In short, concerning but a highly valuable read. Not only make abundantly clear the many issues with our modern consumer culture and economic indicators (like GDP) but provides solutions, suggestions and how for the future. ( )

This one was pretty good. It talks about the processes necessary to create the stuff that we have and use every day. For instance, you just don't realize how much water goes into processing everything. Take a cotton t-shirt for example; from what I read it takes 256 gallons of water to make one t-shirt. That boggles my mind. Or if your country is rich in the right mineral resources, you probably have seen a coup or two in your day. This I already knew, since I read Congo by Michael Crichton and know a little bit about the horror of the Diamond Industry. Companies and Corporations are quite ruthless in the quest for more wealth when the current rate of growth probably isn't sustainable.

So basically, this woman, this Annie Leonard person, saw massive piles of trash and asked a simple question; where does all of this go? So she joined Greenpeace and traveled the world, discovering the horrors made possible by modern day capitalism. That isn't to say she is a huge tree-hugging Luddite or anything like that, I mean she has a website so she must have a computer or some other device. She also enjoys her coffee while telling us that it takes 36 gallons of water to produce one cup of the stuff. Yet, she has gone to Bangladesh and experienced their woes. She has been to Nairobi and other such places with horrible brutality made possible by rich Western Nations just so they can get rare minerals used for computer components.

The basic thesis Annie Leonard employs is the idea that the world is one giant interconnected system. "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." In any case, although the book was good it was also quite depressing in its own way. The Earth is immense and I am so small. It makes me wonder if doing anything individually is worth it at all. Just because I think iPods and iPhones are stupid doesn't mean everyone else will. My phone cost $-5. That isn't a typo. My phone was so out of date I needed to buy a beverage to balance it out. It makes phone calls, I don't need to text or surf the Internet on my phone. I wear my shoes until they cause me physical discomfort or until I can see my toes.

So I guess I am doing something in my own way. 4/5 stars. ( )

就算再忙，至少把導論讀一遍

Of course I had to get this book since watching her wonderful video! She goes into great detail on what we are doing to our environment with every purchase we make. (Of course buying this book added to it- but I did pass it on). I think EVERYONE should HAVE to read this book!!! ( )

Leonard makes some good points. We all need to be vigilant concerning all the stuff in our live! ( )

如果你對環境問題的認識只停留在《正負2度C》，那麼你一定要看這本書！本書提供一個全局式的概覽，是認識環境議題的最佳起點！

光鮮亮麗的商品包裝，訴說美好生活的商品廣告。隱藏在這些事物的背後，並不只是商人精密的算計，更是各種對於地球資源的濫用與摧殘。《東西的故事》從原料、生產、銷售、消費、丟棄各方面探討今日資本主義經濟產品對環境以及人類健康的傷害。在欠缺監督以及成本外部化的情況下，各種危害環境、人類健康的商業活動層出不窮：如將垃圾丟棄到第三世界國家、使用有毒物質製造產品、刺激消費而造成生產浪費、壓低勞工薪資、浪費能源的長途運輸、資源回收的騙局、有毒的礦業與工業生產過程等等。

不負責任的企業採用危害環境的方式生產產品，再大力促銷造成浪費性消費，最後還倚賴國家出面收拾環境問題。這樣的現象說明了目前資本主義經濟對地球的深刻危害。這些問題規模龐大，急需改善。而作者在書中也舉出許多正在推動改革的公民運動以及替代方案，說明改變並非遙不可及，只欠決心與毅力。書裡所揭示的內容充滿黑暗，也充滿光明。這使《東西的故事》成為一本警世之書，要求、督促著我們認識問題，採取行動！

然而美中不足的是，書中所提之公民行動多為美國組織。臺灣版翻譯者與編者並未提供更多的在地資源。對環境議題有興趣的朋友，可以上臺灣綠黨、環境資訊中心、地球公民協會、主婦聯盟等等網站，尋找本地的行動方案。

按：書中有一些校對疏失，如293頁註121誤植為141，300頁最後一段譯文重複。 ( )

This book should be required reading in high school. Everyone should read it and take a hard look what it means to have an economic model based on consumption. ( )

Some interesting facts, but I don't see how she can be accused of being too left-wing or too militant. This book is packed with statements advocating technooptimism, consumption, mass society, and greenwashed (industrial) civilization.

