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 about 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.
Written by Leonard, the film was produced by Free Range Studios, the makers of other highly popular web-based films such as "The Meatrix" and "Grocery Store Wars." Funding for the project came from the Sustainability Funders (The Funders Workgroup for Sustainable Production and Consumption) and Tides Foundation.
If you like The Story of Stuff and the messages it conveys, we invite you to share it with your community by showing the film at a house party, or classroom, or church group, or neighborhood association or any other location.
Click here to watch the "Story of Stuff"
To download movie, right-click the link above and choose "save file as" (50 MB)
Discussion Guide
Great questions to help facilitate a meaningful discussion of the film
Group Activities
Workshops and games to compliment group discussions and learning.
10 Things
Ten simple things you can do to start making a difference today.
Take Action!
A comphrehensive list of ideas for taking action as an individual, community, organization, or at the city/state level.
Fact Sheet
List of facts mentioned in the movie, including references.
Reading List
Bibliography and recommended reading list.
More Resources
For teens, high school
To find out more about the Story of Stuff, visit their website at: www.storyofstuff.com