Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Reprise: The Story of Stuff

NOTE: I posted this about a month ago, but it got lost in the initial caucus/primary shuffle, so I thought I'd repost it now as a respite from all the ugliness on the Democratic side of the presidential race... oops! there's that word again, "race." Anyway, I think Annie Leonard's short film about consumption offers an alternative model to the politics of destruction and negativity we are currently suffering through. "The Story of Stuff" is creative and proactive, even as it levels a damning critique. This is the kind of politic that can be "transformative," because it does not trade in what divides us, but what unites us, and it offers a vision of something better that folks can rally around. If you didn't catch it the first time, I hope you will take a few minutes to watch the film, post a comment and pass the thread along to someone else... Here's to some positivity!

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One of the major concerns I have about the environment and which I think often gets over-shadowed in all the (justified) hoopla about greenhouse gasses, is "our problem with stuff," our addiction to material things, to the over-consumption of non-essential goods. We simply live a massively unsustainable way of life. Any environmental movement has to confront this reality...

Annie Leonard has created a delightful short film (20 minutes total) on this issue, titled, "The Story of Stuff, " which combines animation and humor to make a very creative progressive argument. Check it out and pass along the link to your friends and family. Everyone should see this:

Ch. 1: Introduction (2:37)


Ch. 2: Extraction (2:05)


Ch. 3: Production (3:27)


Ch. 4: Distribution (1:59)


Ch. 5: Consumption (6:35)


Ch. 7: Another Way (2:04)

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