"The hope is that if we make industries responsible for the full costs of water use, they will start employing the technological fixes to use and waste less." ( )

once again did not finish this one, but read enough to know I own too much and appreciate the need to become less of the consumer society - really our ancestors survived with less and perhaps were happier for it. ( )

Everyone should read this book! ( )

Subtitled The Impact of Overconsumption on the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health-And How We Can Make It Better, this is an expansion on the 20 minute Internet movie of the same name. The book digs into the five facets of the linear economic system in use in North America. It’s amazing, it’s controversial and it’s has been haunting me all summer. ( )

A compelling and easy read, and certainly very timely, although Leonard's "facts" and "conclusions" seem rather too convenient at best, and at worst very much contrived and self-serving.

This is not to say that she does not raise good points -- she does -- but it seems to me that despite the title's suggestion that it is "our obsession with stuff" that is the root problem, she points the finger of blame too readily at big corporations, casting the average person as a victim.

Certainly we are, as a society, too fixated on the acquisition of stuff, and perhaps too reluctant to demand less packaging and more environmentally agreeable manufacturing processes. Still, Leonard falls short of her stated thesis that we are, ourselves, to blame for the mess we find ourselves in as a result. ( )

Powerful material, thoroughly researched, engaging writing. The author backs up every assertion with bibliography, references, web sites.
After reading this book you will not go shopping again without seeing "products" from a different perspective - that of their life cycle from manufacture to disposal and everything between.
One of the central lessons I took away is that the low prices we pay for the goods we buy are partly subsidized by the third world countries where they are made. That is, the hazardous materials used are a threat to the people who fabricate those products during their manufacturing so that we can enjoy perfect precious products oblivious of the poisons contained in them.
Ironically, I almost didn't buy this book. I looked at it and asked myself if I need more stuff (another book). I'm glad I did. ( )

My, this is a depressing but good book. It talks about the "stuff" we acquire, from where it comes and to where it ultimately goes. Reading this book is difficult as the reader figures out that much of what we acquire we really don't need and that, later, the disposition of our "stuff" is what is ruining our planet. I liked the information given by this author because I feel it was presented with good research, an authoritative voice, and fine resource material for further study. As a result of reading her book, I will continue to try to do my part to downsize the amount of "stuff" I needlessly acquire. ( )

"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe."

--John Muir, wilderness advocate

This book may garner intense reactions. You may find yourself vowing to make drastic changes to your life. You may throw the book aside in disgust and chalk it up to environmentalists’ hysteria. You might become paralyzed by the staggering scope of problems our industrial complex has created, and simply do nothing and hope a miracle gets us out of this quagmire.

I live in Baytown, Texas. The population here is roughly 70,000. It is the home to one of the biggest oil refinery-complexes in the world: ExxonMobil. It is also home to several other refineries like Chevron Phillips and Bayer. When you drive about 15 miles southwest on Highway 146 then take the Highway to 225 to Pasadena, you run smack dab into a wall of stench that seems to be a solution of rotten eggs, steamed cauliflower and rubber.
They don’t call it Stink-adena for nothing.
And while the industry is the bread and butter for many residents, we are very aware of the environmental implications. The Baytown Nature Center is what was formerly known as the Brownwood Subdivision, an affluent neighborhood in the 1970’s. That is, until the ground dropped between 10-15 feet due to a depleted water table. What depleted resources started, Hurricane Alicia finished. The houses were then condemned, the area was vacated for about 20 years, and then ExxonMobil and the community worked together to turn it into a nature preserve.
We know about consumption. We know about waste. We know about depleted natural resources.
But when I read Annie Leonard's book, I could feel a chill go up my spine. And the more I read, the worse I felt.

Annie herself discusses this:

One friend told me me that reading this kind of information actually makes her want to go shopping because it is such a relief to be in a situation where your biggest concern is if your shoes match your purse. People everywhere are experiencing crisis fatigue. Heck, there are flu pandemics, freak storms, unemployment, and foreclosures to worry about. The thing is, we don't have a choice.
No, we don't. We live on this planet, and if it goes, we go. We haven't yet discovered a habitable place for human beings.

