The Story of Stuff

Classroom Activity

Learning Goals

• To discover how my usage of goods and services is affecting those workers that make them.

• How do I contribute to interdependence in the world around me? OR to the businesses that surround ML? OR to this country?

The System

Extraction

Refinement $

Retail

Disposal $

GOVERNMENT

$ $ Consumption $

The Main Idea…

• The environment of our planet is limited. The system in which we produce and use things is leading to an evitable loss of natural resource avialbility.

Vocabulary• Extraction: To remove, in the

Story of Stuff, this refers to mining, hunting, logging, etc.

• Refinement: Mixing natural products from the earth with man-made poisons (chemicals) to create the products we use everyday

• Manufacturer: The factory or company that is creating the products we use everyday

Vocabulary• Retail: The stores and

companies that sell the products to the consumers

• Corporation: The companies in charge of selling and putting together the products for consumers

• Consumer: Someone who is buying or using products

• Consumption: The action of using products

Vocabulary• Disposal: Removing

garbage from one place and putting it all together in another. In the Story of Stuff, this refers to landfill, and incineration.

Group Activity• In a group of 4 or 5 students, Discuss with each other the topic

given to you by your teacher.

1. Where do the natural resources come from?2. Who makes the products?3. Who buys the products? (discuss specific types of people and

specific products)4. Why do people buy these products? (discuss specific products

and what they do in society)5. Where does the money go from the purchase of the product?6. How can we change this?

Jeopardy Rules• Winner is decided through group with the most

points OR if time is a factor, the first group to 2500 points wins.

• A group will only have 1 minute to say the answer

• If an answer is incorrect from a group it goes to the group to first put up their hand afterwards.

• A group must ALL agree on an answer before sharing it with the class.

The Story of Stuff

Extraction Refining Retail Consumption Disposal

1 1 1 1 1

2 2 2 2 2

3 3 3 3 3

4 4 4 4 4

5 5 5 5 5

1. Extraction

• Question: What is Extraction

• Answer

1. Extraction

• Extraction is the removal of natural resources from the Earth.

• Game On

2. Extraction

• What are 3 different types of Extraction?

• Answer

2. Extraction

• Mining, Hunting, Fishing, Logging, etc.

• Game On.

3. Extraction

• What is an easier way of saying Extraction according to Annie Leonard?

• Answer

3. Extraction

• Trashing the planet

• Game on.

4. Extraction

• Name four natural resources that are extracted.

• Answer.

4. Extraction

• Fish, Trees, Ore/Rock, Gold, Vegetables, water, animals, etc.

• Game on

5. Extraction

• What is a fancier way of saying Extraction?

• Answer.

5. Extraction

• Natural Resource Exploitation

• Game on

1. Refining

• What happens in the refining step of “Stuff”?

• Answer.

1. Refining

• Natural resources are mixed with man-made chemicals to create the products we use everyday.

• Game on.

2. Refining

• What items can you think of that are commonly refined?

• Answer.

2. Refining

• Metals for cars; Wood for buildings; stones for concrete; fossil fuels for petroleum; etc.

• Game on.

3. Refining

• What does Annie Leonard say is released into the air and products during production?

• Answer.

3. Refining

• Toxins

• Game on.

4. Refining

• Why did Annie Leonard say Flame Retardant Pillows are so bad?

• Answer.

4. Refining

• These pillows have a chemical put in them that is harmful to the brain, this is done in the production process.

• Game on.

5. Refining

• What is the name of a product that causes cancer?

• Answer.

5. Refining

• Carcinogen is the word we use to describe something that can activate cancer inside of someone

• Game on.

1. Retail

• Name a famous North American Retail store.

• Answer.

1. Retail

• Walmart, Nike, Apple, etc.

• Game On.

2. Retail

• Where do the goods from a retail stoer come from?

• Answer.

2. Retail

• Factories in third world countries.

• Game on.

3. Retail

• How do prices stay so low in stores?

• Answer

3. Retail

• Employee Exploitation.

• Game on.

4. Retail

• Who buys the products from the store?

• Answer.

4. Retail

• The consumers. We are the ones who buy the products.

• Game on.

5. Retail

• Why is it bad that people are consuming things so quickly?

• Answer.

5. Retail

• If people continue to consume things so quickly, there will be a need to raise the production of more things.

• Game on.

1. Consumption

• What is a consumer?

• Answer.

1. Consumption

• People who buy things or CONSUME things and put into the economy.

• Game on.

2. Consumption

• Who tells us to consume products?

• Answer.

2. Consumption

• Corporations and the government tell us to consume and purchase more products.

• Game on.

3. Consumption

• Why is it bad that we are consuming so much?

• Answer.

3. Consumption

• We will eventually run out of resources not only to make them, but to keep living on this planet.

• Game on.

4. Consumption

• What is the name of the cycle that consumers spend their life in?

• Answer.

4. Consumption

• Watch-Work-Shop … repeat

• Game on.

5. Consumption

• Why does watching TV, and Shopping get blamed for consumer’s apathy.

• Answer.

5. Consumption

• TV tells people what to buy and buying the items makes them spend all their time working to afford it.

• Game on.

1. Disposal

• What does disposal mean?

• Answer

1. Disposal

• To throw out or remove.

• Game on.

2. Disposal

• Where does garbage go when you throw it out?

• Answer.

2. Disposal

• Landfills, incarcerators, and recycling plants.

• Game on.

3. Disposal

• Why is incarceration so deadly to us and the environment?

• Answer

3. Disposal

• When garbage with chemicals in the products is burnt, DIOXIN is released and this is a super toxin due to the physical and chemical change to man made products.

• Game on.

4. Disposal

• What do disposal companies do when they have no more room in their own land to get ride of the garbage?

• Answer.

4. Disposal

• Take it to other countries.

• Game on.

5. Disposal

• What is the irony of the garbage disposal companies?

• Answer.

5. Disposal

• They create just as much garbage to complete the job as they do clean.

• Game on.

Final Jeopardy!• What is the name of the Lady who has

studied, researched and presented all this information to you in “The Story of Stuff”?

• Annie Leonard

The Story of Stuff Exit Ticket

• With the class time left, students should make a list of things the use everyday but could simply have avoided purchasing in

order to consume less.

References• Title. Director. Other significant information as pertinent

(e.g., Writer, Performers). Original Release Date, if relevant. Distributor. Year of Release. Medium [Film or

DVD or Videocassette or Filmstrip]

• The Story of Stuff. Louis Fox. Annie Leonard. storyofstuff.org. 2007. Video