large. Furthermore, I commend you on the undertaking of such a task necessary to rectifying global society’s current predicament.
Unfortunately, though most of the arguments throughout the presentation were sound, I fear that you are diluting the quality and impact of your message by interweaving it with specious half-truths, as some of the previous commentators here have correctly noted. In addition, your presentation also alienates many who, although would be potential supporters of your cause, do not share your left-leaning views on government and other politically charged subjects.
If you wish to retain credibility and win support for your cause from the larger part of the political spectrum, I would strongly urge that you better focus your message to the issue at hand and eliminate the blatant neo-colonialist, quasi-Marxist, and “government bashing” banter from your presentation. In doing so, you will lend many more ears to your cause, and save yourself the trouble of being demonized and labelled a “leftist nutjob” by the many of the conservative elements of American society.
Best of wishes.
May 15th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Great idea Annie!
I believe that the movie provides a strong critic to our quick-use quick-discard habits. The fact that you build this person-person connection is of great significance to spread consciousness about our under-the-table practices.
In addition, we as consumers, often avoid the unpleasant thoughts of knowing how life of people behind the product was affected along the chain. After all, we have demonstrated time and again that we possess the capacity to conceive novel ideas and start changing our little world starting at home and our community.
Finally, the video’s ending was my favorite because it creates hope among the audience and leaves you to self-reflect.
May 16th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
I just discovered your blog and I loved it. I can’t wait for my daughter to come back from school to show it to her. I’ve been trying my best to teach her that there is a reason why mommy doesn’t buy things we don’t need. I have to be the first one to admit, temptation is really big, but we try. I volunteered in Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world, and I saw kids that were genuinely happy playing with a ball made of plastic bags and cloth. All around the world, there are happy people with fewer material things. With all the things that we have at our disposal, there are many times that I feel completely empty.
May 20th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
I am homeschooling my 11 years old son. And I really appreciate your efforts to show in a very clear, simple way the destruction that is going on. My son and I watched your video as a part of our geography class. Before we watch your video we were studying about the Amazon river. We found the impact that the man has done to the Amazon basin.
So your video gave more understanding to my son as well to me, regarding to the “need” that man creates, and produces the desire to buy stuff that are not really need it.
My daughter was the one who refers this site to me as a part of my classes for my son. So she is also very concern regarding to our critical situation. She got more understanding about shopping.
As a conclusion, I want to express what my son said: You should give a copy of your video to the president of USA. or even to the entire third world. I know that is a type of unrealistic desire; but it was a great idea. Many people doesn’t know the reality about computers and products like those juice boxes. My son also thought in disposable cameras. Anyway may the Lord bless us all. We really need his help.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
ok im saw this video from my science teacher now i have to do a 2 paragraph blog on my feelings, so here goes.
I think that this video brought out some good points people wern’t really paying attention to. The segment about the consumers and buying things out of big stores like Wal-Mart and Sams Club had things people really didnt know. The next time I go to one of those stores I will most definatly remember this video. It brought up things people really need to know. I will tell everybody about this video know.
I think that all the nations in this world should get together and talk about what’s going on with all the natural resources and the ozone layer. Then they should decide what things are the most important in everyday lives- Gas or Food? Which is more important? I would pick the food, I could live without gas and walking to the places i need to go. We could still have cars and gas but not as much we don’t need to rely on that, we could use it if we absolutly need to.
June 2nd, 2008 at 2:18 am
I think this is the best video I have seen anywhere on this subject. I am going to spread the word with rave reviews!
June 2nd, 2008 at 8:01 am
great video Annie, I would like to see a second part in which many practical tips to save water, electricity, natural resources etc…are shared so all of us can fight a bit to make this world a bit greener, a bit more human and a bit more just. We all have some power as consumers, dont we ? if we only knew all the don´ts and the dos will be great help right there.
regards from Europe.
June 2nd, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Hey! great documentary i love the way you explain the problem, the cartoons are awsome because it makes so easy for people from all age’s to understand what your talking about!
June 6th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
hello, I am a 14 year old who started out listening to this video thinking that it’d be just some stupid thing that was a waste of time, but after listening to what anne had to say it really got me interested in this subject. I believe that all of the stuff this lady talked about was very important and she had good ideas that would help the world greatly if people would just listen.
