the story of stuff summary essay

Notes on The Story of Stuff

Summary: This document supplements The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard, reinforcing the materials economy framework. These notes supports our reading of The Story of Stuff .

TOC: Preface , Introduction , Extraction , Production , Distribution , Consumption , Disposal , Epilog

This project of supplementing The Story of Stuff began as simple note-taking for classroom lectures, but has quickly evolved into a more systematic commitment. My goal has moved to the use of the materials economy as a cycle, a set of interrelated stages within which to grasp the practical meaning and substance of economics for sustainability.

I frame my public policy course around a cycle which provides containers that allow an orderly, dynamic, and coherent development of both the content and the theory of public policy. The materials economy presents a big picture view of the industrial ecology process that seems to offer the same opportunity to take on a life of its own.

Why use this book?

The Story of Stuff is a fun, clear, lively, and timely treatment of the materials economy that shows how the real industrial economy intersects with sustainability. Although the economy appears to undermine sustainability, it works for the burgeoning global middle classes, for now, as the middle class increases consumption, the demand that elicits production. This theme is central. I test marketed the book and others among students in various settings, discovering that students preferred The Story of Stuff and learned from studying the book.

The core concept, the materials economy, is not a formal term derived from economic theory. The materials cycle comes close to the concept of supply chains, however. Annie may have invented the term to suit her purpose here: more trees and less stuff (read, waste ). I have used the cycle process model effectively in my public policy course . View the logo and click on the ovals to see this process framework in action. The material cycle model is a comprehensible, dynamic, and flexible container.

The book treats the economy as a grounded and concrete phenomenon rather than an abstract and detached set of theories. The actual economy provides the substance of ENST305, not the abstracted theories such as neoclassical economics, which will be treated immediately after The Story of Stuff , as displayed in the schedule . The strategic move, from Karl Polanyi: examine the substantive economy , not formal economic theory per se. See my overview of Karl Polanyi as social ecology .

The critique of ecological economics at the macro-level , or big picture level, is squarely upon the growth in physical scale of the economy. Note that growth is distinct from development, an improvement in quality or the actualization of potential. But expansion and intrusion is what stuff is all about: stuff is tangible and physical. Note that the book does not really treat the service economy, but focuses on the world of commodities that are products ( goods ), not services per se.

The notion of externalities , the micro-level critique of ecological economics, is central to the The Story of Stuff . See page XX. View a video that explains how even this page, located in the cloud , contributes to climate change/.

Fairness is central to the book. World Sustainability, after all, must be fair. See the article recommended by Joaquin Maravillas about Ugandans being pushed off their land for the sake of environmental services . This may help in dealing with climate change but is unacceptable. This shows how commodification, even of environmental services, can lead to what David Harvey terms dispossession .

I have discovered that The Story of Stuff works for students who have not yet studied economics or feel put off by economics. The book makes economics accessible but does so in the context of sustainability. Students report that they learn from the book and find the book accessible to them. This matters, a lot .

Notice the chapter titles. We will discuss and contrast with the paradigm of orthodox economic theory (neoclassical economics) and also ecological economics. This gets us into the materials economy from an industrial ecology perspective.

The book is well researched. The Endnotes extend from page 269 to 302. Obviously, Annie had staff and researchers involved in this project.

Note that The Story of Stuff reinforces the important and highly recommended article by Wolfgang Sachs, Fairness in a Fragile World . Sachs calls for restraint, restoration, and rights . This book specifically explains how we, as citizens and consumers, can practice restraint.

Introduction ^

The Introduction deserves close reading. Here, many of the essential concepts and the orientation of the The Story of Stuff is explained. Some key points:

Page ix: Annie starts with forests, then shifts quickly to waste paper at the Fresh Kills land fill in Staten island. She wonders, how can all this waste (the villain in her book) be seen as economical. That is, if there is so much waste, how is the economy seen as so efficient? This bothers her and forms the essential question that she sets out to answer. Along the way, she encounters the notion of sustainability. The waste of superfluous consumption simply felt wrong to Annie. What do you think?

Interconnections , pp. xx-xiii: Annie is a systems thinker ! She wants to make connections . Linger over page xiii, for we will examine its concepts closely in class. Her book highlights the materials economy as a cycle with distinct phases, like extraction. The focus in formal economic theory on the market for final demand reduces the analysis to what I call the Magical Market Moment . So much else is hidden from view. Economic theory, it may be said, obscures more than it reveals. True or false?

The human economy is a system operating within the Earth's biosphere, a system within a system. The larger system, the biosphere, cannot support the incessant growth of the human economic sub-system. This constraint poses limits but also an opportunity for humans to adapt, even to do better. This is a major point of the concept of the Anthropocene . Wangari Maathai puts it this way : "Consumption patterns continue at the expense of the environment and peaceful co-existence. The choice is ours."

Implicitly, the book takes a longer perspective than most approaches to political and economic decision making, based on short-term criteria. The longer the time horizon, the more sustainability is manifest. After all, the original concept of sustainable development raised the intergenerational time horizon.

Annie's strategy is to focus on consumption , which we all do and where we can exert some degree of control. She wants mindful consumption that considers the entire array of consequences of our actions. Do we agree? The Marxist critique, the big historical alternative, focuses on production . What does this mean?

Nearing Limits , pp. xiv-xvii: The charts on page xv deserve scrutiny. Read carefully the closing paragraph to this section, p. xvii.

Fragmented Solutions , pp xvii-xix: See the famous I = P * A * T formula , which I will explain but also parse in class as a tautology. I prefer this formula as a heuristic : S = VA / (E + M), which I will explain in class. Annie's conclusion on page xix is worth discussing.

It's the Economic Growth, Stupid , pp. xix-xxii: Annie paraphrases the famous mantra of the Clinton campaign, made famous by James Carville. I will explain. This section introduces key concepts from ecological economics: growth and externalities. She even mentions Herman Daly, the founder of the field of ecological economics. All this will be explained as well. Think about it! But then, Annie introduces a key term: capitalism . Huh? What goes?

