The Story of Stuff

click here to watch "The Story of Stuff"
This is the best economics lesson I have ever seen in my life! Can you imagine how things could change if this was taught in our schools? Please watch it if you can and then think of ways you could get it out to as many people as possible.

A recent New York Times article on the video and its creator Annie Leonard says,

"So far, six million people have viewed the film at its site, storyofstuff.com, and millions more have seen it on YouTube. More than 7,000 schools, churches and others have ordered a DVD version, and hundreds of teachers have written Ms. Leonard to say they have assigned students to view it on the Web.

It has also won support from independent groups that advise teachers on curriculum choices. Facing the Future, a curriculum developer for schools in all 50 states, is drafting lesson plans based on the video. And Ms. Leonard has a contract with Simon & Schuster to write a book based on the video.

The enthusiasm is not universal. In January, a school board in Missoula County, Mont., decided that screening the video treaded on academic freedom after a parent complained that its message was anticapitalist.

But many educators say the video is a boon to teachers as they struggle to address the gap in what textbooks say about the environment and what science has revealed in recent years."

(read the entire article here)

Today I started putting away my summer clothes and taking out the fall stuff. We are headed for a vacation to California in a couple of weeks, our first vacation in over ten years. So I started to think about how dowdy my Arkansas thrift store clothes might look in California. I started to wonder if I should go shopping for some new duds. I have plenty of clothes to keep me warm and dry of course. So maybe I will just "make due" now that I have been newly inspired by this great little video. I bet none of those chic Californians will even notice.