KU Leuven - LCHH2 Health Humanities Lecture Series 2025-2026

Dear all,

The Leuven Centre for Health Humanities organises a yearly lecture series and we would love to invite you!

This year’s lecture series explores the entangled relations between nature and health. Bringing together perspectives from medical history, psychology, disability studies, colonial studies, and environmental humanities, the talks examine how ideas of nature have shaped — and have been shaped by — practices of care, control, and coexistence. Topics range from the rise of disposable medical technologies and their environmental costs, to colonial disease management at the cattle frontier, and from the ambivalent role of “nature” in the lives of people with disabilities to contemporary debates on the restorative effects of natural environments. The series also turns to the microbial world, challenging human exceptionalism and rethinking health as multispecies interdependence rather than biological mastery. Together, these lectures invite critical reflection on sustainability, vulnerability, and care, and offer new ways of imagining health in a world where human and nonhuman lives are profoundly interconnected.

Join us online and on campus, at KU Leuven, for a series of inspiring health humanities talks.

You can find more information about the lectures and how to register here:

Health Humanities Lecture Series 2025-2026 — 
Leuven Centre for Health Humanities (LCH²)

Best wishes,

Lore Delahaye (she/her)
Administrative Support

KU Leuven
Doctoral School for Humanities and Social Sciences
Blijde Inkomstraat 5, box 3000
3000 Leuven

https://ghum.kuleuven.be/phd

Remember (if you can) in each care domain ...

... there is an elephant in the 'room'!

individual

|

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

humanistic -------------------------------------------  mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

|

group-population

	© Charlie Bibby/FT 'Game of tag:  the label on Ikea's elephant is almost twice its height'

    

'If there is one product that symbolises the absurdities of the EU's single market in goods, it might be a cuddly elephant. The Djungelskog toy from Ikea may only be 12cm tall and cost less than €2, but it has a 20cm-long label protruding from its behind.

Environmental rules from France and EU textile legislation account for much of the length. But the elongated label reflects a strategic even a philosophical, problem for Europe as its companies battle to compete globally.

The single market in goods should be the EU's crowning achievement. Compared with free movement of people, services or capital, it is the area that has come furthest in more than 30 years since the common market was established.

Yet there remain small, often invisible barriers to trade that, taken together, amount to what the IMF estimates is a drag on Europe's economy equivalent to a tariff of 44 per cent.'

RICHARD MILNE - OSLO and SAM JOINER - LONDON, Elephant in the room hampers frictionless EU trade, FTWeekend, 6-7 December 2025, p.6.

Related?

Jones, P. (1996) Nursing Technology and Elephants - Part 1: Technology as a beast of burden. IT in Nursing. 8,1,4-6.

Jones, P. (1996) Nursing Technology and Elephants - Part 2: Technology as a serpent. IT in Nursing. 8,2,5-7.

Jones, P. (1996) Nursing Technology and Elephants - Part 3: Technology rope to save humanity and health care, IT in Nursing. 8,3,5-7.

NPR: What is your wish to improve life on earth in 2025?

Dola Sun for NPR

With thanks to NPR, 'an independent, nonprofit media organization that was founded on a mission to create a more informed public'. NPR asked 11 global health professionals to share their wishes for 2025.

Read in full here:
https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/01/06/g-s1-40820/2025-world-wishes-haiti-bird-flu

We asked global thinkers how to improve life on earth in 2025. Here are their wishes

My wish: Honor the legacy of Jimmy Carter Dr. Ifeanyi M. Nsofor, project director, VaxSocial HPV Vaccination Initiative, Nigeria

My wish: World, awaken to the medical emergency in Haiti Dr. Ousmane Abdoulaye, Port-au-Prince in Haiti, medical coordinator, Haiti Mission, ALIMA — The Alliance for International Medical Action

My wish: Nothing too grand. Just a small wish that things for us go back as they were three years ago — when women could go to parks or markets but most of all go to school. Maryam S., Afghanistan, former Master's student of Pashto literature. She asked to be identified by her first name only out of fear that her criticism of Taliban policies would put her and her family in danger.

