The Story of Stuff ( http://www.storyofstuff.com/ ) is a hugely successful online media venture, if you didn't already know about it. I guess they went the way of McDonald's when it comes to listing their specific numbers. Let's just say it's easily one of the biggest internet films of all time.
Coinciding with the release of her new book of the same name, author and host Annie Leonard went on The Colbert Report last night and held her own. Having seen a few guests in that hot seat, I can say she fared much better than most.
Details, including Leonard's new video about Cap & Trade, below.
At the heart of our environmental problems is the ever increasing desire for wealth, growth, and the perception of prosperity. With the advent of international movie distribution, every country can see the riches of the developed world and now hopes to emulate our gluttony lifestyle.
Getting down to the basics, and teaching people the truth, may be our only hope of overcoming the cycle of consumption that is leading humanity to literally consume its one and only hope for survival, a la the people of Easter Island centuries ago.
By Jared Diamond, in Discover Magazine
August 1995
In just a few centuries, the people of Easter Island wiped out their forest, drove their plants and animals to extinction, and saw their complex society spiral into chaos and cannibalism. Are we about to follow their lead?
But I digress...
First, Annie Leonard on Colbert:
The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns, with a special focus on the United States. All the stuff in our lives, beginning from the extraction of the resources to make it, through its production, sale, use and disposal, affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues and calls for all of us to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something. It'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.
People like Glenn Beck have made a point of demonizng her and sicking his drooling lackeys on her (h/t PeaceNerd). But a strong woman through a & through, Leonard stands up to her critics:
While it may be hard for climate change deniers like Beck and his friends at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and Evergreen Freedom Foundation to swallow, there is a real hunger in this country for a straightforward, honest discussion of our environmental future. Teachers have told us that The Story of Stuff has been a valuable supplement to textbooks that give short shrift to issues like climate change by creating spirited debate and inspiring students to look deeper into what are truly some of the greatest challenges of the 21st century.
Beck didn’t have the courtesy to contact The Story of Stuff Project for comment or offer a spot on his show to rebut the claims of his guests. While playing fast and loose with the facts is nothing new for Beck, we stand behind our presentation.
Here is the full video on YouTube.
If you have yet to see it, set aside the 20 minutes to watch it today, pereferably with a child or friend. It's fun, funny and important.
Donations to the project can be made HERE:
https://secure.groundspring.org/...
As for the new video about Cap & Trade, it's not exactly what some of us might want to hear:
The Story of Cap & Trade is a fast-paced, fact-filled look at the leading climate solution being discussed at Copenhagen and on Capitol Hill. Host Annie Leonard introduces the energy traders and Wall Street financiers at the heart of this scheme and reveals the "devils in the details" in current cap and trade proposals: free permits to big polluters, fake offsets and distraction from what’s really required to tackle the climate crisis. If you’ve heard about Cap & Trade, but aren’t sure how it works (or who benefits), this is the film is for you.
The Story of Cap & Trade from Story of Stuff Project on Vimeo.
I don't know about you guys but I am really enjoying seeing more of Annie Leonard standing up, telling the truth, and being an exemplary voice of sanity in this era of corporate astroturfing, cable media nattering, Luntzian obfuscation, and, well, Republican LIES.
It is exactly this type of independent media that gives us hope that the truth can set us free despite the masses still being caught in the throes of TEEVEE and other shiny objects.