It’s been about 18 months or so since Annie Leonard’s 20-min animated film first hit cyberspace, but if you or your kids have not already seen it, drop everything and treat yourselves to this entertaining, educational, and creative narrative famously titled The Story of Stuff. It is as hard-hitting as it is hilarious, and does a great job of baring the hidden side of the materials economy. If it could incent you to sit with your kids and spend a few minutes soul searching and taking a hard look at your own lifestyles, and the size of the eco footprint that you and your family foist on planet earth, those 20 minutes spent watching it will be time truly well spent.

The Story of Stuff is an outstanding resource for social studies, economics, and environmental awareness. Enjoy!

“From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together 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.”