My wish: Make monumental strides in using advanced technology to detect emerging pathogens Dr. Abraar Karan, physician and researcher, Division of Infectious Diseases & Geographic Medicine, Stanford University

My wish: Let us recognize that violence has never been the true solution to conflict KR Raja, Madurai, India, lawyer advocating for criminal justice reform and the founder of the Indian charity Global Network for Equality, which supports children orphaned by crime

My wish: I dream of a future where there are safe and healthy conditions for workers, where they are free of discrimination and can earn a fair wage. Ashila Dandeniya, Colombo, Sri Lanka, founder and director of the Stand Up Movement, a women-led organization that advocates for workers' rights.

My wish: Make progress in developing treatments to reduce deaths and complications from dengue André Siqueira, head of the Dengue Global Programme at Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative and public health researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation's National Infectious Diseases Institute in Brazil

My wish: For trekkers and travelers to help clean up the waste they leave behind — and to help protect our natural treasures Raj Kumar Shrestha, trekking guide, Kathmandu, Nepal, and founder of Let's Clean Up Nepal, an environmental conservation organization

My wish: Use digital innovation to enable health workers to deliver their care, especially in places where resources are constrained Dr. Junaid Nabi, public health researcher specializing in health-care reform and innovation, and a senior fellow at the Aspen Institute and a Millennium Fellow at the Atlantic Council

My wish: May the year bring peace to the world Dr. Atsbha Merhawit, Ayder Hospital, specialty in endocrinology and diabetes, Mekelle, Ethiopia

My wish: Follow the rules of war regarding the welfare of children Joe English, New York, N.Y., emergency communication specialist for UNICEF ==

What is your wish for 2025?

Best wishes, Neil

HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil AT hifa.org

n.b. My wish: That "Hodges' Health Career - Care Domains - Model" continues to emerge as a generic conceptual framework shared and understood by all learners for lifelong learning.

Thanks Neil. I will post this with HIFA link.

Geneva Health Forum and AXA Launch €50,000 Grand Jet d’Or de Genève Award to Address Pollution's Impact on Human Health

Since 2006, the Geneva Health Forum (GHF) has been uniting stakeholders to address critical global health issues every two years. By amplifying the voices of field experts and facilitating connections with influential policymakers, the forum provides a platform for showcasing innovative, accessible, and sustainable practices, as well as significant initiatives. Through its editions, the GHF has emerged as a pivotal event in addressing global health challenges.

For its 10th edition, from May 27 – 29, 2024, the GHF will address crucial issues for our future under the theme “Health, A Common Good!” The GHF transcends the boundaries of the healthcare system, considering the social and environmental determinants of health, with a specific focus on how environmental degradation is profoundly impacting human health.

As part of its mission to advance academic research on key societal challenges and contribute to human progress, the AXA Research Fund (https://axa-research.org/) AXA Group’s global science philanthropy launched in 2008, is teaming up with the GHF in this endeavor.

In light of this collaboration, the Geneva Health Forum (GHF) is introducing a new call for the Grand Jet d’Or de Genève Award, in partnership with the AXA Research Fund: Health & medical solutions to address the adverse effects of pollution on humans.

The World Health Organization estimates that exposure to air pollution is responsible for about 7 million premature deaths worldwide each year. Addressing pollution-related health issues is crucial, as underscored on May 24, 2023, by the World Health Assembly's resolution “WHA76.17 - The impacts of chemicals, waste, and pollution on human health.” The resolution calls upon Member States to work on human health impacts associated with plastics, act on linkages between chemicals, waste, pollution and other health priorities, as well as to prepare a proposal for a science-policy panel to contribute to the sound management of chemicals and waste.

Pollution is a major global health issue, affecting human health by causing respiratory diseases, heart problems, and cancer due to exposure to pollutants in the air, water, and soil. Specific attention has been given to pollutants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are linked to cancer, thyroid disease, and developmental issues. Other pollutants such as heavy metals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and indoor air pollutants, present serious health risks, including neurological damage, reproductive disorders, and respiratory illnesses, highlighting the broad impact of pollution on human wellbeing.

