Topic: Consumption

It’s everywhere. Consumption is almost impossible to avoid. It’s estimated that humans will consume more in the next 40 years than we have since we first stood on two legs. The more money we have the more we consume. The main issue is not consumption itself but it’s inequality and the impacts on our environment. The richest 20% of people account for 77% of private consumption, the middle 60% account for 22%, the poorest 20% account for just 1%. We can be smarter about what we consume and who consumes it. What are some ways we can start to do things differently? Video produced by Reimagine Films (www.reimaginefilms.com.au).

If you've ever wondered how that impossibly cheap radio got into your hands, this video is for you.

After witnessing the “violent rage” shown by babies whenever deprived of an item they considered their own, Jean Piaget – a founding father of child psychology – observed something profound about human nature: Our sense of ownership emerges incredibly early. But why do we become so attached to things? Christian Jarrett details the psychology of ownership.

Humans make a lot of garbage every day, and a lot of it ends up in big, smelly dumps. Luckily, there are things we can do to reuse a lot of our garbage and keep the Earth healthy and clean! Join Jessi and find out how!

Did you know roughly 6% of the American population (19 million people) consume fast food 7 times or more a week. The United Stats of America (USA) on average consumes 3754 calories per day. The recommended calorie intake according to the United Kingdom (UK) is 1940 calories per day for women and 2550 for men.

Marcus Lyon has been pursuing his interest in development for decades, using both words and pictures to express his vision of the surrounding world. After studies in political science and leadership, Lyon began his life-long investigation into the issues surrounding globalization. His search has taken him around the world and led him to investigate subjects such as the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India, China), the mass migrations of the 21st century and, most recently, the ways in which we spend our leisure time today.

Designer Jessi Arrington packed nothing for TEDActive but 7 pairs of undies, buying the rest of her clothes in thrift stores around LA. It's a meditation on conscious consumption — wrapped in a rainbow of colour and creativity.

Julia Roberts, Harrison Ford, Kevin Spacey, Edward Norton, Penélope Cruz, Robert Redford and Ian Somerhalder all join forces to give nature a voice. Watch the films and take action at http://natureisspeaking.org

There's a world of opportunity to re-think and re-design the way we make stuff. 'Re-Thinking Progress' explores how through a change in perspective we can re-design the way our economy works - designing products that can be 'made to be made again' and powering the system with renewable energy. It questions whether with creativity and innovation we can build a restorative economy.

Ready to "super size" that soda! Buzzfeed produced this clever video comparing the various soda cup sizes from countries around the world. Which country has largest option to consume soda? You just might be surprised.

Have we used up all our resources? Have we filled up all the livable space on Earth? Paul Gilding suggests we have, and the possibility of devastating consequences, in a talk that's equal parts terrifying and, oddly, hopeful.

Networking can seem so hard -- but not if you have the right advice. Try taking advantage of weak ties; you never know what friend of a friend of a friend can aid you in your dreams. Lisa Green Chau outlines how being proactive and always saying yes can lead to future opportunities.

Colors, camera angles and logos in the media can all prompt immediate associations with emotions, activities and memories. Learn to decode the intricate system of symbols that are a part of everyday life -- from advertising messages to traffic signs.

Every day, we are bombarded by attention grabbing headlines that promise miracle cures to all of our ailments -- often backed up by a “scientific study.” But what are these studies, and how do we know if they are reliable? David H. Schwartz dissects two types of studies that scientists use, illuminating why you should always approach the claims with a critical eye.

The World Wide Web is used every day by millions of people for everything from checking the weather to sharing cat videos. But what is it exactly? Twila Camp describes this interconnected information system as a virtual city that everyone owns and explains how it’s organized in a way that mimics our brain’s natural way of thinking.

Every day, we move and operate within systems of power that other people have constructed. But we’re often uncomfortable talking about power. Why? Eric Liu describes the six sources of power and explains how understanding them is key to being an effective citizen.

Sometimes a single unlikely idea can have massive impact across the world. Sir Harold Evans, the author of They Made America, describes how frustration drove Malcom McLean, a small-town truck driver, to invent the shipping container. Containerization was born, and it transformed the modern global economy.

In this funny and insightful talk, builder Dan Phillips tours us through a dozen homes he's built in Texas using recycled and reclaimed materials in wildly creative ways. Brilliant, low-tech design details will refresh your own creative drive.

