The Story of Stuff

The Story of Stuff video with Annie Leonard launched in December 2007. This 20-minute short film, made in collaboration with Free Range Studios, offers a fast-paced, fact-filled look at the dark underbelly of our materials economy. From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff we buy and use affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view.

This video, sponsored by The Tides Foundation and the Funders Workgroup on Sustainable Production and Consumption, offers a look at our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls on us 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.

The video should be watched by parents, teachers, students, school board members, facilities managers, and any school community member! Show it in your class. Organize a viewing night. Host an assembly. The website contains loads of fact sheets, links, resources, and discussion questions. After watching the video, Take Action to green your school and reduce your consumption of STUFF!

New Companion Curriculum! Facing the Future has designed a free curriculum called "Buy, Use, or Toss? A Closer Look at Consumption," an excellent companion to The Story of Stuff.