And still:

We use 98 tons of various other resources to make 1 ton of paper. Yes, you read that correctly.
The Fresh Kill landfill on Staten Island is said to have a volume comparable to that of The Great Wall of China and is taller than the Statue of Libery.
In trying to reduce our reliance on petrochemicals for fuel, we have destroyed the environment in other ways. Now, tropical rainforest are being cut down in order to creat farmland to grow those very biofuels. You're kidding me right? Sadly, no.
In the US, we spend more than 20 billion dollars on our lawns. Get this: with power motors "so inefficient they 800 millions of gasoline a year."
This is just a small sampling of the facts you will find in here. There are many, many others. You will never look at your cheeseburger in the same way. You will wonder at the true cost of that pair of shoes, or that watch, or this leather purse.

Because it's paid for all right. And not just with your money.

But Leonard isn't just doom and gloom. She actually gives you a list of ways you can help contribute to a better environment.

Reuse. Noting the effects of mineral extraction, the author has her fiancee buy her an antique ring instead of a new one. I really like that idea.
Don't buy teflon nonstick pans. (Did you know their fumes can kill your household birds? What are they doing to your kids?)
Reduce your waste. Buy reusable water bottles.
Compost. Your trash won't stink and your garden might look a little nicer.
Get a clothesline. I have such fond memories of helping my grandmother take down the laundry off the line. I'd love to do that with my girls.
Avoid PVC. period.
And for those of you that would like to take it a bit futher, write a letter. To companies, congressmen, your local politicians. Remember they work for you. Leonard even provides a sample letter to PVC retailers, manufacturers, and lobbyists.

We're all together on this rock hurtling through space. Let's take care of our home.

Start with a little. Make a resolution to change one thing. Then add another.

If we all do this, we can start a chain reaction. It's better than sticking our heads in the sand hoping a miracle will save us.

Oh yeah, and stop by The Story of Stuff Project to learn more about ways you can help, check out the author's book tour, and scour through other available resources.

Don't forget to watch the video, either!

*I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for my review. This no way affects my opinion. ( )

Americans live in a consumer society. We are constantly bombarded by advertising and encouraged to buy more and more. Purchasing something new is supposed to make us happy. We are even told it’s patriotic to shop, spend money, get the economy moving. But how many of us ever think about what it takes to produce all this stuff and ship it to stores or our homes and then haul it off to the dump to dispose of it when we are done with it. After reading The Story of Stuff, it’s difficult to look at ‘stuff’ the same way again.

I consider myself a green person. I reduce, reuse, recycle, conserve energy, grow my own veggies, compost everything I can and generally try to be a good citizen of the planet. After reading this book I have learned there is much more to the life cycle of a product than most of us ever realize. The author takes us through the five stages with a chapter on each: Extraction, Production, Distribution, Consumption and Disposal. Each stage consumes resources and creates pollution, and not just here in the US but around the world.

An eye-opener for me was learning that while recycling is good it’s not the solution. We are consuming resources faster than the planet can replenish them. The problem is excessive consumption. The author found that when she asked, “Are we consuming too much?”, it was not a very popular question. Our economy now depends on consumption at an ever accelerating rate.

As consumers we’ve become resigned to the fact that our stuff is disposable. It wasn’t always this way. Things used to last years and years. Now they are designed with planned obsolescence and fall apart quickly and cannot be repaired. That particularly resonated with me. A few months ago my printer stopped working. This was a perfectly good printer that I really liked and I wanted to get it repaired. Seems simple enough, right? Wrong. The cost to fix it was almost as much as buying a new one. I did some research and in the end I opted to fix it anyway because the ink cartridges it uses are half the cost of the newer models plus this kept my printer out of the landfill. All too often it doesn’t work out this way and the item ends up in the dump.

The Story of Stuff is a wealth of information and knowledge on the hidden costs of consumerism and what we can do to make it better. The author presents the facts without being preachy and writes in a humorous and engaging style. Ultimately we have to ask ourselves, does buying more and more stuff make us happier? ( )

A disturbing book... But we DO NEED to be disturbed out of our slumber if we want to save the planet. Remarkable research done by the author. A vivid and shocking eye-opener. From now on, this book will be my gift of choice to give to friends and relatives. ( )

This is an excellent book. Parts of it are a bit hard to get through; it drags, and the five section headings are perhaps deliberately chosen to be not-exciting: "Extraction," "Production," "Distribution," "Consumption," and "Disposal." I read probably 80%-90% of the whole thing. However, I noticed that it picked up in the last section ("Disposal"), which is evidently Leonard's special expertise and passion. The story about how toxic stuff winds up in Haiti and Bangladesh, and various people's reactions to this, was quite illuminating.