Take the Red Pill , pp. xxii-xxv: Hey, I even viewed The Matrix to get this. Blue pill, anyone ? Annie has the audacity to unpack her paradigm . What's this all about? Go to the source here: Donella Meadows, Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System . This article is highly recommended .

The Story of Stuff , pp. xxv-xxix: Annie explains her mission and intentions. Worth noting.

A Word About Words , pp. xxix-xviiii: We will unpack the vocabulary that Annie uses. Important.

Extraction ^

Introduction , p. 1: Brief set up, but she says that the materials economy gives us a "map of the world." What does she mean? Note the reference to synthetic compounds, many of which may be toxic. She decides to simplify by examining three items here: trees, rocks, and water. She will include fossil fuels, particularly oil and coal, under rocks, which are really non-renewable resources . Look at the graphic, p. 1.

Trees, pp. 2 - 10

Forests provide a good place from which to begin to tell the The Story of Stuff .

Pp. 1-5: Forests (not just individual trees) provide a vast array of essential environmental services , which includes food, fodder, fiber, fuel, and fun. More importantly, forests are habitat that support biodiversity . Forests convert CO2 to oxygen. Uh, trees and forests are, well, good, which is why she is pleased that some ecological economists are trying to calculate the benefits of forests.

But forests are being destroyed, aka trees are being harvested well beyond a sustainable rate. The rate is about 18 million acres per year, or 50,000 acres per day. She reports (p. 5) that the loss of forests amounts to $2 trillion to $5 trillion per year, about 7% of world GDP --- which I will explain. Annie focuses on biofuels and paper, p. 8.

Forest can generate controversy and do regional environmental damage, yet are essential components of regional economies. View a recent case study of a controversy over toxic herbicide spraying in Oregon .

But Annie will provide solutions and hope. Here, pp. 9-10, she talks about not using paper, stewardship, and Forest Ethics.

Water pp. 10 - 19.

Water, as a cycle, is everywhere and is basic to life. Water reveals interconnections. (BTW, as a resident of an official disaster area (flood), I can vividly speak about water.)

After a brief and personal introduction, pp. 10-12, Annie brings us to Bangladesh , where water is very different. Another case study worth consideration is the Aral Sea eco-disaster .

How do we use water? Annie explains, pp. 14-16. Her materials economy flow works well here.

Water privatization , pp. 16-19, deserves special attention and should be examined closely.

Which gets us to water footprint and the concept of virtual water , pp. 17-19. Here she examines bottled water and water justice . Her conclusion, pp. 18-19, is quite insightful and should be unpacked carefully, as we will do in class.

Pages 18-19 provides a good use of important concepts in ecological economics: externalities and environmental services . The concept of externality will appear later in the course, but you should grasp the idea here.

Note the case of Ray Anderson at Interface Carpet company that has successfully adopted a sustainability-oriented business model.

Rocks, pp. 20 - 29

Rocks such as metals, gems, minerals, typically underground non-renewable resources that must be mined .

Serious drag, p. 20 quote, as in mountaintop removal (strip mining). See p. 21 on dirty metals . Note the General Mining Act of 1872, superceded only in 2009.

Gold and diamonds are conflict minerals . Note the work of Global Witness and the Kimberley Process to clean up these industries. (Start to see the problem of ecological economics as connected to specific industries .)

Petroleum , pp. 29 - 34:

Remember the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico? Annie begins with the controversial issue of Peak Oil, so see my supplementary notes on Peak Oil and its geopolitics . Oil is the key lubricant and fuel of our civilization, and it has perhaps peaked. Think of this as higher prices as demand grows but supplies may have hit a plateau. See the web site of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil , founded by geologist Colin Campbell in 2000.

Annie does not paint a pretty picture of how oil companies secure their fields. See the case of Shell in the Congo. We need to think this through to understand Ecology, Economics, and Ethics .

Coal, pp. 35 - 36

Coal is not directly used as stuff, but to provide electricity to make stuff, so Annie gives coal a sidebar. Mountaintop Justice explains on how this all works. For many, a moratorium on coal is the single biggest strategic move for climate change. I suspect that Annie knows her audience is aware of fossil fuels, so does not concentrate on these issues.

Rethinking Extraction, pp. 34-40

See the important concept of the resource curse , p. 37. For an introduction to this important concept, the Wikipedia article on Resource Curse works. For a recent article looking at Africa see Joseph E. Stiglitz, From Resource Curse to Blessing , Project Syndicate , August 6, 2012. A fuller article grounded in political economy is Michael Ross, The Political Economy of the Resource Curse , World Politics 51 (January 1999), pp. 297-322.

Note the impact on indigenous communities. pp. 37-38.

The Arctic is up for grabs : An important case study is the emergence of Greenland as a staging area for extraction within the Arctic . The Arctic Council seeks a pivotal role in balancing interests. Read about the situaion in Greenland .

Transforming Extraction , pp. 40-43: Note the three steps she advocates.

Production, pp. 44 - 105 ^

Cotton, pp. 45 - 51.

Look around the classroom and in your wardrobe. Lots of cotton garments. Annie slyly takes on a familiar and largely taken for granted product (that which is produced, as in production). Annual cotton production is 25 million tons. In the American South, cotton had been King. (I have a personal story to tell of cotton in Alabama.)

Cotton is thirsty, polluting, and, not mentioned, heavily subsidized --- perhaps among the most controversial crops in the field. The subsidies to American farmers hurt African production . Cotton workers are exposed to toxins such as chlorine and formaldehyde. A famous case of an externality of cotton production is the Aral Sea . So, in addition to the implicit right to produce harmful side-effects, rendered as externalities in economic theory, cotton production obtains subsidies.