Building on this international momentum, the Grand Jet d’Or de Genève 2024 will focus on the nexus of pollution and its health impacts.

The objective of the Grand Jet d’Or de Genève Award is to support an research team engaged in researching or implementing research-based projects with a focus on health treatment, measurements, use of data, and community involvement in addressing pollution-related health issues. The proposed projects must demonstrate their potential to change health practices and improve health outcomes in relation to pollution of air, water and soil, including but not limited to PFAS. Multidisciplinary teams exploring innovative practices or tools will be favoured.

The projects should not only focus on preventive measures to reduce pollution in the environment, but also encompass a broader scope, including assessing existing pollution, removing pollutants from the body and environment, developing medical solutions for pollution-related diseases, and finding ways to enhance health despite existing pollution.

The call will be open from March 11 to April 21, 2024, midnight (CET). Applications must be submitted online in English.

The Scientific Committee will select the top seven applications, which will then be submitted to the Programme Committee for the final selection of the winner. The award- winning research group will be announced on Tuesday, May 27, 2024, after the first day of the Geneva Health Forum, in the presence of the winning team.

The Grand Jet d’Or de Genève Award carries a prize of €50,000, awarded by the AXA Research Fund.

To prepare your proposal, you can view the complete proposal form:
https://grandjetdor2024form.genevahealthforum.com

If you need more information: contact AT genevahealthforum.com

HIFA* Profile: Eric Comte is Executive Director, Geneva Health Forum, External Affairs Directorate, Geneva University Hospitals. Email: eric.comte AT unige.ch

*My source.

Mary Mattingly - "Life of Objects" 2013

INDIVIDUAL

|

     INTERPERSONAL    :     SCIENCES               

HUMANISTIC --------------------------------------  MECHANISTIC      

SOCIOLOGY  :   POLITICAL 

|

GROUP

	Mary Mattingly - "Life  of Objects" 2013

"Mary Mattingly's work Life of Objects (2013) is part sculpture, part performance piece. It forces the viewer to feel the weight of an irregular sphere of the artist's collected and nearly discarded possessions. The visceral experience of seeing this trash boulder pinning the artist to the floor communicates the harms of overconsumption perhaps more strongly than familiar reminders to reduce, reuse,and recycle." p.278. 

With thanks to: Mary Mattingly - Artist

My source:
Chianese, R.L. Sculpting Science, American Scientist, Sept-Oct 2022: 110;5. pp. 276-281.

ERCIM News No. 132 Special theme: "Cognitive AI and Cobots"

Dear ERCIM News reader,

ERCIM News No. 132 has just been published. This issue features a special theme "Cognitive AI and Cobots" showcasing remarkable achievements from research teams in Europe.  

This special theme was coordinated by our guest editors Theodore Patkos (ICS-FORTH) and Zsolt Viharos (SZTAKI).

Thank you for your interest in ERCIM News. Please forward this message to anyone who might be interested. We also appreciate you following and talking about us on Twitter @ercim_news and other social media.

[ Includes:

Cognitive Mimetics and Human Digital Twins – Towards Holistic AI Design
by Antero Karvonen (VTT) and Pertti Saariluoma (Jyväskylä University). p.17.

"Industry is just one example. AI will gradually change the way
people live and work and how society operates. Therefore, it
makes sense to develop AI design as a holistic process in
which social and technical aspects of intelligent technologies
can be simultaneously considered. Such new design practice
can be called holistic AI design. Cognitive mimetics and HDTs
provide key elements in such AI design." p.18.*

Cognitive Machine Argumentation
by Antonis Kakas (University of Cyprus). p.21.

Personalisation of Humanoid Robots: Serious Games for Older Adults Based on Biographical
Memories
by Benedetta Catricalà, Marco Manca, Fabio Paternò, Carmen Santoro and Eleonora Zedda (ISTI-CNR). p.28.

Food Waste Reduction in Healthcare – Challenges in Integrating Usage Data with Scorings
by Johann Steszgal (Steszgal Informationstechnologie GmbH), Peter Kieseberg (St. Pölten UAS) and, Andreas Holzinger (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna). p.37.
Additional note PJ ]

Next issue:
No. 133,  April 2023
Special Theme: "Data infrastructures and management". Submissions are welcome!

