"The Story Of Stuff" -- A Cautionary Tale for Black Friday
The day after Thanksgiving is referred to as "Black Friday." It's the official start of the holiday shopping season, and the day that retailers' go into the black. (Show a profit.)
It has also become Buy Nothing Day, which is an worldwide anti-consumer effort to get people to think twice about the results of mindless shopping.
Readers of The Non-Consumer Advocate know my stance on choosing to live my life as a conscious consumer. I treat my purchases as important and meaningful. There are consequences to buying over-packaged and irresponsibly manufactured goods.
Before I get too high-horsey on ya', may a present to you, (once again) Annie Leonard's wonderful "Story of Stuff" video about manufacturing processes and the consumer culture we live in.
It's 20 minutes long, but highly entertaining.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz3tPxUFGbY&rel=1 ]
This is the video that started it for me. I found your blog & am now a faithful reader. This video has also made my decision easier to return to school, obtain my B.S. in Environmental Science & begin to make more of a difference through education.
Thanks!
http://www.kcrw.com/news/programs/tp/tp081128are_chinese_workers_
The link above is to a story that ran on my local NPR station yesterday about the price Chinese workers pay for our cheap goods. It think it is worth listening to and will certainly help your resolve not to buy the cheap stuff from factories where workers are really suffering.
BRAVO. This was the best thing I have watched in a long time. Thank you for putting it on your site Katy, and a huge thank you to Annie Leonard.
I am just shocked by some of this! 96% of our forests gone! I enjoyed Annie's presentation so much. My husband asked me to hang onto this so he can watch it again. We are low-use, local-use buyers (used everything, as much as possible). I can't wait to share this with family and friends.