Annie takes us to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where she meets with women who work for Disney. Yes, she names brands. She discovers that some women (described as better off) make $15/week for a six-day, eight-hour per day job --- I calculate 30 cents/hour. The women earn but 0.5% of the sales price --- which makes your cotton garments cheaper, for you.

Annie does not tackle the cotton subsidies, so see a fact sheet that tells some of the story. She considers fair trade in cotton , a useful model for Ecology, Economics, and Ethics.

A Book --- Paper, pp. 51 - 56

Like Annie, I own a lot of books --- but I have a knack of purchasing used books. I try to use the Internet in my courses and remain sensitive to the price of books that I ask students to buy. Annie gives a brief history of paper, but remember where she started The Story of Stuff : from her beloved forests to the Great Kills dump, largely paper. Indeed, half the trees cut in North America goes for paper. Each year, 30 million trees are used in the USA for books alone (53).

Annie reviews the production process for paper, that includes mercury, chlorine, and volatile organic compounds. Better inks are available, from soy, and more can be done to reduce, reuse, and recycle paper. She provides a useful alternative on page 307, where she offers a sort of environmental impact statement on her book, The Story of Stuff . This provides a better alternative. There are also e-books, or, what I like, just putting what you want to say on the Internet.

Computers, pp. 57 - 64

While computers are amazing devices, they soon become junk. Cell phones are more likely to be quickly discarded for upgrades. More stuff. Annie describes e-waste as a "nightmare," pointing to 5 to 7 million tons of such global waste per year. A great online source of doing better is the Good Guide web site.

Stupid Stuff, pp. 64 - 72

Aluminum cans , pp. 64 - 68. The U.S. consumes about 100 billion aluminum cans per year , about 340 for each of us (64), or one per day. Juan Rosario comments: "I don't understand my countrymen (Puerto Rico). The import this product, drink the garbage, and then throw away the valuable resource." The aluminum cans take much electricity to produce and require extensive mining of bauxite. This is why poor nations will dam rivers for the sake of subsidized aluminum production. Subsidies for extraction and electricity detract from recycling. Note the aggregate electricity production (67). And a simple solution is to switch to refillable bottles. As the price of the raw material and the electricity increases, expect changes. This should be an easy win for a more sustainable economy with no loss to the consumer.

PVC , pp. 68 - 72. This ubiquitous product, says Annie, is "the most hazardous plastic at all stages of its life . . . (68)" We discard 7 billion tons of PVC each year (69). And we use PVC for shower curtains, despite the off-gas of toxic chemicals. Just stop making it, says Annie. Don't buy a number 3 plastic, she advises. (Ask your plumber.) Bans are growing in Spain, Sweden, and Germany (71). Reports suggest that PVC is falling out of favor in construction , especially in schools and around children . PVC rattles and tethers (72)?

Questioning Production, pp. 72 - 84

Annie asks two important types of questions:

How is this stuff made and where did it come from?

Is purchasing this stuff worth my hours of work? Can I do without, find an alternative, or borrow it?

Consider especially the case against mercury (74-75). She discusses make-up (76-77), other personal items (78-80), and exposure to babies (82-83). The graphic Exposure Pathways of Toxic Pollutants (81) reveals how our exposure to toxins is all around us. Scary stuff! So see the Clean Production Action web site .

The discussion of The Front Lines and Fence-line Communities (84-94) is an informative overview of the issue of Environmental Justice , essential for Ecology, Economics, and Ethics . A significant case is the Union Carbide tragedy at Bhopal in 1984, illustrated in the story of Rashida Bee and Champa Devi Shukla .The Goldman Prize web site explains many case studies of folks and civil society organizations that are responding to such situations, such as Hilton Kelley of Port Arthur, Texas . Annie provides an overview of the administration of public policy over pollution and toxins (94-101).

Annie Leonard concludes the chapter on Production with a savvy discussion on how to get production right (101-105), which should be read closely.

Distribution, pp. 106 - 143 ^

Super-retailers, pp. 116 - 127.

You know why they are, such as Amazon and H&M. View what Dara O'Rourke writes about Walmart and Target . Big box stores don't make Annie Leonard happy: too much stuff!

The Rule Makers, pp. 127 - 139

Here, Annie tells an important story, which begins in July, 1944, at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. I have provided notes on the important Bretton Woods meeting that set the stage for the explosion of world trade following World War II. Later, this arrangement of world trade became known as the Washington Consensus . This lead to a backlash, culminating in the Battle of Seattle . This is one on the most important sections of The Story of Stuff .

This important sections ends with the pathos of Annie's visit to Haiti to report on what passes as economic development as supported by the World Bank and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The Local Alternative, pp. 139 - 143

In another important section of The Story of Stuff , Annie Leonard provides an alternative to economic globalization. See my slide presentation based on Deep Economy by Bill McKibben. A fine example is The Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE).

Consumption, pp. 141-181 ^

Introduction and the Sanctity of Shopping, pp. 144-8: Consumption takes center stage for Annie. This is what The Story of Stuff is all about, and where we can directly intervene. Sure we all consume, but her concern is about consumerism and overconsumption (142). It is the culture of consumption that bothers her. And with less consumption comes less production. Problem. What do you think?

Unhappy People, Unhappy Nation, Unhappy Planet, pp. 149-155

In polls, America reported the highest level of contentment in 1957. Annie's lesson: more stuff does not make us happy, plus we need to work more and harder. Worse, community life has dwindled as we have become more commodity-driven (see top of 150). She quotes psychologist Tim Kaiser that materialism actually makes us unhappy (151). Obesity and credit card debt is way up. While this discussion of consumerism contradicts conventional belief, it may open up a significant opportunity for sustainability. How might this be?

The New Economics Foundation publishes the Happy Planet Index . The results on page 4 and 5 of the report are worth a look, or have a listen to Nic Marks . Note the contrast between the USA and Costa Rica. Can this be?