All of the different things that harm the world and people personally worried me of what the world would be like in forty or fifty years when forests are gone, global warming is in affect, and other bad things caused mostly by the human presence and their unnecassary destruction of natural recourses has messed everything up. What scared me a great deal was the fact that the U.S. is only 5% of the world population, yet we are creating 30% of the waste. For me that just blew my mind. Another thing that scared me was that a staggering 80% of the worlds original forest are gone. I mean whats going to happen when even more of the forests are gone and one of our most commonly used recourses is used up. This is unlikely but it could happen with our rapid use of recourses.
Most of this pollution and mistreatment of recourses could be helped and the world could be a better place. There are so many ways to stop all of this destruction but people are to used to having an easy way to make money and gather goods. This is just something that I heard and really upset me and tells just how messed up some people are about this stuff. Some business are actually excited about the fact that the polar ice caps are melting just so they can have easy trade routes with europe and other countries. Isn’t that sick. Anne just gives a few ways to stop all of this bad stuff and I advise that people either listen to her or think of their own ways to help the earth and make it a better place to live.
June 6th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
i feel that watching and learning about the worldly problems is the easy part and just doing that is not enough. its easy to remain ignorant and continue through the cycle as annie explained, but what people need to start,including myself, doing is to do everything and anything for the cause.
Some of the facts were so outrages that i dont doubt that people, after watching this video, just turned away thinking nothing of it. its hard to believe that recycling is not really doing much overall and that for every 1 can of trash thrown away there is 17 others being thrown away that is waste from the material that made up the trash you are throwing away. Also in pondering the work watch spend cycle, something i havent really though about, ive realized it to be so true even with the people closest to me. my resolution is just for people to overcome there ignorance and become aware and the world will be a better place
June 8th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Hey Annie,
first of all kudos on the great video. This concise and informative video definetely does its job of bringing light to the issue and agitating people to make change occur. Honestly, as i see it, its an overwhelming problem that may take generations to get near being fixed, this isnt an issue that 5,000, maybe even 50,000 people can just get together and fix.
One the other hand change has to begin somewhere and this consise and challenging video definetely will help agitate many people into action. As a 14 year old I find it extremely poignant as this is one of the issues that my generation will have to face and deal with. If the gluttony of consumerism is this bad now then what will it be when im old enough to vote, when I’m 50, what about I’m 80 and those resources are gone. Perhaps sometime the situation will arise where enough people will be primed and attentive by people like Annie that change will be made and a new system of economics will come about that will benifit everyone in the entire world, American or no. This is my heartfelt dream for the world of tomorrow.
As for me this video basically told me much of what I already know American cooparations and the American government have tried and succeeded in gearing “Third World economies to supplement the west” (National Security Council Report of 1968) since the begining of the cold war. Consumerism and gluttony has become rampant and is ruining americans vitality and happiness. And perhaps most important, that this trend cannot continue.
But as much as this video inspired me i still dont always feel up to the task of defeating the awesome giant that it the u.s. corporation. I will definetely cut down on my waste and make my friends cut down on theirs, but will it be enough? Time will tell i guess. As change ripens inside the u.s. (helped along by wonderful people like Annie) maybe this needed change is not far off. All we can do is keep our fingers crossed and keep spreading the word that a cycle based on making stuff from finite resources cannot last forever, and when this consumeristic bubble bursts if we still have the same policies, america bursts too.
June 9th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Wow, this video was very very interesting. I mean, who would have known this stuff without seeing the video? Some stuff was pretty obvious, but some stuff I never would have guessed would be true. All the land that America destroys is terrible. Not only is it our land, but its other peoples land, and third world country land. People who live in third world countries should have all the resources they can get. I dont know if we pay them for this, but its still unfair.
If we dont put a stop to this crisis soon, were going to be in trouble. All the toxic waste going into the rivers, streams, and lakes has made 40% of all fresh water non-drinkable. If this continues, we may not have any water to drink in a couple generations. And how major corperations are more important than the government is crazy! It should be required that the government should be more powerful than some corperation with alot of money. And how the government cares more about the corperations than us as American citizens. A lot of this stuff just dosn’t make sense.
