Lab+4

=The Story of STUFF=

Annie Leonard describes materials economy as the process of producing “stuff”. This process is made up of five steps: extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal. Each step of the system initiates the next step and as the system interacts with societies, culture, economies, environment, the system keeps working. Unfortunately this system works in a linear pattern, meaning that it does not replenish its starting resources in order to continue the process indefinitely, consequently resulting in the destruction of the overall system. People are the main contributor to the system in its process, some are more important than others. The materials economy interacts with the environment in a major way, since it is the natural resources being used to produce stuff. Therefore the extraction stage is actually killing the environment. Due to the break down of natural environments, which have been used for centuries to sustain societies, individuals living within these communities are forced to move into busy cities. In order to sustain themselves in these cities they are forced to work in factories that produce stuff. This causes societies and cultures to diminish. Though the production stage contributes to the weakening of some societies in specific areas of the world, such as third world counties, the distribution and consumption stage contribute to influencing certain cultures and societies in other areas of the world, such as North America. The media contributes to the consumption stage is a major way. It shapes the way individuals view themselves and each other, creating a certain type of culture in which society is eager to conform to. Economies interact with material economy beneficially to some and non-beneficially to others. The economies that distribute stuff flourish due to high consumption caused by perceived and planned obsolescence. Other economies, such as the ones in which natural resources are being extracted and exploited and the ones, which produce the goods using low cost labour, are the economies that suffer. Extraction is the process of collecting natural resources needed to produce goods. Raw materials such as wood, minerals, coal, fossil fuels and plants are being used to create the stuff that consumers in advanced countries need. According to Leonard this stage plainly is killing the planet. Production is the process of actually converting the raw materials into products of use. In order for these products to be usable stuff, chemicals are added to the production process. While in production, the factories that make these products leak toxins into the air harming human and environmental health. Distribution involves moving the products from the factories to its distributors. These distributors sell these products to consumers at cheap prices to keep consumers constantly buying. In order to keep prices low distributors externalize costs meaning that individuals involved in the extraction and production process are paying the high price to make the stuff. The media plays a large role in distribution. Using advertisements and celebrities the media entices buyers, influencing their buying habits. Consumption is the process that involves consumers actually using the stuff they buy from distributors. Many products have short consumption life meaning that buyers buy products and use them for a very short time until they replace the productive with a new innovative product or get sick of it entirely. Eventually the products that consumers buy either stop working or are no longer used and therefore are disposed of. The disposal stage involves throwing away stuff. In this stage the trash that consumers throw away are sent to a landfill where it is either buried or incinerated. The Flash presentation is extremely effective. Viewers are able to integrate the words Leonard is speaking with the concept she is talking about by visualizing it. The way in which she has organized the process of material economy is structured and follows a flowchart, step-by-step style that allows viewers to understand the connection between each step. Using pie charts to show percentages allows the audience to visually understand the true representation of the figure. This gives the audience the chance to comprehend the concepts without having to mentally contemplate the ideas. The animation also allowed Leonard to highlight key ideas and the main point, through the usage of audio and using colour for emphasis.
 * __Question 1__**
 * __Question 2__ **
 * __Question 3__ **

Other animations that are used display creativity and capture the audience’s attention. The Flash presentation is also interactive. Allowing viewers to pause and play as they please. While Leonard explained each process, the bar above highlighted which process she was speaking about. The bar provided additional information in text for additional explanatory purposes. Overall the Flash presentation is entertaining and informative. It is captivating and truly helps deliver the main message.