Video Reflection - Story of Stuff

So the story of stuff.....

I've always wondered where all my stuff goes and where it all comes from. In this very detailed video, it is outlined and explained why the way we produce, distribute and consume is all layed out to fail.

The life cycle of a product is basically split up into 5 stages or 5 similar stages....

• environment
• production
• distribution
• usage
• and recycling

Stages 1 and 2 basically work hand in hand, they take from the environment (without giving anything back) and produce our "stuff". Consequently by taking from the environments we are consequently destroying our backyard and a whole bunch of non-renewable resources. This forces us to search for more resources to create more "stuff". This usually involves going to countries part of the "third-world" which means they progress and supply a standard of living which is of a lower standard than the rest of the progressed world. Its a very vicious cycle.

Once it has been produced it is then sold off or as mentioned it is the distribution stage. The key to the success of distribution is to keep the cost of the item to the consumer as low as humanly possible. This allows for the stock to keep moving and for profits margins to increase. This is done by:

1. Paying the people working in these shops the minimum wage
2. Externalising the cost of the product...that is the real costs overall aren't captured in the price and therefore the customer is none the wiser.

The point of externalising the costs is that the big corporations can keep the cost to the customer down but the real costs comes to the people living in the environments and the environment itself where the resources are mined, and the costs of the health of the people working in the factories assembling the products.

Stage 4 the consumption, is the most important part of this whole system. Without the need to consume there would be no need to harvest and product "stuff" at the ever-accelerating rate we do at this point in time. It is the lifeblood for so many industries and economies that we consume, destroy, replace and repeat over and over again. DID YOU KNOW.... that out of the total percentage of goods bought and used 99% of it is destroyed or obsolete after 6 months.

You may ask yourself....How did it all get this way? Rather than concentrating on education or even medicine we have a society which builds on an ideal of Planned Obsolescence. What this means is we design consumer products for the dump. An excellent example of this is the average home pc/mac. It is designed with the understanding that within a few months there will be an ungraded new processor making the previous completely obsolete. Not only does the processor need to be changed but the older system usually cannot be used with the newer processor. Allowing for the "stuff" market to flourish.

Then there is Perceived Obsolescence. This is used by the corporations to give the perception that the product you use even though the difference between the new and old model might be the external aspect, it is still perceived as being old and out-dated. This is probably the most effective tool in changing the way we see "stuff".

The 5th and final stage is recycling or the destruction of the "stuff". This is where all the steps come together to produce rubbish. The average American person produces 4.5lbs of rubbish per day which is nearly double then it was 50 years ago. This shows we are consuming more "stuff" and keeping them for shorter periods of time. Consequently the outcome is that it has to go somewhere. Usually landfill it is incinerated then placed as land fill. Consequently all the harmful chemicals used to create the "stuff" is then incinerated and consequently newer more harmful chemicals like Dioxide is created which poisons the environment on yet another scale...through the forcing of pollution into the air.

The key in all this monstrosity is... Recycling. This allows for more materials to be re-used and therefore it takes strain off the requirements and expectations from the environment and third-world countries. Unfortunately, recycling alone is not the answer to the problem. As mentioned in the video for every 1 can of garbage thrown out onto the curb, 70 cans of garbage is produced to make the 1 can of garbage to begin with.

The answer is combination of:

• Sustainability
• Equity
• Green Chemistry
• Zero Waste
• Closed Loop Production
• Renewable Energy
• Local Living Economies

It is through all these things and a combined effort from the Corporations and the Government that this idea of Planned and Perceived Obsolescence can be thrown out into the trash rather than our environment and the future of our planet.