Designer Suzanne Lee shares her experiments in growing a kombucha-based material that can be used like fabric or vegetable leather to make clothing. The process is fascinating, the results are beautiful (though there's still one minor drawback ...) and the potential is simply stunning.

Less than 10% of plastic trash is recycled -- compared to almost 90% of metals -- because of the massively complicated problem of finding and sorting the different kinds. Frustrated by this waste, Mike Biddle has developed a cheap and incredibly energy efficient plant that can, and does, recycle any kind of plastic.

For many people, our choice of clothing reflects our personality and our lifestyle choices. More and more, we’re starting to think about the environmental and social implications of our wardrobe. What really goes into making the clothes we wear? What are they made of, who made them and how were they made? To explore the issues, let’s have a look at the life of a pair of jeans, from crop to swap.

This is Your Life Cycle is a humorous, tongue-in-cheek nod to popular reality TV makeover shows. Hosted by the whale Bill Krill, the five-minute animation puts an entertaining spin on the scientific process of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). With the contestants - including a light bulb encrusted dress, a neurotic vacuum cleaner and un-functional chair - all competing for a sorely needed eco-design makeover. The animation is part of the Secret Life of Things educational series developed by Eco Innovators' free e-learning resources at www.thesecretlifeofthings.com

The Story of Bottled Water tells the story of manufactured demand—how you get Americans to buy more than half a billion bottles of water every week when it already flows virtually free from the tap. Over five minutes, the film explores the bottled water industry’s attacks on tap water and its use of seductive, environmental-themed advertising to cover up the mountains of plastic waste it produces. The film concludes with a call for viewers to make a personal commitment to avoid bottled water and support public investment in clean, available tap water for all.

In this TED talk, hear from artist Chris Jordan as he shows us an arresting view of what Western culture looks like. His supersized images picture some almost unimaginable statistics — like the astonishing number of paper cups we use every single day.

In the March 2014, San Francisco passed an ordinance to prohibit the sale and distribution of single-use plastic water bottles on public property -- becoming the first major U.S. city to enact such a ban. In this video, you'll meet the San Francisco city leaders and community organizers who helped make the ordinance a reality. Hear how the ordinance came to pass, how it will be implemented, and how this can serve as a model to reduce plastic pollution in cities everywhere.

Coffee is one of the world's favourite drinks, one of the most important commercial crop-plants, and the second most valuable international commodity; Arabica coffee is considered to produce the finest coffee beans.

Writer and designer Graham Hill asks: Can having less stuff, in less room, lead to more happiness? He makes the case for taking up less space, and lays out three rules for editing your life.

Have you ever thought that the amount of time you spend on the internet, can cause harm to the environment. It's something you usually do at least once everyday. But the websites you're on, are powered by major servers, and where does the energy for those come from? Take a look at this short video to find out.

Narrated by Academy Award-winner Jeremy Irons, this "mockumentary" video, hammers home the stark reality of California's plastic bag pollution situation.

Have a look around your house. What sort of phone do you have, do you have a computer, or maybe a laptop? Are they all the latest models? Our society has the constant urge to always have the latest models of technology. But what are the consequences of having these desires?

The Story of Solutions explores how we can move our economy in a more sustainable and just direction, starting with orienting ourselves toward a new goal.

We are happy this clip has struck a chord with so many people, and we hope that the interest in this clip will lead viewers to see SAMSARA in its entirety. This clip represents only 6 minutes from a 100 minute long film, which was photographed in 25 countries and explores many other diverse aspects of the human experience. We would love for viewers to experience SAMSARA as a whole."

Earth's biodiversity is vanishing at an alarming rate. This video from National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore shows what we stand to lose.

L.I.F.E. is about people across Australia, just like you, getting involved with Landcare in their everyday lives. For more information, visit www.landcarelife.com.au

We're already seeing the devastating effects of our changing climate on real peoples' lives. And we know that greenhouse pollution from fossil fuels is the main contributor to climate change.

Empowered by our partnership with indigenous people, The Pachamama Alliance inspires and galvanizes the human family to generate a critical mass of conscious commitment to a thriving, just and sustainable way of life on Earth.

Vimeo awards finalist in 2010 (motion graphics) /// Best infotainment at Webcuts.10

Ken discovers some difficult truths about Barbie's eco habits...

