What's with all this &#$@!& stuff?!?

Activist and educator Anne Leonard, who I knew in my early-'90s Greenpeace days, has been getting some major press lately on her excellent little video 'The Story of Stuff'.

This rip-roaring overview of the dark side of consumerism has been a popular online tool since it launched in December, 2007. I use it in my courses at the Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) where its cheerful, opinionated style matches the psychic energy of the students.

Since the crisis of international capitalism struck last fall, it has powered its way into the mainstream culture through mass media coverage. Which may go to show that the hunger for 'content' (stuff to push through media channels) sometimes serves the hunger for substance (in public policy and culture).

Now Annie is preparing a book version of the project and she has already launched numerous non-English versions of the video. Check out her blog as well, for an ongoing discussion of how to reduce our bruising impact on Mother Earth.