The Earth is not happy, says Annie. Humanity has overshot the carrying capacity of the planet (152-3). This foundational concept has been developed in my working paper that tries to explain the underlying model and dynamics . The Global Footprint Network web site offers superb tools for understanding the concept of the Ecological Footprint and for personal analysis. Another excellent method to explain this is the Ecological Footprint --- your detailed self-analysis or that of others can become the basic of your term project. Note Annie's conclusions on page 154.

We need to comprehend this topic. If true, a basic premise of economics, unlimited cornucopia, must be examined. This is the Limits to Growth debate --- see my notes on the Limits to Growth . This discussion is foundational to Ecology, Economics, and Ethics and we should think about it.

The Construction of Consumerism, pp. 155 - 166 ^

Is a culture of consumerism a requirement of our economic system? If so, the system will exhaust its underlying (but largely ignored) carrying capacity (the Earth), sooner or later. Annie points to Europe as an example of a higher quality of life but with a much smaller ecological footprint. Americans work hard and long, as shown in the graphic on page 157. The remedy appears so simple: Relax and enjoy leisure. This remedy was the original solution proposed by the first economist to contemplate the steady state (see especially section IV.6.9). John Stuart Mill in 1857 advocated ethics and leisure as the successor to our anachronistic pioneer economic period. Annie discusses such cultural alternatives as slow cooking (see Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen ), voluntary simplicity, and downshifting (158-159).

Put this together for yourself: Do you want to work so hard but yet not be happy? Might there be a better way? Think this through. Another way to look at this is that the USA has plenty to offer in both career and lifestyle choices. The historic era of cheap food and cheap energy will cease, but you can adapt and certainly lead a meaningful and satisfying life. The choice is yours. Annie offers wise advice on Thrift Through the Ages , pp. 154-5. Think about it.

Consumerism merged with capitalism through Fordism --- see a short film . See pages 159-60 for the story that links mass consuming to mass producing . Indeed, Antonio Gramsci explored if Americanism and Fordism would usher in a new period of economic history . Examine the sections on planned obsolescence and advertising (161-166). Is Annie on to something here? is the contrary true: Does reversing mass consumption reverse mass production? The concept of underconsumption is raised.

Consumers and Citizens, pp. 166 - 177 ^

Consumerism requires that we compare ourselves to a reference group, especially for our choices in housing, transportation, and fashion. But these socially constituted choices are ours to make, even if we implicitly join with others in so doing. Lots of activities and stuff can make us happy, so do so wisely. This is a domain of freedom open to us all.

Annie does not stop with individual choice and reference groups but extends from consumer to citizen (173-5). She again recommends the Good Guide web site . She cites three principles for more effective civic participation that will improve your communitiy and the planet, and make you a better and more fulfilled person (175-6).

Fair and Responsible Consumption, pp. 177 - 181 ^

Remember the article by Wolfgang Sachs that recommended restraint as part of an approach to fairness in a fragile world ? Annie lays this out in the conclusion of the chapter on consumption, pages 177-181. We need to comprehend the chart on page 177 and the bullet list on page 178. Note in particular the disparities in carbon footprints (180).

The conclusion (181) wraps her summary around Redistribution and Reverence . The last section (181) is worth a close readm including the assertion that the entire human family can lead the life style typical in europe and still support a sustainable economy. Think about it.

Is Seinfeld right? See the introduction to this chapter, page 182. Stuff loses value the minute you ring it up, which economists call depreciation . Parse pretium with Annie (183). Understand the very term waste ; it is so basic to sustainability The term is about context, not content. Waste is a verb . Waste is a resource in the wrong place at the wrong time. Think of the term waste management , a big business.

Forms of Waste: Industrial Waste, etc.; pp. 185 - 206

Industrial waste, upstream of our garbage (municipal solid waste), greatly exceeds all other forms; see the chart on page 186. The story of Ray Anderson at Interface Carpeting (187-189) should be an eye-opener. We will discuss this industrial ecology hero in our class. Catch his Ted Talk on your own, and count it for experiential learning. Unfortunately, Ray Anderson recently passed away .

We are probably most familiar with our own garbage, known as municipal solid waste or simply MSW. See the last paragraph on page 190 and the charts on page 191. Next time you see Annie, ask her about her fridge's ice maker (192-3). I skip such frills. Notice how culture-bound our notion of waste is (193-4). Do you know where and how to get stuff repaired?

Packaging really annoys Annie (194-6) --- as it does many of us --- but see the alternative, known as extended producer responsibility . Should we not take some personal responsibility for our trash?

Ever here of deconstruction? It is catching on in the construction and demolition waste field. Learn as well about the stubborn problems of medical waste and e-waste (199-206).

There is No Away , pp. 206 - 228

"Everything must go somewhere," says Barry Commoner as part of his exquisite four laws of ecology . Annie critiques away by burial (including composting) and away by fire (207-217). Looks like Dr. Commoner is right, there is no away. Check out the important case of Toxic Legacy about Ford dumping in and around Ringwood, N.J.

Remember the World Bank memo by Lawrence Summers ? How about the Asian Development Bank helping to ship toxic waste to Bangladesh (219-221)? But international waste trafficking extends to such places as South Africa and Haiti (221-227). Good news: The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste went into effect in 1992. Guess which one industrialized country has held out and refused to ratify the agreement? See page 227.

Recycling, pp. 228 - 234

Recycling is necessary but not sufficient. About a third of U.S. trash was recycled in 2007, but the point is to waste less in the first place (229): reduce, reuse, then and only then recycle (232). The answer is found in better original design, less consumption, and a policy called extended producer responsibility . The potential of this change is enormous. Which gets us to . . .

Zero Waste, pp. 234 - 236

A whole systems approach (the opposite of economic atomism) is the point of The Story of Stuff . This is Annie Leonard's passionate commitment. So the final section of this chapter provides "a philosophy, a strategy, and a set of practical tools" (234). Annie's ultimate passion seems to be about GAIA, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives and she outlines the program to achieve this goal (235). Note how Annie concludes (236), saying that waste connects to everything else. What do you think?

