There is little doubt that countries in the Western world, most notably in North America, and increasingly in emerging economies such as China and India, are the most consumer-driven economies in world history. At the same time, it seems to be no coincidence that our consumerism-obsessed society has also experienced continually declining levels of happiness and fulfillment over the last several decades. Just start by looking at metrics surrounding areas like family breakdown, levels of stress-related disabilities, and social disconnectedness to name just a few…

In contrast, you often hear stories about villages in third world countries who suffer daily with unimaginable poverty and other hardships, and yet…and yet, live with joy through their dependence on each other for survival. How can this be?

Annie Leonard is an American critic of international trade, development, international sustainability and environmental health issues. She is best known for her web-based documentary about the lifecycle of goods and services in America (but still completely applicable to the other countries noted above). It’s called The Story of Stuff. Her documentary was first released in December 2007 and has had over 4 million views on her own Story of Stuff site alone (plus additional viewers through syndicated video networks).

The first three-quarters of her piece explains her view of the materials economy, a linear system that starts with extraction of resources, moves to production and distribution, then consumption and finally disposal. If this brings back bad memories of a macro-economics class, stay with us!  It’s actually a very interesting presentation of the bigger picture that we should all understand to start making better choices. Ralph Nader called the film “a model of clarity and motivation”.

While the foregoing is very interesting, what really grabs me is the opportunity for leaders to re-think a better model. One that still provides for what we need, but in a much more sustainable, equitable, green, zero waste, renewable and locally-based way.

And in doing so, how can whole communities that are left at the peril of the current model be better nurtured and revitalized in the process?

No one person, group or community can do this one alone. It is an entire paradigm shift that is needed throughout our society, along with a re-design and re-tooling of the existing economic infrastructure. More than that though, I think we need to look at how we can measure value in more than just economic terms. How can we design our system so that it serves all of our needs better…providing us with not only the tangible goods and services that we need (and less of what we just want and don’t need), but delivering them in a much more collaborative, community-based way?

This shift is beyond desirable, it’s imperative. The current model is not sustainable on many levels. And the good news…there are endless opportunities for community leaders (that’s you and me right !) to step in and find a niche to play in.

Have a listen – the video is a bit of a time investment (21 minutes), but well worth it…

For starters, Annie suggests 10 specific things we can each start doing to make a difference right now (check her web site for further explanation and other resources):

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Technorati Tags: community, consumerism, happiness, Leadership

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