The Story of Stuff

In this day and age, we are surrounded by multitudes of stuff. And I would bet a very small percentage of us actually thinks about the larger impact of where are stuff comes from and where it goes. The Story of Stuff, put together by Annie Leonard, started out as just an informative 20-minute video and has turned into a whole project focused on raising awareness about how stuff is made on our planet and providing practical tools and training for those interested in creating a healthy planet. From the site itself: “Five years and 40 million views later, we’re a Community of 500,000 changemakers worldwide, working to build a more healthy and just planet.” Pretty amazing. Watch the original video below:

The Story of Stuff

I have watched this several times over the years, and it gets me every time. Why aren’t we taught externalizing costs in school? Where did this idea that everything is replaceable come from? How are each of us as individuals adding to the mindset of “I’ll just get a new one” instead of honoring the time and effort and resources that already went into what we have? These are just a few of the questions that come up for me.

Since the original movie, the project has come up with a few other ones with the same feel. One of my personal favorites is The Story of Change. Do what you love and you are changing the world!

The Story of Change

I would love to hear your own stories of stuff, change, and whatever else you are doing for your own health and/or the health of the planet. We are all in this together, and we can make a difference!