Monday, June 23, 2014

The Story of Stuff



https://vimeo.com/12174803 (English subtitles)
We have a problem with Stuff. 
We use too much, too much of it is toxic and we don’t share it very well. But that’s not the way things have to be. Together, we can build a society based on better not more, sharing not selfishness, community not division.
The Story of Stuff Project’s journey began with a 20-minute online movie about the way we make, use and throw away all the Stuff in our lives. 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. We invite you to watch and share our movies, participate in our study programs and join our campaigns. Come on, let’s go!
The film:
The Story of Stuff, originally released in December 2007, 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,...



 http://storyofstuff.org/

The Story of Solutions   

The Story of Solutions, released in October 2013, explores how we can move our economy in a more sustainable and just direction, starting with orienting ourselves toward a new goal. In the current ‘Game of More’, we’re told to cheer a growing economy – more roads, more malls, more Stuff! – even though our health indicators are worsening, income inequality is growing and polar icecaps are melting. But what if we changed the point of the game? What if the goal of our economy wasn’t more, but better – better health, better jobs and a better chance to survive on the planet? Shouldn’t that be what winning means? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpkRvc-sOKk 


The Story of Cosmetics 

 (2010) The Story of Cosmetics, released on July 21, 2010, examines the pervasive use of toxic chemicals in our everyday personal care products, from lipstick to baby shampoo. The seven-minute film reveals the implications for consumer and worker health and the environment, and outlines ways we can move the industry away from hazardous chemicals and towards safer alternatives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfq000AF1i8


The Story of Bottled Water

 The Story of Bottled Water, released on March 22, 2010 (World Water Day), employs the Story of Stuff style to tell the story of manufactured demand—how you get Americans to buy more than half a billion bottles of water every week when it already flows virtually free from the tap. Over five minutes, the film explores the bottled water industry’s attacks on tap water and its use of seductive, environmental-themed advertising to cover up the mountains of plastic waste it produces. The film concludes with a call for viewers to make a personal commitment to avoid bottled water and support public investment in clean, available tap water for all  .http://storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-bottled-water/






ACTIVITY: The Story of Stuff
Introduction:
“Before” Answer
Question
“After” Answer

Of the 100 largest economies on the planet,
______% are governments.


Of the 100 largest economies on the planet,
______% are companies.

Extraction:

In the past 30 years, _____% of the world’s natural resources have been consumed.


The US has less than _____% of the original forests left.


In the US, _____% of the waterways are now undrinkable


The US has 5% of the world’s population, but uses _____% of the world’s resources, produces _____% of the world’s waste.


If everyone consumed at US rates, we would need _____ planets to support all of us.


_____% of global fisheries are fished at or beyond capacity


_____% of the planet’s original forests are gone.


In the Amazon forest alone, we are losing _____ trees every minute

Production:

_____ synthetic chemicals are used in manufacturing today.


_____ of these chemicals have been tested for synergistic health impacts


BFR’s are chemicals used to make things flame resistant.  They are also very toxic to the _____.


The food with the highest level of many toxic contaminants is _____.


The people who get the most exposure to toxic chemicals are the _____


Globally, _____ people per day are moving into cities.


US industry releases _____ pounds of toxic chemicals per year.



Distribution:
T/F
Externalized cost of production includes: loss of natural resources, making of pollution, low wages and lack of health benefits for workers.
T/F
T/F
We don’t always pay the true cost to produce and transport goods.
T/F

Consumption:

What percent of total material goods are still in use 6 months after they are sold?


Today we consume ____ as much as Americans did 50 years ago.

T/F
Some companies design stuff to intentionally break quickly
T/F
T/F
Many of us throw away perfectly good things due to advertising.
T/F

We see an average of _____ advertisements per day


Today we have more stuff than ever before, but national _____ is declining.


Name the top two ways Americans spend their leisure time.



The average house size has doubled since _____


Disposal:

Each person in the US throws away approximately _____ pounds of garbage every day.


That’s twice the amount of garbage we threw away _____ years ago. 


Name two options for getting rid of waste.


The #1 source of Dioxin, the most toxic man made substance known to science, is…


For every 1 garbage can full of waste removed from our house, _____ cans were made “upstream.”

From Another Way… 10 Little and Big Things You Can Do, list five things you personally can do to promote sustainability:


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