Bentleigh West Primary School's video produced in association with Closed Loop for the ARC competition in 2012.

When you use the internet have you thought just how much energy you're using? This story may give you some idea of just how much energy the wired world sucks down.

Many people in many developing countries seek out clean drinking water with much difficulty. But developed nations spend billions of dollars buying bottled water even though their respective countries provide clean drinking water from the tap.

Xing Long Village in Southern China's Yunnan Province was once a peaceful farming community. But when a factory dumped 5,000 tons of chromium 6 into a nearby reservoir, cancer rates in the village skyrocketed. The environmental damage and human suffering caused by the illegal disposal of chemicals has been devastating and largely unnoticed.

3D CG animated film. A debate between twins that have a different take on their environment.

We are totally dependent on our oceans. But, we're damaging them on a scale unimaginable to most people. Destructive fishing, polluting industries and climate change are threatening the survival of whole marine ecosystems, as species are driven towards extinction as their habitats are destroyed.

A story about the most environmentally polluting industrial project in the world, the Alberta Tar Sands, and the children who had the audacity to stand up against it.

This is a short video for the event Challenge Your World.

In order to show how vegetables are grown in New York, we reversed what the plants do: We harvest in spring what we filmed in fall.

Synaesthesia a phenomonon involving the blending of the senses. This short follows a character throughout his life and his experiences of being a synaesthete.

Freeband Communication and IIPIC share a vision of the future: a world in which information and communication technology render one's surroundings into a thinking and caring environment.

Vimeo awards finalist in 2010 (motion graphics) /// Best infotainment at Webcuts.10

A look at how television influences our eating choices.

Last year 5.2 billion pounds of seafood, including catfish, were imported into the United States from foreign countries. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspected a mere 2% of all those imports. That means, 98% of all those imports made it to our grocery shelves and restaurants with absolutely no FDA health and safety inspections.

People everywhere are making choices more connected with their values. We are simplifying our lives, buying less and living more because we know that the Earth provides enough to satisfy everyone's need, but not everyone's greed.

How did we get here, where are we going? This short film presents a historical overview of public and environmental health in the United States over the past century.

Created as a collaboration between World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Ben Lee and Leo Burnett, "Space Chimp" carries a message about our planet, and features Ben Lee's track, "Song for the Divine Mother of the Universe".

Making choices about overfishing and farmed fish - is it worth it?

We can fall for the oil industry hype and keep ourselves chained to a resource that's depleting and comes with ever increasing economic and environmental costs, or we can recognize that the days of cheap and abundant oil (not to mention coal and natural gas) are over.

The ecological price of extracting oil.

Commodities speculation has a very human cost. This video was produced for the documentary series HungryBeast on Australia's ABC1.

An investigation into the work ethics of the world's biggest tech company.

An insight into the human machine and it's consumption addiction.

We are at the start of the "Big Shift" away from the 20th century defined by hyper-consumption towards the 21st century, an age of Collaborative Consumption.

Collaborative Consumption describes old world behaviours, such as exchange, bartering that are now being enabled at scale, and across geographic boundaries by technology.

Hubberts peak oil graph animated... on transport. What happens after the oil crash.

The Economics of Happiness describes a world moving simultaneously in two opposing directions. On the one hand, government and big business continue to promote globalization and the consolidation of corporate power. At the same time, all around the world people are resisting those policies, demanding a re-regulation of trade and finance—and, far from the old institutions of power, they’re starting to forge a very different future.

Within 'Somewhere' We are transported to a time where the boundaries between what is real and what is simulated are blurred. We live online and download places to relax, parks and shopping malls.

Antonia is a 12 year old girl. She often has daydreams, in which she wanders of in to a magical far away forest, were she hides from the problems of the real world.

Richard Lang and Judith Selby Lang have been collecting plastic debris off one beach in Northern California for over ten years. Each piece of plastic Richard and Judith pick up comes back to their house, where it gets cleaned, categorized and stored before being used for their art.

Where Is ‘Away?’: Solving Plastic Pollution in 4-minutes, is the fourth short movie in professional surfer, Kyle Thiermann’s Surfing For Change series. It tracks a plastic bag that Kyle uses in his hometown of Santa Cruz California, all the way to the north shore of Oahu, demonstrating both the destruction and solutions along the way.