"The Story Of Stuff" Video About Consumption Sweeps Nation's Classrooms (VIDEO)

Who would have thought that a video about how a linear process can't exist on a real, limited planet would be popular with the kids? According to the New York Times, "The Story of Stuff" with Annie Leonard has made stats and statistics about consumption palatable to young people (and old people, for that matter).

The thick-lined drawings of the Earth, a factory and a house, meant to convey the cycle of human consumption, are straightforward and child-friendly. So are the pictures of dark puffs of factory smoke and an outlined skull and crossbones, representing polluting chemicals floating in the air.

Which is one reason "The Story of Stuff," a 20-minute video about the effects of human consumption, has become a sleeper hit in classrooms across the nation.

Check out the video and see what you think. You can also see it in higher resolution at The Story Of Stuff.

WATCH:

Comments

[spleencat]

03:37 PM on 05/13/2009

At about 2:44 in the video, after describing the exploitation of natural resources as "trashing the planet" the cartoon image shows a bunch of trees toppling over. The implication is industry is destroying forests. That's certainly the impression a child would get. Can Leonard explain the forestry information below, from UofGA's website about ecosystem health? Seems like her propaganda video is ignoring some facts.
This is the only assertion I'v looked into. I'm sure that the video is full of others that will not hold up to scrutiny. For, example, she asserts that for every bucket of consumer waste, the value chain has wasted 70x more. My company makes very technically demanding ceramic products. Our scrap from the raws we buy to the products we sell is well below 50%. We spend millions every year to reduce this. It is simply not economically feasible for industry to have a scrap rate of 99% as she asserts.
I think Leonard has unfairly demonized industry, and needs to present some balance. Factually challenged propaganda like this is perfect fodder for the likes of Rush Limbaugh. That this will be used to influence children is only more fuel to fire the right.
A few US forest facts:
- The U.S. has 2,263,259,000 total acres of land area.
- Annual growth of U.S. forested acres exceeds harvests and losses to disease and fireby 33%.
- More trees are growing in America's forests today than at any time since the early 1900's.

[PlanetKansas]

04:24 PM on 05/12/2009

The sequel to "The Story of Stuff" has already been written, "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy.

It will be in theatres this Fall and is a very grim warning to us all if we do not change.

Personally, I don't think we can "green" our way out of this. Green is only another model of consumption, and the only real solution out is to reduce humanity by 90% and keep it there.

If we don't find a way to do it, nature will, no second Jesus' required.

[fumes]

10:52 AM on 05/13/2009

say pk,

don't you think the ''grim warning'' thing is overplayed?

[bgnefn]

09:19 PM on 05/11/2009

Many great points, but an unnecessary tinge of conspiracy theory. The public deserves a bit more credit: they are not automatons simply being manipulated. Overall, a good starting point for wider discussion. There is an acknowledged need/problem and its likely solution resides in a combination of scientific/technological advances and citizen's efforts.

[NaturalHeroes]

05:49 PM on 05/11/2009

THE STORY OF STUFF will air in its entirety in the fourth season of the Emmy award-winning Public Television series, NATURAL HEROES, about people making positive differences for our environment.

Annie Leonard is a natural hero for researching and sharing this information in a way that motivates thought, change, and even anger.

Check your local Public Television listings this fall. http://www.naturalheroestv.com/season4/thestoryofstuff.html

[Crushelime]

03:40 PM on 05/11/2009

Some may agree, others may not, but The Story of Stuff is worth a see for EVERYONE!!
www.crushedlime.com

[ClipsNChips]

12:36 PM on 05/11/2009

What a chilling video, but very important. I'm glad school children are being exposed to it early. Hopefully the notion of sustainability should sink into their heads. And maybe we should bring back Captain Planet.

[the43k]

12:14 PM on 05/11/2009

Fantastic video... Nice work. Send it to everyone you know.

www.NJRenewableEnergy.com

[egaeus]

11:10 AM on 05/11/2009

The biggest impediment to changing this system is that even people who want to change it want to maintain the goods and services they have now, which is not possible. We must accept the fact that we must accept LESS in order to make positive change.

[valkyrie607]

10:29 AM on 05/11/2009

"You cannot run a linear system on a finite planet indefinitely."

I'd love to hear someone dispute that.

[valkyrie607]

10:28 AM on 05/11/2009

Yes!!!

I've been promoting this video ever since I saw it a year ago to anybody who has trouble understanding why we can't just keep dumping our wastes into the atmosphere. It's totally awesome! Tell all your friends and family about it--watch it together, I guarantee it'll start a good discussion.

[arvay]

09:41 AM on 05/11/2009

Amazingly good!

And getting this to young people as well as adults is crucial.

That wheel of consumption driving us from the frazzling job to frenetic consuming back to frazzling job is perfect and will be recognized widely.

It's time to throw a large wrench into the American consumerist economy, which, as the video so clearly explains, is unsustainable. Its biggest "product" is unhappiness. Not only will the nation save money, resources and the environment, but we'll be able to bypass the shrinks and mood medicines!

Capitalism needs to be harnessed like any other potentially ruinous natural force so that it produces valuables rather than disposables. We encase nuclear reactors in containment vessels, we need to put capitalism in its place inside well-crafted laws and regulations.

The first step can be the refusal of the consumer to spend much -- to actually do what the hypocritical "experts" tell us to do -- save. We'll be threatened with unemployment, socialism, the boogie man -- but if we change our behavior, it will undermine the whole credit card/usury/"limitless borrowing" spend-driven insanity.