My friend Kriss forwarded me a link to a video showing the story of stuff. I’m usually very cautious at watching what Kriss sends me because she’s a hippie and her ideal of “saving the planet” is just too much for me sometimes.
But I clicked and watched the full 20 minute video, which, I have to admit, was really good.
Here is my favorite chapter of the movie: consumption. If you don’t want to watch the full movie, at least take 6 minutes of your time to watch this.
Click here to view the full movie
Email Kriss received from her friend after recommending watching this movie:
So does that mean your going to stop dating guys that buy things?…….or stop buying make-up, tampons, hair care products, cars, packaged foods etc? Just curious
Kriss’ reply to this:
Don’t be a smart ass. ;) You obviously didn’t watch it did you? It’s not about living in a mud hut and not consuming anything. This isn’t a black and white situation darling. It’s about being ever more conscious about what and how we consume.
For instance:I got rid of cable tv 13 months ago. I watch movies, documentaries & read the news online. I buy local organic food, and I buy beyond organic food from reputable companies. My tampons are organic cotton. I’ve been buying only organic beauty products for years( I knew about toxins in the stuff a Loong time ago, gross). I recycle everything possible. I make 95%of my food fresh and from scratch (doesn’t take more time than processed food once you know what you’re doing). The other 5% of the time is when I’m out at a restaurant with friends or have a rare craving for something processed. At our home we have a worm compost in the garage wich we feed food scraps. It produces great fertilizer for the plants. We just got another compost in the back for the rest of the food scraps and paper/hair waste etc… We have an energy/water efficient HE washer. No dryer. We line dry everything in the sun. It’s pretty easy to find guys that aren’t stinky hippies but still embody a green lifestyle so i don’t worry about finding someone compatible. I started buying organic clothing from local merchants (cute shit too, I was really surprised). I can’t think of the last useless piece of crap I bought. I recycle gifts (don’t we all haha). The biggest blight on my recent record is still my car. Eventually I’ll get a hybrid. When i buy my own property I’ll plant tons of bamboo to offset my carbon footprint. It looks great too! When i start school in Oct I’ll see if it’s feasible to take public transportation to school, I need a bike. I can buy used. See always looking to do better. Oh yeah, I carry my own bag for groceries and only use their plastic bags for rice, beans and other small foods. I buy those fresh from bins too. I carry a reusable bottle w/ me for drinks.