Another scary thing is that us americans are obsessed with consuming goods. After 9/11 George Bush instead of telling us to pray or have hope, told us to shop! Because shopping will help chase off the grief of the death of like 2000 people. Its stupid that we consume so much and care so little for other countries who need the stuff that we throw away. If every country consumed like America does, we would need five other earths to fit all the resources. We dont have 5 earths, we have one. The lady said that we are starting to put to plan some greener ways of the 5 step cycle, but if we dont put it in our lives at a much larger scale soon, we will be in trouble.
Nick Stadler
June 14th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
WOW AMAZING INCREDIBLE SPIRITUAL
CASS
June 21st, 2008 at 9:27 am
Enormously grateful for your work and to have put it in a form that everyone can understand makes it all the more worthwhile. I intend to send “The Story of Stuff” to everyone I know and I hope to get it shown in primary schools here in the UK.
Many thanks,
Anya
June 23rd, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Thank you so much!!!
June 29th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
guns for home protection…
You must put a lot of work into blogging this much!…
July 19th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
I’d like to translate this doc into Czech. But it would be easier for me if an english transcription (in form of a text file) is available..
July 22nd, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Annie:
Cudos!!!
You are a wonder-woman for putting this together!
I’ve been involved with conservation, alternative energy, etc. on a personal basis for decades, and watching your video allowed the ‘whole picture’ to ‘crystallize’.
I will pass on the information to as many people as possible.
Many thanks to you and your tireless efforts!
Sincerely,
Paul
July 27th, 2008 at 11:02 am
What a fantastic Movie, I’ve put a link to it from our website http://www.yourplanetneedsyou.org/
we are also working hard to change the way we live and improve the planet, I will spread the word.
July 31st, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Annie
My son Nate told me about meeting you and your inspiring video. He was right. The video makes many great points very quickly and clearly. Thanks for doing all the research and getting this video out to so many people.
You encourage poeple to connect with each other in their communities and find alternative ways to live to consume less. I have been inspired by my son’s enthusiasm for your work and some leadership training to connect with people in my town of Fergus Falls to encourage alternative ways to get to work.
My blog savetimes3 is connecting people who want to save gas, save themselves and save the world by biking, walking, or taking the bus to work. it is a small thing, but many small things make a big deal. If you are interested take a look.
http://www.savetimes3.blogspot.com
What are other people doing to change the way they consume? Keep up the good work.
August 3rd, 2008 at 12:32 am
Dear Annie,
Excellent film. One point that this film, and “An Inconvenient Truth” ignore is the absolute need for the continuation of capitalism to continually create profit both through making goods, consumer goods (post WWII) and/or war materials (WWII, Vietnam, etc). That’s why we have a failing infrastructure, because you can’t build bridges, subways, public transit, and create profit. Disposable goods that must be manufactured over and over are what creates profit. And of course, who benefits from profit? The corporations and, to a lesser extent, the stockholders. So individual solutions won’t change this system. We must create a movement to reclaim our democracy and pressure our representatives to stop being the pawns of corporate power. Unfortunately, we haven’t been near that since 1972, and even more unfortunately, the repression of the government is now very strong, so the liklihood of that happening is less and less. Not that I’m so pessimistic, but I don’t think you can create change unless you understand how things work.
Pat Cervelli
August 9th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Only 180 replies to this blog? That’s a bit of a disappointment! Let me say that this is a great video and has definitely got me thinking (and acting) in the ‘right’ direction. Thank you Annie! This story is the one true conspiracy of our lifetime and needs to be told to everyone. I accept that I am as guilty as the rest of us and have therefore chosen to act to become less ‘a part of the problem’ and more ‘a part of the solution’ in every facet of my life.
August 13th, 2008 at 5:31 am
HI Annie,
I am really moved by your video. Even though it was regarding US but my Country(India) is follwing the trend..I even said in my Blog that Indians watching the video should use “India” whenever the word “US” is used. I think it’s high time when people differentiate between their needs and their wants..If that is done then I think half of the problem is solved. And how to do that, there’s only one way “Stop watching those dumb Commercials”. They only increase the need.. I still wonder how people used to live and enjoyed their life before all this gadgets came along…I Hope things will change gradually for better..
