Let's Change by Design, not by Default

Annie Leonard, host of The Story of Stuff is with us today. The Story of Stuff is a 20 minute video that takes a look at our consumption patterns in the U.S. After spending 10 yrs. with Green Peace studying waste Annie gained a lot of knowledge. The process starts with extraction, then production, then distribution, then consumption, then disposal. Our global overshoot day has been inching forward and forward. It's taking longer and longer to replenish our capital.

Where did this all begin?

Advertising is one big reason.

We need to focus on valuing quality over quantity. We can refuse to participate in such a wasteful production & consumption system.

What about the encouragement to go spend money, boost the economy, etc?

Community building, sharing, and civic engagement should replace all this time spent shopping. Annie recommends changing by design, not by default.

As a society, we should be measuring our success by genuine progress, not corporate profit. If we did so things would all be a bit different.

It's rare that we think about the roots of where a product comes from. Think back, all the way to the mining of the metal. The actual cost of these products is far, far more then what we are spending at the cash register. In the U.S. the amount of happiness per unit of natural resources consumed is very inefficient.

What is incineration all about?

Three strong reasons why Annie opposes these:

1. Horrible toxic pollution.
2. Destroys valuable resources.
3. They are waste addicts. They require a constant stream of waste to keep burning.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of incinerator proposals in the U.S. Luckily, Gaia is taking serious measures to fight them. take a look at BAN as well.

What can we do?

Annie has 10 little and big things we should do. the first three are below, and you can find the rest on The Story of Stuff, which has been viewed by 4 million people as of now.

1. Change your light bulbs and your paradigm.
2. Recycle our trash and our elected officials. Lets take back our government.
3. Park your car and walk, and if you have to, march!

Thanks so much to Annie, and thank you all for listening!

Olana