“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.”
Leonard sparked my interest in consumer culture. In this video, she explores the social and environmental impacts of linear model of consumerism on a finite planet. The model begins with the extraction of materials from the natural environment, something we know to be an unsustainable process. It then explores the production and distribution phase and the social effects of low cost, mass produced items.
It then introduces consumption, where Leonard states that within 6 months of the purchase date, only 1% of products purchased (in the USA) is in use. That means that 99% of mass produced products are defective or not functional within 6 months of purchase and will need to be replaced.
So what does this matter? You can easily replace you $4 lamp with another $4 lamp in 6 months time right? Well, yes, but at what expense? This is where Leonard describes the Disposal stage. The Australian Government estimates that on average “Australians throw away around 21 million tonnes of waste per year” (para. 1). That’s an incredible amount if you think about the fact that we replace a large amount of that waste with more products.
Australian Government, Department of Industry (2014). Reducing waste. Retrieved from http://www.livinggreener.gov.au/waste/reducing-and-recycling/reducing-waste#becoming_more_aware_of_waste
Story of Stuff (2008). Story of Stuff Full Version; How Things Work, About Stuff . Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLBE5QAYXp8
The Sustainable Consumerist 