Epilogue: Writing the New Story, pp. 237 - 252 ^

Annie urges that we as a society move away from "the growth-driven model of economic progress" (237). She looks at low-impact life-styles, including co-housing , a.k.a, communities . She explains how and why, but this will not be for everyone --- but you will need a community or two to live well.

She concludes with the elaboration of four themes:

Redefine Progress : This is the essential recommendation of ecological economics at the macro-level. The old GDP measure of progress will not do for a sustainable economy or society. Her preferred metrics include The Happy Planet Index , the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare , and the Genuine Progress Indicator . She also recommends the Center for Sustainable Economy and Earth Economics . These all might be presented in your essay on the intersection of sustainability and economics .

Do Away With War : Peace protects sustainability and war undermines sustainability. She cites Costa Rica. Think about this.

Internalize Externalities : This is the essential recommendation of ecological economics at the micro-level. Simply getting the market to tell the whole truth is essential but, despite how obvious this prescription is, ask yourself about, say, the mining and burning of coal. Or the pricing of gasoline. Face it, there are big businesses and plenty of irate consumers that will fight this policy, so it does not happen in the U.S. We might even conclude that the dumping of external costs on others is the prerogative of the powerful and a central plank of the business plan of many businesses. Think about it.

Value Time Over Stuff : This is where you can exert some control over your life. Make choices that provide for your personal development, for time for others in your life, and for community. Okay, flex hours and working at home seem to be more likely than a generation ago, but you must make this choice. Do so wisely .

Annie paints a vision (247-250) and describes a personal experiences in Wales (250-252). Have you such a vision? Have you a good place that you cherish or to which you aspire? Why not?

Allen Cheng

The story of stuff book summary, by annie leonard.

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1-Page Summary of The Story Of Stuff

Overall summary.

The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession with Stuff is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health—and a Vision for Change (2010) by Annie Leonard is based on a short animated documentary with the same title (2007) written and narrated by Leonard. The book criticizes American consumerism that values novelty, accumulation, and low prices as unsustainable. Overconsumption affects our health, happiness, and planet. It also shows how resources are finite on our planet and that environmental costs of consumption are unsustainable. To save our planet we need to consume less.

The story of stuff is a documentary that examines the materials economy, or modern manufacturing ecosystem. It uses a systems thinking approach to examine this complex system. The film is divided into five segments: extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal. Each segment has its own characteristics which connect with other parts of the system. For instance, corporate interest drives consumer demand and political paradigms shape our worldviews during each stage of production. Environmental damage can be caused by racism and globalization in different stages as well.

Statistics, personal stories, and firsthand observations are used to support her analysis. For example, the average American produces 4 pounds of garbage per day. The municipal systems process more than 240 million tons of waste each year. Burning this trash creates dioxin, which is one of the most harmful substances known to man. Leonard begins her discussion with a visit to Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island.

The idea of consuming is a paradigm that influences people’s actions and desires. The average American is bombarded with ads for consumption, which encourages them to spend money on things they don’t need. They’ve been taught that it’s necessary for economic growth and will bring personal or spiritual fulfillment. Capitalism as a worldview has normalized overconsumption in the global economy. A professor suggests we need to consume less and value things more if we want to make changes happen on individual, corporate, and government levels so that an equitable, sustainable world can be created someday soon.

Introduction

The Story of Stuff starts with a first-person account of the author’s childhood. She describes how forests were cleared for urban sprawl, and later visits a landfill in Staten Island to learn about garbage. The author then traces the origins of waste disposal to explain why it is so problematic today.

This detective project is rooted in Leonard’s methodology of systems thinking, which analyzes the connections between things. Typically, people study individual elements without looking at how they relate to one another or fit into a larger system. For instance, someone is an expert on the economy while someone else is an expert on ecology. Systems thinking tells us that “the economy is a subsystem of earth’s ecosystem” (Introduction) and we must look at both together to fully understand the economy. We also need to consider all manmade systems like capitalism and slavery as part of this analysis because humans are just one species among many living on earth. By tracing these relationships and connections, we can gain new insights into consumerism’s influence not only on individuals but also everything around them—including the planet itself—and its effects will be felt for generations to come.

The core concept of The Story of Stuff is limits. We can’t continue to grow on a planet with finite resources. Capitalism, our economic system, demands constant growth. This is a problem because it’s impossible for the economy to keep growing forever in a world with limited space and resources. Leonard asks: “What happens if there’s an economic subsystem that keeps growing inside of an ecosystem that has fixed boundaries?” She introduces her thesis:

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The Story of Stuff

How Our Obsession with Stuff Is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health-and a Vision for Change

by Annie Leonard

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Annie Leonard tracks the life of the "stuff" we use every day, transforming how we think about our patterns of consumption.

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"Starred Review. An important work for consumers of all ages." - Library Journal "An earnest, reasoned contribution to the national conversation on sustainability." - Kirkus Reviews "All this makes for depressing reading, and some humor and less priggishness would have helped. But Leonard conveys her message with clarity, urgency, and sincerity..." - Publishers Weekly

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Author Information

Annie leonard.

Annie Leonard is an expert in international sustainability and environmental health issues, with more than 20 years of experience investigating factories and dumps around the world. She's taking time off from her other work to write the book, but until recently she was coordinator of the Funders Workgroup for Sustainable Production and Consumption, communicating worldwide about the impact of consumerism and materialism on global economies and international health.

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“The Story of Stuff” Film by Annie Leonard Essay

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Introduction

In the video “The Story of Stuff,” Annie Leonard closely discusses the life of the things people obtain and use from production to disposal. Leonard underlines that such a process is tightly connected with various environmental and social problems. That is why she pushes people at the creation of a more sustainable world, disclosing the thing that many individuals, including me, have never thought about.

