EXERCISE 8—THE STORY OF STUFF

Geography 101

Saman Ray

Prof. Dr. Murray

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Introduction

Annie Leonard delivers an incredibly sharp

message pointed against vast human consumption

through exploitation of natural resources and labor.

There is no doubt that she is very passionate and

knowledgeable on this subject matter. However, some

of her criticism and presented “facts” are very questionable to say the least. I felt

that her demonstration employed scare tactics, false claims, misleading statements,

and economically uninformed assertions at times.

Greenpeace activist, Annie Leonard, claims that we are headed into a

downward spiral as humanity consumes more due to ever growing population at an

unsustainable rate. However, studies have shown that the world population will

shrink over the course of next century due to low fertility[1]. As technology become

superior, it will effectively slow down the depletion process. There were also

criticism on military spending where she claimed that 50% of US economy is spent

on military. This is misleading as a certain amount for money is allocated for

veteran’s retirement homes, free healthcare for army personnel, and compensation

for service to the US military servicemen[2]. In addition, the military budget also

greatly aids in scientific research and exploration[3]. Annie also claims that “it is the

role of the [government] to take care of us.” On the contrary, there are no legal

written proof in US constitution where it states that government are the prime

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caretakers of the citizens. Social service, medicaid, and military are some examples

of general welfare. It dictates that certain portion of taxes should be spent on the

general interest of the federal government. This, however, is not a grant of the

legislative power to the federal government[4]. The manufacture process is also

criticized by Ms. Leonard. The statement that humans use toxic chemical to make

products is untrue. Not all chemical are toxic and not all man made substance cause

health hazard or contamination. Besides, we have FDA to enforce strict laws and

safeguard us from various chemicals used in the factory.

The video also claims that we are running out of landfills which is a false

statement. According to Mises Institute, the waste thrown onto the landfills are also

being decomposed and recycled naturally. The rest are being used as a source of

biogas and energy production[5]. Furthermore, the institute also points out that the

act of recycling is harmful to the environment and “not worth it”. It only benefits few

group such as politicians, public-relations consultants, environmental organizations,

and waste-handling corporations as they can charge more by labeling a product eco-

friendly[5][6][7][8]. Thus, the cost of recycling was found to be more than

manufacturing from raw products[5].

In my opinion, the video also highlights several good points. She expands on

the idea that rich nations outsource various jobs to poorer nations and exploit the

cheap labor and nonexistent worker rights. I am from South Asian country, Nepal,

and I find this statement true. There have been instance where richer countries have

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paid poverty stricken nations for the harm done on the environment. This does not

necessarily solve the issue of environment pollution. After all the problem still

persists and third world nations don’t have the means or resources to mitigate the

situation. Thus, poor nations end up paying for the labor and the cost of products

various western nations enjoy[9][10]. In a way, poor countries develop rich

countries[10].

In this process, the low wage workers desperate for jobs tend to move to city

area where they have no choice but to live in slums due to expenses[11][12][13].

Sadly, these people are the ones making products and unable to utilize them.

I also agree with Ms. Leonard on government's relationship with various

corporations. In my opinion, the political landscape has been overtaken by lobbyist,

special interest groups, and multinational companies who have little interest in

welfare of the people[14][15].

According to the video, the advertisement also creates a false sense of need

among consumers. In today’s media, we are constantly bombarded with product

placement and advertisement. Culturally speaking, it projects a sense of financial

well being, acceptance in a group, a false sense of achievement, etc. It is hard to hold

onto a product when each year new versions are pushed into the market[16].This

creates a lot of waste within short period of time, negatively impacting the

environment.

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The social change site, storyofstuff.org, also has several other videos

regarding protection of the environment. I found the case of Strawberry Creek in

California very interesting[17]. It exposed food and drink company giant, Nestlé,

into using public resource without proper permission. This is a perfect example of

authorities bowing to the needs of corporations. The company has drawn large

quantities of water from nearby conservation area without facing any consequences.

This case demonstrates the poor utilization of land by federal government[18]. In

return, the government receives only $524 annually. Furthermore, California is

facing historic levels of drought[19] and nothing has been done so far to overcome

this problem. This creates a huge burden to compensate waste management and

supply water to residents. The use of local resource is unsustainable and we are

knowingly letting companies exploit nature.

