Story of Stuff
Watch online! Story of Stuff is an eye opening 20-minute interactive video about the effects of human consumption. We found it particularly relevant at this point in time in Nepal, which has always had minimal amounts of “stuff” but is now rapidly diving into consumer culture head first.
Twenty minutes is kind of long for an online video, but, seriously, stick with it- it’s worth it. You can watch it above, but for better size and quality, check it out here.
A description from the the Story of Stuff site:
“The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute film that takes viewers on a provocative and eye-opening tour of the real costs of our consumer driven culture—from resource extraction to iPod incineration.
Annie Leonard, an activist who has spent the past 10 years traveling the globe fighting environmental threats, narrates the Story of Stuff, delivering a rapid-fire, often humorous and always engaging story about “all our stuff—where it comes from and where it goes when we throw it away.”
Leonard examines the real costs of extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal, and she isolates the moment in history where she says the trend of consumption mania began. The Story of Stuff examines how economic policies of the post-World War II era ushered in notions of “planned obsolescence” and “perceived obsolescence” —and how these notions are still driving much of the U.S. and global economies today. Leonard’s inspiration for the film began as a personal musing over the question, “Where does all the stuff we buy come from, and where does it go when we throw it out?” She traveled the world in pursuit of the answer to this seemingly innocent question, and what she found along the way were some very guilty participants and their unfortunate victims.”
By niran on Feb 21, 2010
must see interactive video. totally pin points the errors we make in our system, that we live in today. very helpful and gives you an idea to live in a better way, recycle in better way, utilizing your resources in a better way and much much more.
By Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka on Feb 26, 2010
Interesting ….: )
By ayushma on Mar 2, 2010
I watched the first ten minutes twice. Wish I had better internet so that I could watch all of it. Is there another way to get hold of the documentary?
By Anya on Mar 3, 2010
You can download the entire thing. That might be easier if the connection is slow. It will take a while but at least you can have the whole thing to watch anytime:
http://www.storyofstuff.com/film.php
There is also a DVD that can be ordered. All the info is at the link above.
By Roshan on Mar 11, 2010
very interesting. very useful in our context.
By zinta on Mar 24, 2010
Hmm worth the download time it took for me to get the hires vidoe. I am planning share this with people at work! Thanks for letting us know that such a video existed!
By ayushma on Mar 29, 2010
I recently made my parents and grandparents watch the Story of Stuff and I thought it might be fun to share my experience. I loved the Story of Stuff the first time I watched it and have made it my mission to share it with as many people as possible. But I never thought my I’d share it with my parents so soon. Actually, I was having a heated debate with my dad earlier because we live in a housing colony in the outskirts of Kathmandu. It’s removed from the rest of Kathmandu and full of people who have created an illusion for themselves that resembles Switzerland more than Nepal. So anyway, I was talking about how I want to attend one of the colony meetings and try and stop them from using a generator to produce electricity to light street lamps during load shedding.
The issue is that we suffer from load shedding every night and while most houses within the colony remain unlit, the streets are bright. I tried to convince my father how this is a complete waste of resources. First of all it’s not even needed, not an absolute necessity. Secondly, we’re living in a country where the only supplier of petroleum products, the Nepal Oil Corporation, is under severe debts and we recurrently experience petrol shortage. And here we are spending it like we grow it in our own back yard. And then think about the environmental implications. We all want to go and protest and make our voices heard if it entails a trip to Copenhagen, but it’s so difficult for people to see the mistakes they are making on an every day basis. My father countered me by saying that they’re doing it for security reasons. I just wanted to laugh. I said there are guards in front of the gates and we’re completely walled off from the rest of the world. What do we really want security from?
Anyway, he seemed so unconvinced. So I said, you aren’t convinced, if it’s so difficult to convince my own family, how can all the others be convinced? So we had this very nice discussion and my father said, all this kind of change, it needs to come from America, and the rest of the world will follow. We are not in a position to make much of a difference. This is the attitude of most people here. I think us Nepalis, we like to follow, we like to acquire tried and tested practices. We’re all sadly aware of our insignificance in the larger scheme of things, in global political decision making. And I think that gives us enough reason to be apathetic. But I really feel like there is a possibility for this to change, not that we will have a greater say in the way the world works, but at least in the way we live, we don’t have to be continually dictated by the successes or failures of the first world (as if it were a race or a competition). I feel like we can be progressive thinkers and practitioners even if it doesn’t count in how the world is run. Isn’t it meaningful enough in shaping how our own lives are run? It’s not so much about compromising our lives in trying to save the earth as much as enjoying the process by which we hurt it less.
I showed my parents the Story of Stuff, and I feel like in doing so I was able to convince them to reflect on their lifestyle. But it’s a one time thing. I realized how I have to consciously keep bombarding myself with such kind of stimulus, such kinds of reminders in order to control my whims and impulses and make better decisions. It’s very easy to forget the lessons you learn through a 20 minute film you’ve watched only once. Wish we could do something to bring this kind of thinking into mainstream culture.
By Sanjana on Mar 30, 2010
I just printed out the guide to discussion on this documentary in the blank side of the used papers.