Once again thanks for all the information you shared with us..
Sincerely
Zreecu..
August 29th, 2008 at 12:14 am
i feel that the movie you have created was brilliant. even as a canuck the same situation applies here in canada. we’re in this together!!!
as a member of the canadian autoworkers union this show was presented to me during a “union awareness class” that i attended. i am inspired and also a bit overwhelmed. very little in this world has motivated me to stand up and champion a cause like this. where the hell do you start? i mean really … where do you start? i’m one man and this is a big problem.
it’s hard to accept things considering i make a living building throw-a-way minivans!
thank you for opening my eyes …
adios … jimmy t.
September 1st, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Hi Annie, I come from Mexico Puebla. I want to tell you that your film is Great!!!!!! All profesional information in it, its brilliant!! It has impactated to me!
I am going to tell all my friends, teachers and my students in the university!! All people in the entire world must have to know about your wonderfull film! I love it!
Sincerelly, Patricia M. Carpinteyro G. MEXICO. grupoturiya@yahoo.es
September 8th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Excellent video. One of my friends passed it along to me and I have passed it along to a number of others. I am a baby boomer and am sad to say that we are primarily responsible for the state of things as they stand today.
If you want to read an interesting book that is related to what you are saying, check out “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man” by John Perkins.
Take care.
Theo
September 18th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
If anyone actually took the time to look up the majority of the facts presented in this video, they would realize that most of them are manipulated or construed. Anyone with even a little common sense could tell that most of the stuff said is not true. Such as, the U.S. is 9,158,950 km² of land, 2,259,930 km² of that land is covered in forest. Sounds like a little more than 4% to me. Also when Annie mentioned George Bush telling Americans to shop, she failed to mention why he said that. He didn’t say it for the hell of it. After 9-11 the U.S. Economy was in high risk of collapsing and causing a second great depression. In order to prevent this Bush told us to shop in order to keep the economy going so that we didn’t fall into another great depression. Annie also said that for every 1 trashcan we fill, the factories fill 70 trashcans just creating the garbage for our one trashcan. I’m a co-owner of a business and if the yield on our materials was 1.4% (1 divided by 70) my company would go out of business faster than Rosy O’Donald goes through cake.
I have many more things that I saw in the video but it would take me forever to state them all and explain why they don’t hold water. But if any of use even a little common sense you’ll be able to see them for yourself.
September 19th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Hi, I am from Germany and this is an absolutly fantastic video. I showed your video my kids and tried to translate them all. I would like show your video other people in Germany who cannot understand English. Do you know when a German version will be available?
October 6th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Hi Annie!!!
Merci pour le video, bon materiel, bon travail! Le texte est simple et clair. Je suis heureuse pour tout que vous avez fait…Merci bcp!!
November 6th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Hi, this video is great, i love it and i want to spread it to my friends and the people i know. There is a problem in my purpose (and surely, many people in my position), some of my friends (and friends of them) doesnt speak english.
I ask you to do something to solve it, maybe an option, before the video start, that ask the user to choose the language. maybe there could be added some subtitles, in another space, under the video if that is a big deal to edit the video.
Sorry, my english is not the best, but i did understand the video and i am able to translate the video to spanish if you agree.
Bye and congratulations again for the video.
Jorge.
May 12th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Dear socialist Anne,
the movie was gay…i had to watch it in school…i disagree with almost everything said And to let you know, when President George W. Bush said to shop it wasnt so they spent money it was to try and get their lives back to normal…and companies WANT to recycle the left over materials so they dont have to wast money buying more.
May 12th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
The analyst’s name is “Victor Lebow.” cp. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Lebow
June 6th, 2009 at 7:31 am
The Story of Stuff…
The Story of Stuff is a short, 20min movie that tries to show a bigger picture of our every day consumption of everything. To anyone living outside the US, most of the facts presented in the movie are nothing new. The real problem lies, as always, in a…
June 24th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
[...] was a trip to the landfill on Staten Island in New York City that first sparked my fascination with the way we make, use and throw away all the stuff in our live… Ever since then, I’ve visited dumps whenever I visit a new city, all over the world. It is a [...]
