Mountainfilm

  • Festival
  • World Tour
  • News & Views
  • Initiatives
  • Support Us
  • About Us
  • Donate

News & Views

  • Mountainfilm News
  • Watch Mountainfilm
  • Image Gallery
  • Press Releases
  • Festival Archives
  • Upcoming Events
Toggle Menu

Stuff: The Solution is not for Sale

September 20, 2012

During the Stone Age, Homo habilis apparently created and used tools. It could be argued that this was the beginning of man’s affinity for stuff. Tools were, and are, valuable and worth carting around from place to place. Speaking of carting, it’s stuff that was the impetus behind the invention of the wheel in the late Neolithic era. Wheels were used to make pottery — ahem, more stuff — and to build horse-driven chariots to carry stuff.

While tools and wheels are pretty fundamental items, many of the things we purchase today are not as necessary. At Mountainfilm in Telluride 2012, we showed Living Tiny, a film about downsizing living spaces. In it, one character says, “ People like having lots of stuff, Americans in particular. Ultimately, you can only occupy 12 square feet of space at a time. Everything else is just a place to keep your stuff.”

Another 2011 Mountainfilm documentary, Stuff Everywhere, demonstrated this concept as Judith de Leeuw, counted every item from her apartment, eventually renting a warehouse to lay it all out for inventory, piece by crazy piece.

We talk about how to shop responsibly: buy green, buy only what you need, and recycle the waste. But stuff — even some green stuff — is problematic: pollution, factory slave workers, planned obsolescence, etc. The solution to these problems can’t be bought responsibly.

So what’s the solution? The Story of Stuff Project was hoping you would ask.

Tagged Living TinyStuff Everywhere stuffenvironmentwatchimagesconsumerismpurchasinggreenproductspollution
Emancipation's Anniversary: More People are Enslaved Today
Emancipation's Anniversary: More People are Enslaved Today
It’s All about the Bike: A Dispatch from Brazil
It’s All about the Bike: A Dispatch from Brazil

Join Our Community

Stay up-to-date with all the latest news and event information.

Sign Up Now

Thanks for signing up! Please check your email and confirm your details.

Please complete the following form. Fields marked * are required.

By submitting this form, you are granting: Mountainfilm, P.O. Box 1088, Telluride, Colorado, 81435, United States, http://www.mountainfilm.org permission to email you. You may unsubscribe via the link found at the bottom of every email. (See our Email Privacy Policy for details.) Emails are serviced by MailChimp.

Thanks to all our Sponsors!

Mountainfilm's sponsors choose to partner with us for more than just return on investment considerations; they strongly believe in Mountainfilm's mission to use the power of film, art and ideas to inspire audiences to create a better world.

Presenting

The North Face

Summit

Osprey

The Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation

Yeti

Nonprofit Partner

Woodwell Climate Research Center

National Media Sponsor

Grist

Camp III

1% For The Planet

Jagged Edge

Mountain Lodge Telluride

Stio

Tandem Vault

Telluride Express

Telluride Foundation

Telluride Ski Resort

Topo Designs

View All Sponsors

Main menu

  • Festival
    • Passes
    • Films
    • Volunteer
    • How to Mountainfilm
    • Speakers
    • Schedule & Events
    • Awards
  • World Tour
    • About the Tour
    • Tour Schedule
    • Tour Films
    • Host a Tour Show
    • Host Support
    • Mountainfilm for Students
  • News & Views
    • Mountainfilm News
    • Watch Mountainfilm
    • Image Gallery
    • Press Releases
    • Festival Archives
    • Upcoming Events
  • Initiatives
    • Commitment Grants
    • Emerging Filmmaker Fellowship
    • Take Action
    • Mountainfilm for Students
  • Support Us
    • Our Donors
    • Our Sponsors
    • Lodging Sponsors
    • Become a Donor
    • Become a Sponsor
  • About Us
    • About Mountainfilm
    • Staff
    • Festival Staff
    • Boards
    • Media Resources
    • Employment
  • Donate
  • Purchase Passes
  • Special Events
  • Festival Alerts
  • Festival Archives

Mountainfilm has a rich history, beginning in 1979. Check out our festival pages or world tour. Need something you don’t see here? Contact us.

  • About Mountainfilm
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Contact Us
  • Vimeo
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

©2022 Mountainfilm - All Rights Reserved

Toggle Menu Close

Mountainfilm

  • Festival
    • Passes
    • Films
    • Volunteer
    • How to Mountainfilm
    • Speakers
    • Schedule & Events
    • Awards
  • World Tour
    • About the Tour
    • Tour Schedule
    • Tour Films
    • Host a Tour Show
    • Host Support
    • Mountainfilm for Students
  • News & Views
    • Mountainfilm News
    • Watch Mountainfilm
    • Image Gallery
    • Press Releases
    • Festival Archives
    • Upcoming Events
  • Initiatives
    • Commitment Grants
    • Emerging Filmmaker Fellowship
    • Take Action
    • Mountainfilm for Students
  • Support Us
    • Our Donors
    • Our Sponsors
    • Lodging Sponsors
    • Become a Donor
    • Become a Sponsor
  • About Us
    • About Mountainfilm
    • Staff
    • Festival Staff
    • Boards
    • Media Resources
    • Employment
  • Donate
  • Purchase Passes
  • Special Events
  • Festival Alerts
  • Festival Archives

Mountainfilm has a rich history, beginning in 1979. Check out our festival pages or world tour. Need something you don’t see here? Contact us.

  • Vimeo
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
donate purchase passes

Share this page via social media

Use one of the following services to share this content with your friends.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
Show/Hide this window