Black Intel

Does anyone know where anything comes from anymore? As I grow in age and in my consciousness involving my daily consumption of … stuff, I am becoming aware my impact or “carbon footprint” on this planet. Now I am no saint when it comes to this whole “consumption thing“ and I know I am not becoming Captain Planet any time soon but at least I am becoming more and more aware of my surroundings and its relation to my health. What turns me off sometimes is the crazy terminology and vocabulary used by my brothers and sisters in the green movement. People like Van Jones and Majora Carter, two of our most important leaders for enviornmental justice, made it easy for folks in some of our most vulnerable communities to understand why we had to give a damn. But I still need visuals, I need to see what kind of destruction will be caused by my littering in the park. I also need to know what comes from where and how it is made, in a simple, easy to understand way. This is why I love Annie Leonard’s “The Story of Stuff”.

“The Story of Stuff” is a cheerful yet brutal assessment of how much Americans waste, The video was created by Leonard, a former Greenpeace employee and an independent lecturer who paints a picture of how American habits result in forests being felled, mountaintops being destroyed, water being polluted and people and animals being poisoned. Leonard, who describes herself as an “unapologetic activist,” is also critical of corporations and the federal government, which she says spends too much on the military.

This is exactly the type thing we need now. Simple shit. The pictures in the video of dark puffs of factory smoke and an outlined skull and crossbones, representing polluting chemicals floating in the air. With all the information that comes flying at us daily, people need visuals especially if you are going to tell a story. I am really at a loss when I think about the jarring effects of things like High Fructose Corn Syrup, Acesulfame-K and Red 3 the ashamed I am of regulating bodies of our government that simply aren’t doing their job or have been paid off to close their eyes to the problem. We mustn’t  forget that alot of these very toxins are the root causes of cancers and diseases. As someone who has witnessed the courage of loved ones who are battling everything from cancer to HIV-Aids, it breaks my heart to know that the public is being lied to daily about the toxins all around us that sometimes lead to these deadly diseases. Just as much as we need Health Care reform, we need the government to regulate the toxins in our food, in soap, and in our sky. It’s shameful but it would be pitiful if you did nothing about it.

Watch it here:

Story of Stuff