Among the global economy elements highlighted by Leonard are the key economic interdependencies that can be found at the heart of globalization. The professional emphasizes that commodity production is a complex process that involves globe-spanning commodity chains, known today as global value networks. Of course, I realized that the things I have were produced at someplace, delivered to the store, and only then purchased by me but I have never thought of the stuff from the global perspective and have never tracked the whole commodity chain that turned out to be extremely extended.

Everything starts with extraction but not production. Natural resources are obtained to be used as raw materials and let the products be produced in both come and foreign countries. Then they are distributed to various locations, which requires additional payment and influences the price of the product that will be purchased. Still, all stuff goes out in the garbage in the end, utilization of which is often harmful to nature and makes different companies cooperate to select the best way of disposal.

Now I know that products’ life requires the interaction of people and organizations from all over the world. Knowledge of the peculiarities of global value networks can make professionals and the general public more conscious of the manner, in which they use and dispose of the stuff. It also serves as a guideline for companies on how to operate efficiently, be environmentally friendly, and globalize.

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IvyPanda. (2021, May 30). "The Story of Stuff" Film by Annie Leonard. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-story-of-stuff-film-by-annie-leonard/

""The Story of Stuff" Film by Annie Leonard." IvyPanda , 30 May 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/the-story-of-stuff-film-by-annie-leonard/.

IvyPanda . (2021) '"The Story of Stuff" Film by Annie Leonard'. 30 May.

IvyPanda . 2021. ""The Story of Stuff" Film by Annie Leonard." May 30, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-story-of-stuff-film-by-annie-leonard/.

1. IvyPanda . ""The Story of Stuff" Film by Annie Leonard." May 30, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-story-of-stuff-film-by-annie-leonard/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . ""The Story of Stuff" Film by Annie Leonard." May 30, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-story-of-stuff-film-by-annie-leonard/.

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The story of stuff summary.

1487 words | 5 page(s)

List at least five interesting ‘facts’ that you learned by watching ‘The Story of Stuff’. Which ones did you find the most shocking? “The Story of Stuff” presents much in the way of compelling facts, but to name just five that I found particularly engaging, they are as follows:

1) At the outset of the film, the narrator describes the “materials economy”, consisting of extraction, production, distribution, consumption, and disposal. What is intriguing about this notion is that the entire life-cycle of products may be reduced to a general theoretical concept: this yields an invaluable notion for theory, when thinking about how current consumer-based economies function in practice.

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2) The film also stresses the point that the “materials economy” cannot be separated from its relationship to what is termed the “real world”, namely, what may be described as the environment or ecology. Accordingly, the materials economy is not endless, as the film points out, but rather has a finite precondition in the form of the environment. This has subsequent consequences for such economies: they cannot merely function as though they exist in a vacuum, without precise causes and effects upon which they are dependent. Hence, whereas the “materials economy” is on the one hand a finite and precise model of how such an economy functions, at the same time it is not a closed system, but rather an open system, since the materials economy’s preconditions exist outside of it, while it also has effects that register themselves outside of the materials economy itself.

3) The film also points out that the materials economy at the same time has an excess to its system: that of waste. Waste does not fit into the linear development of the materials economy, but rather is its side-effect. This once again re-iterates that the materials economy is not a self-contained linear system. There is therefore an interesting theoretical problem that emerges regarding the linearity of the model presented and the effects it produces outside of this same linearity. There is also an ethical dimension therefore added to the materials economy model: what is the effect of waste on the environment and societies that employ this economic model?

4) The film points out a little known fact about the materials economy: Victor LeBeau, an economist, noted that in order to sustain the materials economy, consumption must become the dominant way of life, so as to sustain the economy. This has had disastrous effects on the environment, as well as creating a culture of excessive consumerism and materialism. The materials economy becomes something of an end in itself: there is no questioning with the acceptance of this ideology about why this particular economy is being pursued. The film points out the compelling point that this has been the dominant model since the 1950s. It is only now that we can see some of the disastrous consequences of this way of thinking, for example, in the form of environmental damage.

5) The concepts of planned obsolescence and perceived obsolescence are crucial notions that I was introduced to in the film. The idea of planned obsolescence is that goods are manufactured so as to perish quickly, whereas perceived obsolescence means that products are revised in terms of design to create social trends. Both of these concepts do not emphasize the quality of the product, but rather the desire to sell more product. These concepts are based on the prioritization of quantity over quality, which fits it with the aims of profit-based economies. Such concepts therefore represent direct attempts to exploit the consumer, as opposed to providing the consumer a valuable product or service.

What is most shocking about these facts is that the American economy is deliberately planned around waste, materialism, consumerism and the continuation of the materials cycle for the sake of the materials cycle itself. One is left with the image of American society as a vacant, empty inhumane process. An ethical crisis emerges from the film: is this the kind of economic model we want to live in? At the same time, it gives us an opportunity: there is no fait accompli that all business models must accept this mode. The film provides a challenge to young business leaders and students to think of alternative.

2. Are there any things that you disagree with in the ‘Story of Stuff’ video? Why?

I was surprised by the extent to which “The Story of Stuff” video convinced me in regards to its argumentation. Perhaps, this is because I was already inclined to view materialist and consumerist culture and economy with suspicion. The film provided robust arguments as to why such an economy and culture should be called into question. In this regard, I would not disagree with anything presented in the film, since I have no allegiances to the consumerist ideology which it is so thoroughly attacks. At the same time, as a student of business, I am of course interested in the topic: therefore, the film made me think about alternative business practices. As mentioned above, business does not necessarily have to function according to the materials economy model: for example, quality could be emphasized over quantity.

3a. Griseri and Seppala (2010) identify four approaches to addressing environmental issues – deep, dark, light, bright (see environmental ethics lecture slides). Which approach(es) do the videos promote? Why?

