When I spotted The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard in the “green” section of a local bookstore, I thought, “How cool, a book about stuff, I have to get it.”
Several months ago, during our spring cleaning (in the fall), our family had divested itself of a lot of excess stuff. I was now on my own “less is more” personal stuff reduction quest so a whole book about stuff had huge appeal.
Book Review
The book follows the progression of our stuff from the extraction of materials to disposal.
- Extraction – harvesting, and extraction of natural resources (ingredients) like trees, water, minerals, and petroleum
- Production – taking the ingredients from the extraction phase and adding energy and other ingredients to make stuff
- Distribution – transportation of ingredients and completed stuff
- Consumption – shopping, planned obsolescence, advertising, consumerism
- Disposal – waste from extraction and production to what happens to stuff after we are done with it
The book is written in “real people” language with humor sprinkled in. There are facts and figures but you don’t need a science degree to understand them. Mixed in are stories and commentary. Leonard offers views into what’s wrong but also provides good examples and hopeful suggestions for the future.
The story of a simple t-shirt is not that simple and is an eye-opener about how our desire to have inexpensive t-shirts can have a worldwide impact.
A computer is an essential item for most people. But how many people know what really goes into making one, including a lot of toxic materials? Now I do.
I know the book itself is stuff and went through the same processes that are described in the book. Fortunately, it was produced in a way to minimize the carbon footprint. I like to share the information I learned with others, so at least my copy will get a lot of use and not end up in a landfill.
The Bottom Line
The Story of Stuff is an informative book and delivers information in an easy to understand manner. Annie Leonard is knowledgeable and very passionate about the subject of stuff. I don’t necessarily agree with Leonard’s viewpoint on everything but that’s okay.
I recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about how our stuff is made and what they can do to reduce the environmental impact of stuff. I bought it on impulse and I would do so again.
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I plan to spend the next week focusing on getting rid of my stuff. Every summer when I am not working I try to go through my house and dispose of all unnecessary and stuff my daughter and I don’t like or don’t use anymore. Last summer was a major overall and it felt great. I’m a bit behind this summer but with my 12 year old away for a week I hope to make up for lost time.