Children are known for asking questions about everything. “Why?” “How” and “What?” are the core of their thought and speech. But it seems like a lot of us stop asking when we grow up—and we shouldn’t. We should keep wondering—and keep questioning.

One person who is asking some very good questions is Annie Leonard, the writer, narrator and star of the online video called The Story of Stuff. You may have seen it already; more than 3 million people have!

The premise of the 20-minute film is simple: Against a white background and accompanied by simple line-drawing images that appear over her head, Leonard explains the process of where stuff comes from and where it goes. She identifies five stages—extraction, production, distribution, consumption, and disposal—and she pulls no punches. From the start, she declares that this linear system cannot work in a finite planet. But viewers must watch until the end to see Leonard’s proposed solution.

Highlights include:

• Companies hold the power. We’ve all heard that money is power. So what does it mean for the people when 51 of the world’s top 100 economies are not countries but companies? Whose interests are being served?

• We should be, primarily, consumers. (Or should we?) Remember after 9/11? As Leonard points out, the president could have recommended we do many things, including pray and hope. Instead, he urged us to shop. But he’s not the only one; ads are everywhere.

• Planned obsolescence and perceived obsolescence lead to increased consumption. Manufacturers design products to break sooner than before. (I think of my grandmother and her Hoover vacuum. It lasted decades. I’ve just replaced my vacuum for the second time in 13 years.)

• Toxins are everywhere. Natural resources are mixed with more than 100,000 toxins—only a very small portion of which have been tested for safety—during the production phase.

• Babies are at greatest risk. Mother’s milk is heavily concentrated with toxic chemicals that permeate our world. (It serves as a reminder that toxins are everywhere; breastfeeding is still best.)

The video provides a chilling wake-up call to the world we are creating through the work-watch-spend cycle. Remember the moment in the Wizard of Oz when the curtain is pulled back and the entire depressing truth is revealed? You may feel a little like that when you see this. (The stakes are just higher than returning to Kansas or getting a diploma. Much higher.)

So, what’s the take-home message? Help change the system. Move towards a model of stewardship, sustainability, and equity. Throw out the old linear model and embrace a cyclical model.

Although there isn’t one simple solution to this complex problem, ten particular suggestions are provided elsewhere on the site. These include: power down, waste less, talk about the issues, make your voice heard, detox your body/home/economy, unplug the electronics, drive less and walk more, recycle, and make political changes. To sum, “buy green, buy fair, buy local, buy used, and most importantly, buy less.” (Check the source for more specific details. There’s sure to be something every reader can easily change.)

Whew! This may seem like a tall order. At least, as Leonard points out, the pervasive nature of the problem means that there are many opportunities for change.