The thing I liked most about the book is that the author understands that there is a connection between our material standard of living and the environment. This seems like an obvious point, but 99% of the population and virtually 100% of our national political leaders don't understand this. We're being promised "green growth" -- we'll still have stuff, but it will somehow be produced without harming the environment. She understands that this is a mirage.

A lot of our materials extraction (not to mention production, distribution, consumption, and disposal) is dependent on energy supplies, and thus as energy supplies decline or become more expensive, our materials will also decline or become more expensive. I think she understands this point -- she discusses it on pages 29-34 -- but then tends to separate the two issues, saying that solar and wind can pick up the slack.

So let me get this straight: does this mean that we will be able to extract the same amount of materials using clean energy, but shouldn't do so because it would still trash the planet? Or does she think that the whole system of producing stuff will decline as energy supplies decline? It's not clear. If I had written this book, I would have given "peak oil" and "peak coal" a bit more play than they got; and this might have lent a structural theme to what is driving this whole process.

She explicitly excluded food from this process. For me, this is a logical way to proceed; she wants to limit her book to those areas in which she is clearly an expert.

But I look forward to a future book on "The Story of Food." In fact, food is part of our whole extraction, production, distribution, consumption, and disposal process. We extract materials to power our industrialized agriculture, then we produce the food, distribute and consume it (making some people fat, and leaving others without enough to eat), and then dispose of the waste products, which include methane in the atmosphere and water pollution from livestock manure.

One final thing: while I saw the video "The Story of Stuff" before I read this book, what really attracted my attention was "The Story of Cap and Trade." This short video (in the same style as "The Story of Stuff") was quite a bit more controversial within the environmental community, but Leonard was exactly right, of course, and it's this kind of sharp commentary which really shows that this is someone we can respect and admire in the environmental community. ( )

I picked this book up in a mall. I had not seen the YouTube video that the author had made prior to publishing the book, but I'd heard of it. I leafed through it and was caught up in reading about computer metals and how they are produced, used, and disposed of, when I realized I needed to leave. I bought the book.

I read this book on a plane. The book is about the material possessions that are so important to us Americans in our consumer society. It talks about extraction of resources, production and distribution of goods, marketing of goods, and the disposal of goods. The author had started out as an expert on disposal, particularly. She's originally a Greenpeace activist on garbage issues such as the barge that traveled the world looking for somewhere to put the garbage (I can hear Alice's Restaurant in my head right now). But at some point, she discovered systems thinking and started realizing that the garbage problem is really not easily separable from the other issues that lurk behind our happy consumer attitudes about "stuff".

The fact that I was reading it on the plane, where everything was disposable, made it that much more poignant to me.

I was raised by a very liberal family and my father is an environmental activist who lives in a cabin "off the grid" using hydro and solar power and a self-composting outhouse. I also lived in developing countries much of my adult life and I observed many of the issues about garbage and disposable goods that Ms. Leonard talks about in her book. In other words, I am the choir to whom this book is preaching. It gave me some good ideas about how to reuse things, avoid other things (such as vinyl - I had no idea it was such bad news), and in general try to be a better individual American consumer.

But really, what would be great is if this book became the start of a movement for Americans to get back to being people and not consumers. We are human beings foremost. It is true we need material goods to live. But we should not be living in order to get material goods. The best chapters of this book, for me, were not the ones on the life cycle of "stuff" but on how we can make our lives less consumerist.

I highly recommend this book to all readers, particularly the younger ones. The future can definitely be different and this book is a very good place to start realizing this. ( )

One thing I tend to dislike about environmental books is that they only look at the issue of environmentalism without looking at capitalism, imperialism, social justice, racism, feminism, animal rights, or even consumerism. What I like about this book is that it ties pretty much everything together. Furthermore, this book has a wonderful, well thought out critique of capitalism and our relationship with Stuff without getting depressing or cynical.

If you think this is going to be a cutesy book like the Story of Stuff you-tube clip, think again. This is one powerful book, and I would recommend it for both the novice and seasoned environmentalist. ( )