Objectives:

• To understand the global impacts of consumer society – and use of the simple past in context
• To develop critical thinking skills about consumption as the key to building ongoing economic prosperity.

NAME(S) CODE(S)

THESTORYOFSTUFFWORKSHEET

Watch the video “The Story of Stuff” with Annie Leonard and answer the following questions to check your
listening and understanding:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM

1. Copy the sketches of the 5 stages of the materials economy Extraction Production Distribution

Consumption Disposal
Extraction Production Distribution Consumption Disposal
To get a substance Process of making To give out (sell) The use (eating or To remove
from another product goods drinking) of
substance something

2. How much of our natural resources have been trashed in the last few decades? R//30% of natural resources
3. How many planets are needed to support current rates of consumption in the US and Australia? R//3 to 5
planets would be needed.

4. How many trees are being lost in the Amazon each minute? R// Losses of 2.000 trees per minute.

5. What is being added to the production system that is created dangerous waste products? R// The use of
energy to mix toxic chemicals with natural resources for the manufacture of toxic products is added, plus the
use of 100.000 synthetic chemicals.

6. What food is at the top of the food chain and threatening the health of future generations? R// Human
breast milk, our babies receive the highest dose of toxic chemical.

7. What is meant by “externalizing costs of production”? R// The meaning of “externalizing costs of production
is: The real cost of making things is not reflected in the price, i.e. you do not pay for the things you are
buying nor the real price of the whole process of a single product

8 Who is paying for the real cost of cheap electronic equipment (i.e. the $4.99 radio)? List three groups at least.
R// 1) People paid with the loss of their natural resource base 2) People with the loss of their clean air with
increasing asthma and cancer rates. 3) Kids in the Congo paid with their future.
9a. How much material is still in the system after 6 months? R// After 6 months only 1% of the material
remains in the system

9b. Where have the remaining materials gone? R// It will be a trashed

10. When did the modern consumer economy come into being? Why? R// After World War II, because the
government and corporation want to ramp up the economy

11. According to Annie Leonard, what are some of the social and community interests being neglected while
we are busy consuming “stuff”? R// Education, quality health and safe transportation.

12. What do these terms mean? Give an example of each.

• “planned obsolescence” R// To expedite the process of rendering items useless as swiftly as
possible

For example, R// Items commonly utilized once, such as paper napkins, disposable water bottles, CDs,
film cameras, or even smartphones

• “perceived obsolescence” R// To persuade us to discard items that are still entirely functional
For example, R// Alter the appearance of the items, style-wise

13a. What is happening to the levels of measured happiness? R// The country's happiness levels are
currently on the decline

13b. What reasons are given? R// The decrease in national happiness is attributed to an abundance of
possessions, coupled with a diminishing amount of time for activities that truly bring joy

14. Draw or summarize the steps in the treadmill. R// We engage in a cycle of shopping, working,
using our purchases, resting at home, and repeating the process again on the weekend

15. One solution which many countries use to deal with increasing waste is to burn it. What problem is
associated with burning rubbish? R// Burning rubbish can lead to air pollution, environmental
damage, health risks, and contribute to climate change
16. How does recycling help? R// Recycling decreases waste production and alleviates the demand
for mining and harvesting raw materials for new products

17. Why is recycling not enough? (Clue: How many rubbish bins are needed to produce one bin of
recycled materials?)

R// Recycling alone isn't enough because it doesn't address the root causes of waste generation, and
it requires significant resources and energy to process materials

To produce one bin of recycled materials, it takes approximately 70 bins of garbage. This indicates a
significant disparity between recyclable and non-recyclable waste, emphasizing that much of the
garbage generated cannot be recycled