Science books in America don’t have enough doom and gloom in them. They certainly don’t paint a comprehensive picture of humans polluting and destroying the planet.
What do you do when science texts aren’t up to the job? Resort to videos, which don’t have to stick to the facts so closely.
The NY Times reports on “A Cautionary Video About America’s ‘Stuff’”:
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.
Teachers admit that it’s because the science texts just weren’t scary enough:
many educators say the video is a boon to teachers as they struggle to address the gap in what textbooks say about the environment and what science has revealed in recent years.
Stand by for a new generation of anti-capitalist greenies.
(via Catallaxy)