The Story of Stuff

Julie and I often talk to each other about how you protect your child from becoming a member of the consumer society, how you help her to learn values that are more human. So, tonight I discovered this short film that I want to share with all of you. Go and visit The Story of Stuff. The video you will watch will take about 20 minutes, so you want to do this when you have some time.

This is a very intelligent and witty discussion of how we go from resource extraction, through manufacturing, to big box stores, to the consumer's home, and finally to the landfill. Annie Leonard tells this very serious story in a light hearted way that anyone can understand.

Without becoming preachy, she gives us this vitally important information. It will make you look at the stuff in your life in a different way. And, right before Christmas, the time of institutionalized consumption of unnecessary stuff, is a good time to review just how the throw-away economy hurts us and the earth. Show it to the young people in your life and e-mail it to everyone you know. There is no need to live a life circumscribed by planned obsolescence, where we can be attacked by terrorists and our president tells us that the way to combat that is to go out shopping.