Got 20 minutes? O.K., O.K., stop laughing…I’m actually serious.

I know it’s rare, but the next time you find yourself with a few extra minutes, check out this video called, The Story of Stuff. The video’s host, Annie Leonard, does a fantastic job of taking you through the chain of events that occur over the lifetime of our “stuff.” Using light but pointed commentary and cartoon sketches, Leonard explains how “stuff” is resourced, produced, disbursed, and consumed…all backed up by facts that will both fascinate and frighten you. Here are a few highlights:

• We each see more advertisements in one year than people 50 years ago saw in a lifetime.
• In the past three decades, one-third of the planet’s natural resources base have been consumed.
• In the U.S. our national happiness peaked sometime in the 1950s.

The Story of Stuff can be a little depressing, but I also found solace when Leonard pointed out that things don’t have to be this way…in fact, they have only recently become this way. It is not human nature to consume to the point of destruction…it is something that was forced on us in a misguided attempt at “improvement.” It is therefore entirely possible (and necessary) to change them again…this time for the better.

So before you hit the tube tonight or pop in your favorite movie, take a few minutes to watch this video…you’ll be sad/mad/and glad that you did.