I don’t remember when I first saw The Story of Stuff, but I do remember feeling so excited to see this film and know that people like Annie Leonard were out there spreading this message. When I saw The Story of Cosmetics back in 2010, my life hit a major turning point. I had always been on board with environmental causes and doing my part, but to hear about the toxic chemicals in our products, especially in our personal care products, shocked me. I was eager for more information. And through books and blogs and articles, I pieced enough together to realize what a major problem this really was. I immediately began on a path of making my own products. And with the resources I was using, my world quickly opened up to other areas in my life where I wanted change. I didn’t like what was in my soaps and shampoo, but I also didn’t like what was in my cleaning products, my packaged food, my craft supplies, and many other of my everyday items. I went into extreme do-it-yourself mode, making my own laundry detergent and dishwashing soap, bar soap and shampoo. I made our bread from scratch, but also things like our yogurt and almond milk and chocolate. Baking soda and vinegar became the only cleaning supplies I used. And while the arrival of our kids led me back into the land of buying some of these products, I was able to make smarter choices and continue much of what I had started. And now that I’m coming out of “survival mode” a bit, I’m feeling ready to reduce our packaging and store-bought purchases once again.
I love that this one video changed my life in such a major way. I love that I became a label reader and learned what ingredients to avoid, not just in food items, but in all our products. I have seen a big shift since I started my own journey. I see information and conversation around this topic in more and more places. I feel like companies are catching on and we will be seeing more products that use fair and good ingredients and that stop trying to fool us with false labels and packaging. We need to demand safe products in eco-conscious packaging. We have enough on our plates without having to worry that what we’re buying and bringing into our homes is dangerous to our health and our environment.
If you haven’t seen The Story of Stuff, watch it now. And if you’re one of the millions who has seen it, I strongly urge you to watch, not only The Story of Cosmetics, but also the many other videos offered by this truly amazing company. The Story of Stuff Project gives me hope for our people and our world.