I recently watched this video called ‘The story of stuff’. In this video, the person talks about the problems of our current model of capitalism and consumption. She was also able to link all of these to other problems are society is facing today. I was surprised and taken aback by the video because its the first time that someone showed me that the problems facing the environment, laborers, waste management, and even political problems are all interrelated. According to the video, there is a wasteful system in this world that consists of extraction-production-distribution-consumption-disposal. In extraction, natural resources are being exploited at a rate that is destructive to the environment. In the production phase, toxics are used to make the stuff we have, and laborers from the third world are forced to work in really poor working conditions with very low pay just to make our stuff. In the distribution phase, costs are externalized, like store owners are paid really low and their healthcare is skimped on so that we can buy stuff as low as possible. In the consumption phase, “the golden arrow of consumption” as said by the video, only 1% of products bought in North America are still in use 6 months after the sale. Stuff are being made as “designed for the dumb”, meaning they are made to be out phased as fast as possible. National happiness is also declining due to consumption. The disposal phase shows that our garbage is simply thrown away, and recycling doesn’t solve the problem in whole. We need a total reform of our system to solve all of these problems. We should make a new system based on the concepts of sustainability, zero waste, renewable energy, and equity for all.