Check Out “The Story of Stuff” Video
Posted on Thu, Jan 22, 2009
by Sully
This week I was researching new targets and opportunities for a client of mine and discovered a righteous video to share with everyone. The Story of Stuff is a really simple video that shows the really complicated process in which STUFF is created. The fact that a co-worker thought I was watching Sesame Street is funny, but also a testament to the sheer genius/simplicity of the clip. Anyone watching it can understand and be aware of the connection between all of our human processes. The host, Annie Leonard, an expert in international sustainability and environmental health issues, describes in layman’s terms how STUFF is created - meaning, how we extract, produce, distribute, consume and dispose of STUFF.
A few facts about STUFF for your… consumption:
- The U.S. has 5% of the world’s population but consumes 30% of the world’s resources and creates 30% of the world’s waste, meaning, if the whole world consumed at U.S. rates, we would need 3 to 5 planets.
- Each person in the United States makes 4 1/2 pounds of garbage a day. That is twice what we each made thirty years ago.
- In the U.S., industry admits to releasing over 4 billion pounds of toxic chemicals a year.
- 80% of the planet’s original forests are gone.