From the site...
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.As a teacher, I cannot think of a better tool to get kids thinking about these issues, and hopefully create a few activists. It delivers the message in a simple enough way to reach young people, but also applies a level of sophistication that gives it gravitas. But enough talk...please go to The Story of Stuff and see for yourself. Once you have seen the video share the wealth- comment back here, post on your blog, set up a screening, do something!
That is really great. An incredible tool.
ReplyDeleteAt my blog I have a post about a local Frieda Kahlo exhibit. Talk about self portraiture.
A friend left this comment on my Facebook page and I felt it would make sense here as well:
ReplyDelete"Maybe if we had a little less and cared a lot more there would blossom the potential for happiness in our nation, more sweetness in our tone; we would certainly be stronger if our labor could support our lifestyles and our education opened our minds to the world. If we could realize that our culture creates criminality from the greed and poverty that abound within our borders, then we might have a chance to live in the world as equals, proud of our heritage and certain of our actions." ...Walter Mosley
There was a story from a few years ago about two women who decided to go an entire year without buying anything excluding food and kids care stuff. They started an entire program call FREECYCLING. Basically, they discovered that they could trade and get most everything free. One of them had a broken bike and traded something she never used for a new one (I'm sure you get the idea). Anyway, it's huge now. There's a huge group on Yahoo! groups. They just trade for everything that they need. The ladies who started this whole thing were on the Today show or something saying they were going to do it again this year because they liked it so much. Made life so much better.
ReplyDeleteI haven't watched the video yet but I promise I will. I really like the post.
LC
Interesting little flick. You should check out the movie "Manufactured Landscapes" for more on this topic. It concentrates a lot on the detrimental environmental effects stemming from Chinese overproduction required to satisfy Americans' penchant for buying cheap goods. Happy Holidays!
ReplyDeleteFor some reason my friends do not like to comment here, so here is another Facebook comment I received that I have transplanted here so as to keep the conversations public and flowing:
ReplyDeletei checked out the story of stuff. thanks for the suggestion. i have watched a couple documentaries recently along the same theme. im not sure how you might go about getting your hands on them in the desert, but you could ask around.
1) the corporation
- great documentary about the power of corporations and the legal loopholes that allow them to run amok. there is some info and maybe even a way to order the film on "thecorporation.com"
2) who killed the electric car?
- even if you don't care about electric cars, its a fascinating documentary showing how gm made electric cars to satisfy a california clean air act, lobbied the gov't to have the law repealed, then systematically tracked down the electric cars, got them off the road and destroyed them so they could return to the more (universally profitable) business of making gas cars.
Thank you so much for introducing this site to me (through your blog). What an eye-opener.
ReplyDeleteHey Guru!
ReplyDeleteI told you that I watched it and I loved it. I went to Ampang Mini Market today and I was so good! Check out my post on my blog about it!