I think the film includes all four of the approaches that Griseri and Seppala outline in various forms. For example, the film mentions Victor LeBeau, citing him explicitly as stating that consumerism must become the spiritual foundation of American culture: this is a clear concern of the deep approach, as Griseri and Seppala mention, since the deep approach relates to what the authors term the “spiritual”, or in other words, our most profound ideas of who we are and how we relate to the world. The “dark” approach is also far-reaching, in so far as it challenges our fundamental social organization: the film accomplishes this by questioning the materials economy. The “light” and “bright” approaches are also presented in the film, for example, through bringing into view concepts such as planned and perceived obsolescence which deal with our everyday interactions with products. To take a light or bright approach in this view means that we have to re-think our consumerist habits. In the end, however, I think the film is above all a “deep” approach, since it opens fundamental questions about how we live and organize ourselves socially.

b. Who, according to ‘The Story of Change’ should take responsibility for addressing environmental issues (business, governments, consumers or citizens)? Do you agree with this view? Why/why not? According to the “Story of Change”, environmental issues must be addressed by businesses, governments, consumers and citizens, to the extent that this is an issue that affects all of us: furthermore, all these institutions and individuals contribute to the issue. I think that this comment is especially relevant: what is at stake in environmental issues are fundamental questions about how we live and organize ourselves, what are our values, and how we behave on individual levels. Therefore, all these sides must interact and participate to affect the required change.

4. Outline at least three things that companies can do to address the issues raised in ‘The story of stuff’ (you may want to look up the suggestions made in the lecture). What are the limitations of these responses? Companies may look at the material economy and similar concepts to affect change. For example, the materials economy produces waste which harms the environment: companies have to note that the materials economy does not exist in a vacuum. Furthermore, companies have to question their strategies of planned and perceived obsolescence. These strategies are just meant to perpetuate consumerism through means that as side-effects produce waste, damage the environment and create a vacant culture. In this regard, the most fundamental companies can do is ask themselves a difficult existential question: why do we exist as a company? Is it merely to turn a profit? Or is to provide a service that somehow improves the lives of others?

5. In the light of the information given in this video, how do you think environmental responsibility between developed and developing countries / emerging economies should be distributed? According to the video, I believe that because developed countries have hegemony in the world order, they must fundamentally re-think their economic models so as to maintain environmental responsibility. Developing countries are dependent on developed countries: therefore, change has to lie with those who have power. But this will take a fundamental re-thinking of the very economic foundations of material based economies, which also means that companies will lose their power: because of the lust for power, it will be difficult to make this step. This is why new business leaders not concerned with only profit are so crucial at this time period, in my view, to make these positive revisions to the old culture of material economies.

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The Story of Stuff Project

Explore the impact of our things and get mobilized to make a difference

Learning rating

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Social Studies

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Pros : The resources promote awareness about unchecked consumerism and provide avenues for action.

Cons : Educators will need to adapt the material for their own purposes unless they use one of the pre-made curriculum options.

Bottom Line : Working toward a sustainable future is everyone's business; these resources educate and inspire action.

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Teachers can choose to use or adapt the complete high school curriculum for their own purposes. The site's built-in curriculum is designed as a two-week immersion into production, consumption, and sustainability. If that structure doesn't fit your needs, another approach is to integrate the videos and other resources into your existing social studies class, perhaps as case studies. Students can use close reading strategies to analyze the annotated scripts, research other perspectives on the issues, and develop policy statements. Fact-checking the resources helps promote critical thinking and may add balance to the discussions. Due to the controversial nature of some of the content, it's important for educators to cultivate a safe and nurturing environment that honors a variety of voices when diving into these resources.

The Story of Stuff started with one video in 2007. Since then, it's grown into a grassroots movement focused on promoting smarter consumption, sharing, and community. The website includes the original video as well as several more that explain the process of extraction, production, distribution, consumption, disposal, and more. Most videos include FAQs and annotated scripts with extensive footnotes.

In addition to the videos, the site includes lesson plans targeting teens. A 10-lesson high school curriculum called, "Buy, Use, Trash? A Closer Look at the Things We Buy" was developed in partnership with the organization Facing the Future. The lesson plans include debates, mind maps, policy, systems thinking, and prompts for reflection on personal actions and goals. There are also similar curricula available that are tailored to both Christian and Jewish teens. The site includes an informative blog and other avenues for getting involved in the movement toward a more sustainable world.

From the videos to the blog to the reference info, the Story of Stuff provides some seriously engaging resources, especially for educators and students willing to dig deeply into the footnotes and video FAQs. It's an important starting point for understanding the pressing issue of consumption. The lesson plans (especially "Buy, Use, Trash?") are thoughtfully developed, compelling, and engaging for older students. The videos provide interesting starting points for students to tackle sustainability issues. Learners can use the supporting documents, such as the sources cited in the transcripts, to dive deeper into the research processes.

The Story of Stuff is an engaging launchpad for developing the research skills that CCSS demands -- but know that teachers will have to layer on their own standards alignments and classroom connections. The content invites discussion, and the site's developers could do a better job deploying interactive tools and ideas for integrating the tools into the classroom. However, this shouldn't stop educators from initiating the conversations with their students and checking out the stellar resources scattered throughout this extensive site.

Learning Rating

Overall rating.

Carefully crafted videos and graphics entice users to dig deeper into the Story of Stuff. The information is difficult to ignore or forget.

Videos include annotated scripts with extensive research that backs up the claims. Lesson plans are available targeting high schoolers, as are faith-based lessons for Jewish and Christian teens.

The site offers support and encourages interaction through the blog, a Citizen Muscle Bootcamp, and carefully crafted curriculum.

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The Story of Stuff

About this film

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.

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Annotated Script

The Story of Stuff was written by Annie Leonard, Louis Fox, and Jonah Sachs, directed by Louis Fox and produced by Free Range Studios. Executive Producers included Tides Foundation and the Funders Workgroup for Sustainable Production and Consumption. It was released in December 2007.

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The Story of Stuff - a Summary

Stephen, I so glad to see you post about this. I appreciate you insight and especially the idea that what we, as modern, western people, live in a dream. So how do you wake a dreamer? It's not as easy as you might think. I went to a symposium a few months ago that I can recommend to you and your readers - http://awakeningthedreamer.org/ "Our mission is bringing forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on Planet Earth." Please check it out - It might not be what you expect.

