Annie leonard: The Story of Stuff

This video explores the current nature of consumerism and its impacts. This 21 minute animation investigates every step of the consumer process from material extraction to production to distribution to consumption to disposal. This video also covers intensely the problems associated with this linear process. Annie talks about how a linear process does not work when the resources used are finite. The first and major limit talked about in the video is the limit on resources, because of over consumption the earths forest, fisheries and minerals are becoming scarce. Annie also talks about problems relating to production and the many thousands of chemicals relevant in both our products and bi products of this process. These chemicals are either going into products we use on a daily basis or into the atmosphere where we are still exposed to them. Not only this but the people in third world countries that have no other choice but to work in these chemical infected factories. As for consumption stage Annie talks about how consumers are made to keep consuming with low prices by externalising costs as well as integrating planned obsolescence and perceived obsolescence into the market place. These factors keep people purchasing more and more on a day to day basis which keeps accelerating the process more and more, this is emphasised as the key factor in the whole process. Disposal is the las stage of this corrupt system and is one of the most pollution causing factors. Every year as more and more stuff is thrown away it is either thrown into landfills or incinerated both methods are hugely toxic and cause large amounts of pollution. The solution that is put forward in this video is to have a process that once disposed products materials can then be harvested to make new materials, taking stress of natural resources, limiting waste and pollution and creating a sustainable way of consumerism.