July 28th, 2009 at 1:23 am
An amazing effort. I have taken forward this movie to a lot of friends of mine, and trying to get/make an Indian version of the same, since it will help us to spread the message to the grass root level. Will love to volunteer and help activities in India.
July 30th, 2009 at 12:32 am
I am a complete cynic. I don’t care of what you say sounds perfectly reasonable. I don;t believe you until i check it out. You can have 99 truths in what you say but if you include one lie then everything you have said is suspect. I learned this from, first, believing Nixon. Then, the lesson was reinforced by believing Reagan. Then, relearned by listening to, and believing Clinton. And finally, the nail sealing the coffin of my disbelief forever was driven home by Bush, Cheney, et al.
I out it to you that you have lied about Victor Lebeau. There has never been an economist named Victor Lebeau. You read about him somewhere and it sounded good so you copied it without verifying your facts.
You video, however well-intentioned and reasonable, is a lie and a fake. You should be ashamed of adopting the practices of those you attempt to debunk. But, hey, you’re in the halls of the rich and powerful, now.
Congratulations!!
Robert Booth
booth.robert.e@gmail.com
September 10th, 2009 at 11:59 am
love the site, really opened my eyes!!
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Ms. Leonard,
I hope that when you try and make another movie you check your facts… Almost everything you stated in your movie is flat out wrong or twisted. I am actually going to be passing around a petition to have your movie banned from my local school district due to the fact that showing this to our nations youth is not only a dishonest way to push a presidential agenda but also toxic to the young and impressionable minds that will one day run this nation. I hope you are ashamed of yourself for being an aid in the war on capitalism, and hope that you not only ask to stop this video but create a fair and honest educational video that does not pollute our youth with anit-American views. If you would like to argue my last statement I ask you to look at the Bill of Rights as well as the Constitution, I believe you will find that America is a capitalist country and that the job of the government is not to “take care of us”(a direct quote from your movie). Thank you for your time.
-A concerned citizen
September 23rd, 2009 at 9:05 am
I am so tired of everyone thinking that the government is going to come in & rescue them from everything. The government cannot run a business they have a mononpoly on (US Postal Service) Why do we want to give it control over our bodies & the bodies of our children?
The individual is responsible for his or her own life & the lives of those he/she brings into this world. Our country is made up of the most generous individuals on this planet and folks like yourself are trying to turn us into the bad guys. The job of the government is to protect & defend the constitution of the US. Stop trying to convince future gernerations that they are victims. We need to let folks know that they can improve their own lives through the choices they make. They can improve the environment and the world simply by taking better care of themselves and their children. Like a pebble in the water, the rings will spread outward.
September 23rd, 2009 at 9:21 am
Dear Annie and the Team at SoS,
I heartily support Story of Stuff as it forms a major part of any argument I would use for change in our world. To this end I have included a link to SoS in my Lawful Remedy website, and I have now also linked to your blog on the same page.
SoS speaks and people listen; congratulations on producing this excellent video. SoS tells a vital story with clarity and brevity, and is a perfect video for explaining our hideously wasteful lifestyles to the young, in a way which will keep them on-side and hopefully, active in the ’save our planet’ movement. It is hard for me to imagine how anyone could find fault in it – save a few banksters and fat-cat industrialists.
Although my website addresses a mostly UK audience, SoS has an international appeal, and applies as much in the UK as it does in the USA; perhaps more so – given our smaller land mass.
Once again thanks.
Be assured of my continued support.
September 23rd, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Dear Annie and Team,
Thanks for a great resource in showing how our mindless consumption and pathological addiction to more and more stuff threatens our survival and reduces us from vibrant human beings and engaged citizens into cowering wage-slaves and easily manipulated captives of consumerism, the sorry products of breads and circuses.
I have always been astonished at the upside-down economic model that would make us believe that our natural world and its many resources –including our humanity — are a subset of the economy instead of the other way around.
As a mother and grandmother who is greatly concerned about the continued well-being of all children, I commend you for shining a clear light on the utter madness of the capitalistic system. In the name of profits and free markets, this voracious monster devours all in its wake that is beautiful and human and leaves us– not with freedom and wealth–but with a toxic, dying planet and the hopeless enslavement of being an addict to stuff.
