The Story of Stuff

[Kacey]

I found this link on another forum devoted to thrifty living (Dollar Stretcher Community, if anyone is interested).

While I agree with Annie Leonard's message and proposed changes, I am concerned that she is just enough over the top that those who are looking for reasons to not change will glide over her reasoning because so many of the problems are "too far away" or "too big to fix" - nonetheless, her message is sound, and I am therefore posting it here as well.

The entire video is about 21 minutes long - if it stalls, click on the highlighted chapter at the top of the menu bar. There is also a list of potential changes to help the situation that is linked at the end. Here are the key points; there is more detail for each item on the web page:

10 Little and Big Things You Can Do

1. Power down!
2. Waste less.
3. Talk to everyone about these issues.
4. Make Your Voice Heard.
5. DeTox your body, DeTox your home, and DeTox the Economy.
6. Unplug (the TV and internet) and Plug In (the community).
7. Park your car and walk…and when necessary MARCH!
8. Change your lightbulbs…and then, change your paradigm.
9. Recycle your trash…and, recycle your elected officials.
10. Buy Green, Buy Fair, Buy Local, Buy Used, and most importantly, Buy Less.

 

[girlbug2]

good message, well presented. I think most of the info is stuff we know, although there were a few points made about the post WW2 economy that came as a surprise to me.

In general I am politically conservative although IMO the Republican party doesn't take the environmental issues seriously enough. It shames me that Eisenhower and Bush contributed so heavily to this wasteful lifestyle we practice through policies designed to encourage us to become bigger consumers. It's as if they never considered the price to be paid down the road.

I do fairly well on most of those points except for #3, 4 and 6. I'm just not a "talker" nor do I spend a lot of time campaigning for anything, realistically I probably won't change that. But I can unplug the tv and internet, except for this site and Rotten Tomatoes,of course!

My personal hint for helping in an everyday way:
For me, the most challenging part about #2 is reusing grocery bags. I have one of those reusable ones sitting in my vehicle that I rarely remember to use when I get to the grocery story. So instead I opt for no bags whenever possible -- if you're not walking the groceries home, why do you really need the bags? They'll fit in the back just fine! (And if you are walking to the grocery store, bring the reusable grocery sack or a shopping tote along. They are more comfortable to carry anyway).

 

[terryl965]

I have to agree with her and her message.