Great posting Steven. My sentiments exactly. Might I recommend to anyone reading this post that they also check out the film The Corporation at http://www.thecorporation.com/. Very enlighening when coupled with Naomi Klien's The Shock Doctrine.It is why I feel so uneasy about our democratic online future of learners given the power constructs that have existed since before the industrial revolution. Keep up the great multi-faceted posts

Oops my boy's name is Steven. Sorry about that!!

Viral Video 'The Story of Stuff' Is Full of Misleading Numbers http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,520207,00.html

Let's examine the "correction" offered by Fox News... Here's a look at some of the scariest figures Leonard cites in her movie that are misleading or just plain wrong. Misleading: "Where I live, in the United States, we have less than 4 percent of our original forests left." • The U.S. Forest Service reports that 33 percent of the nation is forested, and that the number has been stable for about 100 years. It sounds like Leonard is saying that 96 percent of our forests have been cut down, but what she's really saying is that some trees have been cut down at some point in the last 400 years in nearly every forest. The Fox News article is substituting 'forest' for 'original forest'. But as any silviculturalist can tell you, there is a significant difference between 'old growth' (original forest) and the brush that grows as a replacement. New forest is much less dense and much less mature. It is generally not useful as lumber, and recycles carbon at a fraction of the original forest. Misleading: "80 percent of the planet's original forests are gone." • The U.N. reports that 30 percent of the earth's land surface is forested. Though many areas have been logged, the film seems to imply that 80 percent of forests are now gone, which is untrue. Though still a substantial environmental problem, the U.N. reports that the rate of deforestation is going down. Same thing. They are confusing 'forest' with 'original forest'. False: "Of the largest 100 economies on earth now, 51 are corporations." • According to a 2002 study at the University of Leuven in Belgium, that number should be about 37. And even the largest corporation is tiny compared to some of the world's biggest economies — Exxon, the biggest of all, is 1/200th the size of the U.S. economy. The error came about because environmentalists were comparing the sales of corporations to the GDP of nations, which aren't comparable. Actually, they are comparable, both being measured in dollars and both representing economic throughput. The Belgian study is 7 years old, during which time corporations have continued to grow. Misleading: "75 percent of global fisheries now are fished at or beyond capacity." • According to the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization, 24 percent of the fisheries they're monitoring are over-exploited or depleted. Fifty-two percent are being fished at or near capacity, which means fish stocks aren't going up, but they won't necessarily go down either. The Fox reference, which is not stated, appears to be plain false. Here is an actual quote from the FAO reiterating the 75 percent number: http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/news/2003/25379-en.html

Wow, thank you for that. I'm writting a paper about this video and that was very helpful.

"• According to a 2002 study at the University of Leuven in Belgium, that number should be about 37. And even the largest corporation is tiny compared to some of the world's biggest economies — Exxon, the biggest of all, is 1/200th the size of the U.S. economy. The error came about because environmentalists were comparing the sales of corporations to the GDP of nations, which aren't comparable. Actually, they are comparable, both being measured in dollars and both representing economic throughput. The Belgian study is 7 years old, during which time corporations have continued to grow." GDP is calculated by the addition of 4 factors: -Consumer Spending -Investment made by industry -Excess of Exports over Imports -Government Spending 3 of the 4 factors (these 3 being by far the most contributory when compared individually to the 4th) are based solely in corporation and industry. It is therefore correct to say that corporation sales and nation GDP are incomparable, but only because GDP takes into account corporation sales as a primary contributor. Actual corporation wealth, compared to actual government wealth, is sure to be a lot higher than either The Story of Stuff (or FOX News) shows(/admits).

Corporations are Devils

This is the most BS have ever watched/ read. Go practice your Eco-terrorism in another country.

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The Story of Stuff

38 pages • 1 hour read

The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession with Stuff is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health—and a Vision for Change

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Another Way

Throughout the book, Leonard flags where there is “another way”—a viable alternative to current, unsustainable practices.

In The Story of Stuff, Leonard uses the term Americans to refer to the citizens and residents of the United States of America.

Clearcutting

A method of logging that removes all the trees, roots, wildflower, and species from a region. The aftermath of clearcutting is compared to bomb sites. Clearcutting forests leads to soil erosion, flooding, and mudslides. 

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7 Takeaways From Harris’s First Major Interview

Kamala Harris showed her tendency toward winding answers in the CNN interview, but said nothing likely to cause her serious political trouble.

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By Reid J. Epstein

Reid J. Epstein covers Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. He reported from Washington.

• Aug. 29, 2024

The main reason CNN’s interview with Vice President Kamala Harris turned out to be remarkable was that it was the first one she had done since President Biden bowed out and tapped her as his successor.

Seated alongside her running mate, the quietly supportive Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, Ms. Harris parried questions from Dana Bash on Thursday without causing herself political harm or providing herself a significant boost.

She was methodical and risk-averse in the 27-minute interview, performing like a top seed in the early rounds of the U.S. Open tennis tournament trying to hold serve, survive and advance to the next round — in this case, her Sept. 10 debate with former President Donald J. Trump.

Here are seven takeaways from the interview:

She hugged Biden’s policy legacy …

The Biden administration’s economic record? Terrific. The president’s stance toward Israel and Gaza? Hers is the same. His position on the border? She shares it, and would sign the bill his team helped negotiate. Fracking in Pennsylvania? Mr. Biden is for it, and so is she.

As it turns out, Ms. Harris is a better salesperson for Mr. Biden’s accomplishments and defender of his record than he ever was. Perhaps that’s little surprise, given the president’s diminished political skills and trouble speaking coherently in recent years.

But if there were any question about whether Ms. Harris would put any daylight between herself and the Biden legacy, she provided a definitive answer on Thursday night.

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