Keep up the good work. We need to become aware so that we can create viable alternatives and replace the deadly machinery of the current bankrupt system with a global network of sustainable, just, and healthy community-based enterprise where wealth is measured not by profit but by the quality of life for all.
Thanks again.
September 26th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Thanks Annie for showing how a bunch of mind numbed lemmings can all pat each other on their collective backsides and proclaim all of this garbage (the size of Fresh Kills) to be fact. I guess for the people that spent their time in school talking about feel good goofy sh*t instead of quantifying things and KNOWING things, facts don’t seem to matter.
Please, since you and your ilk will certainly make more videos like it (kind of like Michael Moore, of course you’d have to eat at least one more milk shake to get as big as him, and not shave your face for a week to have more of a beard) CITE YOUR FACTS (or lies as they’re called in the REAL world) Lie lie lie lie Lie lie lie lie Lie lie lie lie Lie lie lie lie Lie lie lie lie Lie lie lie lie Lie lie lie lie Lie lie lie lie Lie lie lie lie Lie lie lie lie Lie lie lie lie Lie lie lie lie Lie lie lie lie Lie lie lie lie Lie lie lie lie
And put it on YouTube, that, like those in Nazi Germany will certainly make the easily compelled to “action” (those crazy Nazi lefties) jump up and down and… well let’s just suffice is to say you really should be proud of yourself. Just EAT LESS! You’re a gluttonous pig and you should consume less. I’ll give you a free membership to Pigs R Us, okay?
October 1st, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Really?? Really?? Another 20 mins of fear mongering crap sundae. Whatever happened to plain ol’ common sense? Did capitalism kill that? Or is it the fact that we as a society feel the need to impose our will/bidding on others and take away the ability to think for ones self. There is nothing wrong with “green” except for the overuse of the term. If “green” is SO GOOD why is it so damn expensive? Because of research and new technology? Do you buy that train of thought? I doubt it because you do accept that answer from our medical world when it comes to health costs… Nope, people are making a buck on it. Gov’t has come in to save the day when it can’t even take care of the few it does “provide” service for. It is a shame because there are so many great ideas and so many great causes but the delivery and salesmanship just sucks. It is kind of like the old turn or burn preacher telling me I am going to hell if I don’t repent this minute. Let me grab your head and shake the devil from you sinner!!! In the whole scheme of things there are valid points but it is all lost in the delivery.
And one more thing, isn’t it great to have all this “stuff” to convey your message??
October 14th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
dear annie,
thank you and your team for that very wonderful video. you might be interested to know that the current morphology of today’s shopping mall was in fact designed by an architect named victor gruen whose intention was to keep people within those temples of consumerism by introducing “cultural activities” and entertainment. just as consumer products can be designed for either obsolescence or for “cradle-to-cradle”, the architecture of today’s malls can likewise be revisioned to serve an ecologically-conscious generation – the topic of my final year design thesis as an architecture student.
Thank you and keep fighting.
January 12th, 2010 at 10:28 am
from Adam Smith to Joe Marquez, dave M, and the other skeptics list above, I have one thing to say, how blissful they must be to live in such denial. Yes, the film is presented in a slightly bias way, and it could emphisize more that technology can be a great answer to many modern problems, but its a thousand times more truthful than the commerical lies, yes lies lies lies, that we are exposed to every day from the corporate giants selling their wares at the expense of our souls. The skeptics above either do not “get it” or “it riles them to believe that you preceive the web they weave and keep on thinking free”!
February 4th, 2010 at 10:33 pm
This blog was awesome. I have been seeking just this sort of blog.Thank you for this information.
April 7th, 2010 at 2:54 am
For all those who claim that economist Victor Lebeau doesn’t exist….
Well, you’re right!! He doesn’t exist.
Because his actual name is Victor Lebow.
May 18th, 2010 at 12:25 am
Whoever a concerned citizen is you are an idiot. Nowhere in the constitution does it state that America is a capitalist country. We are a democracy. Our government and our economic system are two seperate things.