ANURAG TIWARI

"The story of stuff by Annie Leonard"

 

 

Annie Leonard (born 1964) is an American proponent of sustainability and a critic of excessive consumerism. She created the animated film The Story of Stuff which describes the life-cycle of material goods.

This documentary explained that only 1% of the products we buy are still in use six months after their sale in North America. This leaves the other 99% of our stuff that is declared as waste after six months. The amount of products that a person consumes has doubled over the past 50 years.She  basically tried to figured out that the materials that we use from where they come from and where does it go, Its not a simple way but it moves step by step from a system, it goes from extraction-production-distribution-consumption-disposal all together this is know as “material economy” And this is not the smooth system that can be drawn in a blank paper but it include the society, culture, economy, environment, and mainly the people.People work and live in this system.

The first step in the system that is extraction, in which our natural resources are being used. she talked about the natural rescues of U.S. and she pointed out that only 4% of resources are left, 40% of water is not hygiene for drinking as people are using more than they should like 5% of the population in U.S. is using 30% of its natural resource that means they are wasting 30% of the same, and as it go by they’ll have the requirement of 4 to 5 planets but unfortunately we only have one.

The Materials in the second step moves to production the materials are used along with energy to produce toxic products, thus our industrial products uses toxic materials and produces toxic products, So basically it means in and out of toxic  and it also pollute the environment.For example, B.F.R’s (Brominated Flame Retardants) which she talked about is a super toxic which is also a neuro toxic which means the toxic which leads to the brain of human being, Nearly its present in the material that are in a house like computer, mattresses, and even in some of the pillows that we use for sleeping. So we are using a toxic product even when we are sleeping.

In the documentary Annie talked about the food chain which is created by the toxic and get  concentrated in our body she placed human breast milk in the top most level from this we can make a idea that a new born baby are getting highest level of toxic from breast feeding.


Annie points to the shift in our thinking about consumption after World War II. In an effort to boost the economy, Victor lebo  a retailing analyst, suggested we shift our culture to one that glorifies continually increasing consumption and the need for the next new thing in order to give us the economic boost we needed. His plan worked as we can still see its lasting effects today.

The two methods that made this plan of increased consumerism successful are planned and perceived obsolesce. Planned obsolesce is when something is purposefully made to only last for a certain period of time. Products are made so that they will last for the shortest amount of time that will still leave you with faith in the product so you’ll go buy another. Perceived obsolescence is dependent of the shifting of cultural perceptions and trends, not the actually functionality of the product itself. Ads and media play a huge role in this.


The next step in the chain is disposal. In the U.S. the average person produces 4.5 pounds of waste each day. Our trash is either dumped in the ground or first burned and the remainder is dumped in the ground. Both of these create tons of pollution. Garbage incinerators release back into the air all the toxins we put into making the product in the first place and often even worse toxins are created. Recycling does help, but it is not enough. Annie points to a new future and way of consumerism. She highlights sustainability, green chemistry, zero waste, closed loop production, 
and renewable energy, as ways that we are already working to help turn our current linear cycle into a circular one.
 

 

Through Annie's story she not only educates people about the danger and downfalls of our current process, but she encourages viewers to do something to change it. we are not born with it that we have just got to live with. People created it and we are people too. So we should take step for a better change.