Recently I had been sent a e-mail with a link to this wonderful video that explained that as consumers most of us don’t see or see too little of what the big picture has to tell us about what the real cost of what it takes to produce a product in terms of money, content and pollution to create and make a item we see in a store.
There are five steps in the process of creating product. First there is extraction of natural resources next comes the process of production made from the natural resources, chemicals etc. then comes distribution at your local stores which leads people to consume or buy a product and finally the disposal of the product. This short video digs deeper into these five steps in making and distributing from life to death of a product. The short movie with Annie Leonard is about 20 minutes long which you can see at The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard also on their web page you can watch, download the video which is about 55mb in size, or you can even buy a DVD with this video for $10. I recommend this video for everyone to watch especially for the real consumers that keep buying products more than what the average person may buy in a given month or year. Spread the word about this video it may even get you thinking about what you even buy for the holidays, birthdays party’s or even things you buy for your own self.
December 15th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
Charles, thanks for sharing the story of stuff - the short film with Annie Leonard is fantastic.
I agree we should encourage lots of people to watch this film as it makes some fantastic points, in fact I have already sent the website link to my friends and family and have encouraged them to forward it to people too.
With regards to my own experience and views on stuff, I have made some pints below:
1.0 My personal consumption of stuff:
My fiancé and I for a long time have been thinking about what’s the point of buying ’stuff’. With the exception of food (as it’s a basic human need), we always ask ourselves “do we really need this item? Will it help with our basic needs? Will it serve multiple purposes? How long will it last? Can we fix it if it breaks?”
So as you can imagine we really buy anything these days, as there are very few things that we actually need. However I must admit that my weakness has always been buying books (fiction and non fiction), but now before buying a book I borrow it from the library first and then if I think that I need to have my own copy (to refer to regularly) then I find a second hand version.
2.0 Stuff and Christmas:
Christmas is a time of year that far too much ’stuff’ is purchased and a lot of unwanted items end up being thrown away. Thus this year I am making items for my family that will be useful and even fulfil basic human needs (knitting hats and scarves to keep them all warm).
I have told people not to buy me presents (in general not just for Christmas) as I don’t really need anything. However I did want extra loft insulation (to get my house even more energy efficient) so my mum paid for that as my Christmas present.
3.0 Time the best gift of all
I truthfully think that time is the best present of all – for me no ‘stuff’ can ever replace the feeling of euphoria that I get from spending quality time with my fiancé, family, friends or even the feeling that I get from being in nature and being creative (whether cooking / knitting / painting / writing etc)
I think that we should encourage people to stop fulfilling their emotional needs though the purchase of ‘stuff’ and instead get them to fulfill their needs though connecting to people and nature. This way we will have a much happier and greener planet!