The Story of Stuff

Summary

This is a story about stuff: materials economy - a system of stuff (how stuff come from and where it goes) and problems. Stuff move to a system consist of five processes: extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal. This system is in crisis and we can't run it which is linear on a finite world.

1. Extraction means taking the planet's resources out of the earth and bringing them into materials economy. The problem is because we're using too much stuff, we're running out of resources.
2. Production means using energy and toxic chemicals to produce stuff. This means that we're producing toxic products. "Toxic in & Toxic out" These toxics are harmful to human and environment.
3. Distribution means selling products. Stores keep the price down by not paying store workers much and skip health insurances every time they can. These are externalized costs. We don't pay for true costs of products but we pay for the loss of natural resources, cleaned air and etc.
4. Consumption is the most important. People now shop more and more, and a lot of stuff run into trash quicker. The ultimate purpose is now consumer goods. To do that, there are two ways: planned obsolescence (to make stuff useless as soon as possible) and perceived obsolescence (to throw away stuff that is perfectly useful such as computer and fashion). We have more stuff but our happiness is declining because we have less time with things that make us happy; in one day, we only watch TV, shop and work.
5. Disposal means dumping trash into landfills or burning or recycle. Burning causes supertoxics into the air and changing climate as well. Recycle isn't enough to handle with increasing garbage. Also, some products can't be recycled because they composes of different materials which can't be seperated into types of recycle.

To protect our world, we can reclaim and transform a linear system into something new which are based on sustainability and equity, for example, green chemistry, zero waste, closed loop production, renewable energy and local living economies.

Related link: http://storyofstuff.com/

Reaction

In Thailand, I think most of new adolescences are having same consumption habits. However, it depends on people; If one knows how to spend money and value of products, one won't have this habit. For me, I'm in a middle. When I'm really crave for something, my rationality is little. But most of the time, I use reasons to decide what to do; not emotion.

This video is really good and interesting. Most people who see it should get ideas and make things right. Me too! I'm going to think more before buying things I really want. Watching this video makes me feel like this is the time we should protect our world. No more deytroying our health and environment.

From this video, I think this globaliztion are having a negative effect on global warming. This stuff system causes damages to our environment; our climate changes. Those toxics is being let into the air and some of them are factors of the Green House Effect. Heat from the sun passes through layers of the earth but it can't go outside; it is blocked by the earth's layers. Our world is getting hot.

It's now the time for everyone to save our lives by stopping ruining our world! Try creating as less trash as possible. Keep using current stuff if we can still use them. Do not buying unnecessary stuff. Besides, companies should plan to effectively use natural resources and try compensating them as much as companies can, for example, by growing more trees. Remember, everytime one is taking resources out of the earth, we're running out of those resources.