---

About ERCIM

ERCIM - the European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics - aims to foster collaborative work within the European research community and to increase co-operation with European industry. Leading European research institutes are members of ERCIM. ERCIM is the European host of W3C.

Subscribe to the ERCIM News quarterly alert

Peter Kunz                      	
ERCIM Office
2004, Route des Lucioles
BP93
F-06902 Sophia Antipolis Cedex

https://www.ercim.eu
https://ercim-news.ercim.eu 
--------------------------------
@ercim_news
http://twitter.com/ercim_news

join the ERCIM Linkedin Group
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/81390/

*Hodges' model is ideal for initial scoping, planning, and holistic assurance throughout research, study processes and (case) formulation. The model provides ready-to-mind access to conceptual inter- multi- transdisciplinary bridges (even as we struggle to define the latter), e.g. socio-technical. 

Immediately preceding the above quotation, Karvonen and Saariluoma write:

"Arriving at this point via the cognitive mimetic route yields a deep and rich picture of human-technology co-agency in industrial processes." p.17.

A 'rich picture' (Checkland) is a feasible output of Hodges' model (extending Karvonen and Saariluoma's context). Clinically, this might comprise a 'comprehensive' assessment, or case formulation. It is bounded, guided by being situated, while the clinician's experience and patient's is built up across several encounters (appointments/home visits...). Unpopulated, initially (please see the template in the sidebar) the model serves as an aide-mémoire, an inner critical friend, helping to sustain values, and person-centredness. At a one-to-one(-group) level  integrated care, that is, parity of esteem across physical and mental health, a professional attitude and disposition to practise through unconditional positive regard remain key competencies. Each contact can act as its own 'reset', another blank sheet/slate: what can we learn together on this occasion? In some contexts this 'pause' can assist in risk management and safety - ensuring that the rich picture, and the knowledge gained thus far, does not mean things are taken for granted.

Paper: "Control, Extract, Legitimate: COVID-19 and Digital Techno-opportunism across Africa" + Noma

Earlier this month in draft papers iii I mentioned a lengthy draft 12k words ... "Society, Technology and COVID19 in Hodges' model" which needs revision (COVID-19 waits for no person):

"COVID's source, global spread, national responses, and management are politicised; a memetic and geopolitical viral response (Kavanagh, Singh and Pillinger, 2021). The hope remains that globally we will get a grip of COVID and learn collectively; even as politics is in play (The Lancet. 2021). COVID revealed itself as signs and symptoms were reported and aggregated, patterns identified, and advice modified accordingly. Routine news was interrupted by a daily round of COVID briefings by governments, their representatives and
experts. Charts and statistics were presented, numbers crunched (mechanistically, of course). Some governments, in denial, face a legal charge. Comparisons of national cases and deaths are ongoing, hard truths (proverbial ‘cock-ups’) explained away — rationalised. The global distribution of COVID vaccinations, influenza and booster jabs, lays bare colonial traces of inequity and inequality. A further twist of the south and north seasonal oscillation.

COVID-19 is striking, simultaneously creating opacity and transparency. Accentuated and aggravated by populist governments, COVID is now marked as a pandemic and infodemic (Cinelli, et al, 2020). Post hoc governments and academia must understand the societal and cultural ramifications of news generation, dissemination, and outcomes."

Socio-technical approaches feature on this blog, in a published paper (bibliography) and in Hodges' model. Socio-Technical can help assure success but they must be tempered - shaped - by taking into consideration the individual (user's) psychology, benefit; and the political aspects - what are the costs, collective benefits and governance?