Story Of Stuff has also posted an informative video on Microfibers. They are

the polyesters used in manufacturing our garments. Such clothes have the negative

effect of releasing tiny pieces of plastics aka microfibres when washed. Water

filtration plants cannot filter them out due to their micro size and eventually end up

in sea. Later on, they accumulate pesticides, industrial chemicals, and motor oils

disposed in the ocean. Fishes swallow them and remain inside their bodies until

humans or other natural predators eat them[20]. Thus, contaminating the

ecosystem.

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To sum up, we can become good stewards of our natural resources through

properly managing the site, making strict rules and regulations against overuse, and

public awareness. We should remember that natural resource is not only for our

consumption but also for future generations to come. As discussed above, recycling

may not be the best route to take when it comes to eco friendliness. Instead we

should strive to make better technology and shift our focus towards creating a labor

market where people are rewarded not exploited for their hard work.

Citations:

1. Roser, Max. "Future World Population Growth." Our World In Data. ourworldindata.org,
2016. Web. 27 June 2017.

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2. Amadeo, Kimberly. "Here's the $250 Billion in Hidden Military Spending." The Balance.

thebalance.com, n.d. Web. 27 June 2017.

3. Roz PidcockDec. 2, 2011 , 10:00 AM, 2017 Sharon Ann HolgateMay. 31, 2017 Maggie

KuoMay. 24, 2017 Elisabeth PainMay. 8, and 2017 Maggie KuoMar. 1. "Science in the

Military."Science | AAAS. sciencemag.org, 12 Jan. 2016. Web. 27 June 2017.

4. "Debts of the United States." Justia Law. Law.justitia.com, n.d. Web. 27 June 2017.

5. Kanopiadmin. "Three Myths about Trash." Mises Institute. Mises.org, 23 Nov. 2009. Web. 27

June 2017.

6. Westervelt, Amy. "Can Recycling Be Bad for the Environment?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine,

28 May 2012. Web. 27 June 2017.

7. Jerry Taylor "Recycling Is Not the Answer." Cato Institute. N.p., 24 Feb. 1992. Web. 27 June

2017.

8. Hutchinson, Alex. "Is Recycling Worth It? PM Investigates Its Economic and Environmental

Impact." Popular Mechanics. popularmechanics.com, 25 Mar. 2015. Web. 27 June 2017.

9. Mathiesen, Karl. "Are Rich Countries Selling the Developing World Short on Climate

Change?"The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 04 Dec. 2015. Web. 27 June 2017.

10. Saran, Shyam, Former Foreign Secretary of India, Chief Negotiator on Climate Change from

2007 to 2010. "Paris Climate Talks: Developed Countries Must Do More than Reduce

Emissions | Shyam Saran." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 23 Nov. 2015. Web.

27 June 2017.

11. David, Fiona. "Deteriorating Situation for Migrant Workers in the Middle East." The

Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 11 Dec. 2015. Web. 27 June 2017.

12. Staff Writers. "The Hidden Slaves behind Glamour City." NewsComAu. News.com.au, 03

Mar. 2016. Web. 27 June 2017.

13. Staff Writers. "Forget about Rights." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 10 Aug.

2013. Web. 27 June 2017.

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14. Drutman, Lee. "What We Get Wrong about Lobbying and Corruption." The Washington Post.

WP Company, 16 Apr. 2015. Web. 27 June 2017.

15. Maiello, Miachel. "Corruption, American Style." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 22 Jan. 2009.

Web. 27 June 2017.

16. "The Cultural Impact of Advertising." Make Wealth History. makewealthhistory.org, 31 Oct.

2011. Web. 27 June 2017.

17. This Land Is Our Land. Perf. Steve Loe, Gary Earney, Rachel Doughty, Nestle.

Youtube.com. Storyofstuff, 13 Oct. 2015. Web. 27 June 2017.

18. Annett, Alexander. "The Federal Government's Poor Management of America's Land

Resources." The Heritage Foundation. Heritage.org, n.d. Web. 27 June 2017.

19. Amanda Zamora, Lauren Kirchner, Abrahm Lustgarten. "California's Drought Is Part of a

Much Bigger Water Crisis. Here's What You Need to Know." ProPublica. Propublica.org, 27

Oct. 2015. Web. 27 June 2017.

20. The Story of Microfibers. Dir. Ruben De Luna Creative. Perf. storyofstuff.org. Storyofstuff.

storyofstuff.org, 01 Mar. 2017. Web. 27 June 2017.