The Story of Stuff

This probably isn’t new to most people, but in case you haven’t seen this video, The Story of Stuff, it is well worth watching.

It is about 20 minutes long. Environmental, social justice, and capitalist issues are brought up. I thought it did a great job of showing just how important it is that we think about what we consume, whether it be food or non-food “stuff”. I was thinking today about how if you look at old death certificates or read old stories, you’ll often see that people died of “consumption“. They meant tuberculosis, of course, but I think that between the Standard American Diet and the pollution of the earth and the resources we need just to survive, both of which are deadly…well, we’re still dying of consumption, just not (as often) of tuberculosis.

She’s got a blog too, which is worth adding to your reader. And for Rich, or other teachers, she has a post specifically talking about this video being used in classrooms, and some organizations that have resources available to help you out.

When I talk to people and have reasons to believe they’re really not hearing the message, I figure it is because I’m not approaching it from a direction that matters to them. What it comes down to, I believe, is finding a way to encourage people to think about their consumption habits, whether food or otherwise. Once the door is opened, other aspects of the issue of consumption can be raised. The issues aren’t discrete, after all.

This video is powerful, and it might help get people think. Worth trying. And hey, you probably will learn something from it. I know I did!

puppet kaos on where soy milk comes from

This puppetkaos video made me laugh! It is just 2 minutes long, so give it a quick look.

Viewer Larry wants to know where soy milk came from. Mac and Cheese and Bottle Monster answer the question about tofu and soy milk using shadow puppets.