The following paper stood out on twitter (COVID-19 is not a laggard in keeping pace with robots it seems) and will inform my update of the above:

Platzky Miller, J., Sander, A. and Srinivasan, S. (2022), Control, Extract, Legitimate: COVID-19 and Digital Techno-opportunism across Africa. Dev Change. https://doi.org/10.1111/dech.12734

 INDIVIDUAL

|

 INTERPERSONAL    :     SCIENCES               

HUMANISTIC --------------------------------------  MECHANISTIC      

SOCIOLOGY  :   POLITICAL 

|

GROUP

logic(s)? . Fear - COVID-19 attitudes - receptivity (Expectations: now - future? Such actions spoil/taint technology.) individual psychology the 'user' (active/passive..)	socio-TECHNICAL robots digital solutions track and trace apps and vaccine passports (rate of failure) Life - Bio-Sciences TECHNO-
SOCIO-technical Societies Sustainable Development (Goals?) Social development, history Logics of control, extraction and legitimation Social Determinants of Health	OPPORTUNISM Political role of public health emergencies in Africa Rwandan government ZoraBots, a Belgian company Commercial Determinants of Health Colonialism: control, power Governance Neglected Neglected diseases - Noma?

My source:

How many lives did a robot save fighting #COVID19 in Rwanda? Short answer: ~none. Long answer: that's not the point. A collab bw @RwandaGov, @Undp and a Belgian robot firm, it's one example of rampant techno-opportunism across #Africa during the pandemic, with worrying effects... pic.twitter.com/6FWtlLR8b8

— Sharath Srinivasan (@sharath_sri) October 22, 2022

Plus: Re. Noma ...

Ioana Cismas (York) - What's in a Frame? A Human Rights Approach to Neglected Tropical Diseases - https://www.york.ac.uk/cahr/events/2022/justice-in-global-health-workshop/

https://philevents.org/event/show/101162

Concept Note in Support of the Inclusion of Noma (Cancrum Oris) on the World Health Organization List of Neglected Tropical Diseases (Commissioned by the Government of Namibia, 2016), 6 pp. (with Marie-Solène Adamou Moussa-Pham).

Srour, M. L., & Baratti-Mayer, D. (2020). Why is noma a neglected-neglected tropical disease?. PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 14(8), e0008435. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0008435

22nd UKSS International Conference

22nd UKSS International Conference

20th & 21st June 2022
at Lancaster University

Joined-up Thinking  for a Disconnected World

In every age, there is a turning point, a new way of seeing and asserting the coherence of the world.  J. Bronowski

About this event

As we emerge from the Covid pandemic, it is abundantly clear that we, the human race, share the same ecological systems and have the same survival instincts. However, we treat things in a piecemeal fashion in our day-to-day existence and conveniently forget that all our lives are entwined. We, the human race generating waste and creating pollution, cannot blame anyone else. Never has thought in a joined-up way been more critical. It is appropriate this year that the conference is hosted at the University of Lancaster that, under Peter Checkland, has done so much to stimulate Systems Thinking and Practice. To this end, the conference committee agreed that the theme should focus upon the value of systems thinking and practice and encourage contributions from across the spectrum of human concerns where the notion of holism is at its core.

 

Planning to attend ... See you there?

 

Previously:

https://hodges-model.blogspot.com/search?q=UKSS

ERCIM News No. 116 Special theme "Transparency in Algorithmic Decision Making"

Dear ERCIM News Reader,

ERCIM News No. 116 has just been published at https://ercim-news.ercim.eu/

This issue includes:

- a Keynote by Sabine Theresia Köszegi, presenting the EU High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence.

- a Special Theme "Transparency in Algorithmic Decision Making", coordinated by the guest editors Andreas Rauber (TU Wien and SBA), Roberto Trasarti and Fosca Giannotti (ISTI-CNR), providing an overview of the range of activities in this domain.

- the section Research and Society about Ethics in Research, jointly coordinated by ERCIM (Claude Kirchner, Inria) and Informatics Europe (James Larrus, EPFL)

- the section "Research and Innovation" with news about research activities and innovative developments from European research institutes.

This issue is also available for download in pdf and ePub.

Thank you for your interest in ERCIM News. Feel free to forward this message to anyone who might be interested.

