The Story of Stuff

The Story of Stuff

The Story of Stuff is a relatively short (21-minute) video piece directed at children to teach them about consumerism and how to cut wasteful spending.  Shown in classrooms across the country, the film has had a tremendous impact in educating kids on the importance of reducing the amount of “stuff” we consume, and making wise decisions.

It is also an Internet sensation, with millions of views on YouTube, and at the official website.

“From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.”

The Story of Stuff can be viewed in 10 other languages, besides English.  Quite fitting, considering that the issues are world-wide.

Created by Annie Leonard, the Story of Stuff reveals the hidden dangers we face as a global community if we continue our consumerism binge.  Leonard is a former Greenpeace employee and now an independent lecturer.  She originally uploaded the Story of Stuff to the Internet in December 2007, and it caught on like wildfire!  Produced by Free Range Studios in conjunction with the Tides Foundation, you can now visit the official Story of Stuff website, as well as its blog.

The video is not without its critics, however.  No matter how laudable we believe protecting the planet is, some worry that the message is anti-consumerism.  Some school boards have even banned the film from showings in their districts.  Hmmm…. sounds a bit over-reaching to me.

After all, when I watched the following clip, I wonder if sending a message to cut wasteful spending is a bad thing.

Nothing speaks to me more clearly than this clip from the Story of Stuff.  Oh, my goodness!  Why work so hard at a job (or two) just so you can keep buying stuff, that you keep throwing away?

I vow to become a changed woman:

Do you have too much stuff?  Want to help your kids cut back a bit?  See if you can get this video aired at school, houses of worship, and/or scout meetings.

We have to start with the youngest generation and hope, as Leonard does, that the message spreads to convince parents and other role models to make wiser purchasing decisions.  After all, we are leaving this planet to the very children that can learn how and why to cut back.

I think this Story of Stuff can have a happy ending.