Have you ever looked around your house and thought to yourself, "Man! I have so much junk!" Why do we have so much useless stuff? And where does all this stuff come from and go after we throw it away? These are the questions that Annie Leonard explores in her short video, "The Story of Stuff." From extraction to production to distribution and consumption and finally to disposal all of our stuff goes through this cycle. But how does this effect us? Well, all along the way the environment, communities, and even our children are reaping negative effects from this process. In the past two decades alone one third of the planet’s natural resource space has been used up! In "The Story of Stuff," Leonard describes in detail each step of the process. From trashing the environment through extraction and the toxic chemicals used in production, to the government’s plan to create a nation of consumers by convincing us to buy more and more stuff. Can you believe that 99% of the stuff we consume is trashed within 6 months of us purchasing it? At the end of the video Leonard talks about how we can work together to change this vicious cycle and create a more sustainable future.

"The Story of Stuff" is packed with facts and fun animations, and Annie Leonard makes the whole process simple and easy to understand. Check out the video at www.storyofstuff.com and prepare yourself for an eye-opening experience.

Guiding Question: How often do you think about where you stuff comes from and what effect it might have on the environment and other people to create? How can you, as an individual, help stop this unsustainable cycle?