Next issue:
No. 117,  April 2019
Special Theme: "5G"

Peter Kunz                       
ERCIM Office
2004, Route des Lucioles
BP93
F-06902 Sophia Antipolis Cedex

"Socio-Technical - Infrastructures ?" (inc. Adult content)

Please note this blog post includes adult content - 'The Moderators'.

individual

|

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

humanistic ----------------------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

|

group

psychological support ?	Field of Vision - The Moderators from Field of Vision on Vimeo.
	financial support ?

My source: Fortson, D. (2018) Shocking world of the web content guardians, Business & Money, The Sunday Times, 14 October, p.5.

Hodges' model DoB = early 1980s. So it's obsolescent?

No Way!

The model is more relevant than ever...

individual

|

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

humanistic --------------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

|

group

The 'discerning' customer

P PR PRI PRIN PRODUCE - PRODUCT chuck, drop, dump, bin. throw, fling, tip DISPOSABLE - DURABLE [left] 20% ink? How many ink cartridges do you need? How many blades...? ---------------------------- engineering

The discerning market?

"In passing the "Hamon Law," as it's known, in 2014, France became the first country in the world to open the door to sanctions for the widespread manufacturing practice of "planned obsolescence" - creating products pre-designed for failure at some point so that consumers will be enticed to replace them. Specifically, the legislation outlaws "the use of techniques whereby the person responsible for placing a product on the market deliberately aims to reduce its lifetime in order to increase the replacement rate." David Schrieberg

Forbes.com David Schrieberg - Landmark French Lawsuit Attacks Epson, HP, Canon And Brother For 'Planned Obsolescence'

Halte à l’Obsolescence Programmée (HOP)

My source: Sage, A. French have last word on printers, The Times, September 20, 2017, p.40-41.

tear Here - Build There: c/o Brandt (Denver & Taylor)

individual

|

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

humanistic ---------------------------------------  mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

|

group

He was born in the summer  of his 27th year...	Nick Brandt: Inherit the Dust
...coming home to a  place he'd never been  before. He left  yesterday behind him,  you might say he was  born again, you might say he found a  key for every door...	... Now his life is full of wonder, but his heart still knows some fear, of a simple thing he can not comprehend. Why they try to tear the mountains down to bring in a couple more, more people, more scars upon the land...  (Denver)

Quality of Life = Quality of All Life?

Photograph:
Nick Brandt: INHERIT THE DUST

Words: Denver, J. Rocky Mountain High (video)

My source:
Kenya's Lost Eden, The Sunday Times Magazine, April 3 2016, pp.26-29.

PC footprints 1981 - 2010

At the Eden Project there is a sculpture which depicts the e-hardware an average Jo will use and dispose of in a lifetime (those teeth are made up of computer mouse). Overall this amounts to 3.3 tonnes.

I've listed this before on W2tQ, but my micro - PC footprint runs as follows:

• Sinclair ZX81 - 1981
• BBC microcomputer model 'B'
• BBC Master 128 - 1986
• Elonex 286 PC
• Dell 486 PC
• MacBook Pro - October 2008
• Evesham Pentium 4 PC - November 2002

This w/e after Drupalcon I am adding to my pile. I've managed very well, but it is definitely time for a new PC.

Additional link:
http://weeeman.org/html/impact/about.html

Don't waste energy - use a care plugin...

How often do policy makers refer to "joined-up care" while at the same time they strive for efficiency and effectiveness and the confusion that can arise there? As health and social care teams fall over themselves (efficiently) to deliver integrated and holistic care, they are also under pressure to attend to economy of effort. Resources are precious and must not be squandered. So often, despite the best efforts, the dots are not joined and the required rapid response falls short in terms of delivering interventions in the community that can prevent relapse and unnecessary admission.

There is no magic formula for success.

The management of complex care is - complex! There will always be the exceptions that challenge the scintillatingly best qualified, evidence based savvy, fully integrated, IT literate, multidisciplinary, Olympic standard health and social care team.

Given how readily we are seduced by the words we use, there is more holistic value to be found.

It needs to be discovered though -

So don't waste energy -

join all the dots and think holistically!

Image with many thanks: John Eric Hughes

The Story of Stuff - a 20min video

What is the Story of Stuff?

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.