"The Story Of Stuff" Video About Consumption Sweeps Nation's Classrooms

Who would have thought that a video about how a linear process can't exist on a real, limited planet would be popular with the kids? According to the New York Times, "The Story of Stuff" with Annie Leonard has made stats and statistics about consumption palatable to young people (and old people, for that matter).

The thick-lined drawings of the Earth, a factory and a house, meant to convey the cycle of human consumption, are straightforward and child-friendly. So are the pictures of dark puffs of factory smoke and an outlined skull and crossbones, representing polluting chemicals floating in the air.

Which is one reason "The Story of Stuff," a 20-minute video about the effects of human consumption, has become a sleeper hit in classrooms across the nation.