StephanieCaouetteFilmAnnotation8


 * 1.** **Title, director and release year.**

The name of the film is Human Footprint by Clive Maltby and was released in 2008.


 * 2.** **What is the central argument or narrative of the film?**

The central argument of the film is that humans consume and waste a ton of resources throughout their lifetime. As humans we influence over 80% of the land, leaving very little untouched by our ways and having a huge impact on our environment. The film brings to light just how much the average American living just over 77 years consumes and wastes throughout their lifetime.


 * 3.** **What sustainability problems does the film draw out?**

The sustainability problem that was keyed in on the most was America’s rate of consuming. The film threw thousands of statistics at the viewer for example about how much milk you drink in a lifetime (13056 pints), or how much bread (4376 loaves) and not only showed the statistic but also showed that amount of product laid out. This consumer behavior also ties into the waste that is generated from the products we buy, for each item we buy most come wrapped in some type of protection which ultimately ends up as waste.

It brings to light the nature of our way of life, most of the products that we use we consider to be disposable and we just throw them away when we are done. They showed the appliances and garbage from packaging that each person throws out in a lifetime and it was humbling to see how much we really throw away and it makes you wonder where it is all going. Because of this overconsumption landfills are overflowing creating an even bigger sustainability problem. The statistics on one consumer product alone, diapers, was alarming; in 2 ½ years of life a baby uses over 3,796 diapers which takes 1898 pints of oil to create, the US goes through 18 billion disposable diapers per year and they take 500+ years to degrade.

Lastly, the film makes a good point of showing where everything travels. They captured average people doing actions we all do every day like washing their hands and taking showers and throws out the question of, where do you think all those chemicals go? It brings up the issue of all the chemicals and products being flushed down the drain or toilet and the chemicals that are being introduced into our environment each day. They also talked about the miles your food travels and what it takes to get it to you.


 * 4.** **What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?**

I think that the film did a really great job showing the enormity of the problem of consumer behavior, they explained using statistics as well as pictures so anyone watching could understand what was really going on and how they are impacting our world. The statistics that were most memorable for me were those on food. The fact that the average American drinks 13,056 pints of milk per lifetime, we eat 1,423 chickens and 4,376 loaves of bread per person a lifetime and as a nation we eat over a billion and a half pounds of food a day, 350 slices of pizza a second, and produce 210 million chicken eggs a day is astonishing and the numbers go on and on.

These numbers are so compelling because this in only one sector of what we do, eating is a small part of what we do each day and if we are using so much for just eating imagine all the other things we are doing and the waste created from them.


 * 5.** **What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by?**

I liked the informational value of the film, in terms of the statistics that it presented but I was not compelled by the 1-2 minute view of each item they were talking about. They spent a lot of time scanning over the mass amounts of food, or diapers or whatever they were talking about and it took away from the value of the film; a couple of seconds would have been just as compelling.

Also, in a film concentrating on waste and consumer behaviors they wasted a lot of food and products to show the viewer the problem. At one point they had 13056 pints of milk lined up on the street, which is a waste in itself. I found myself getting angry with the film because it was preaching about consuming and wasting and as they were doing the same thing.


 * 6.** **What additional information does this film compel you to seek out? Where do you want to dig deeper and what connections do you want to make with other issues, factors, problems, etc.?**

The part of the film that talked about the water we use in showers and the chemicals that are existent in our soaps and beauty products made me wonder what chemicals are actually in these products and what their effect on the environment is. Are they killing species or polluting water? Could they be harming our health when we use them? I never really think that hard about what goes into the bar of soap I use or my toothpaste I just figure it’s acceptable to use, which I’m sure many people do.


 * 7.** **What audiences does the film best address? What kind of imagination is fostered in viewers? Do you think the film is likely to change the way viewers think about and act on environmental problems?**

I think that the film is targeted at the American consumer, it was very blunt in showing what we are doing and the impact that we are having. The film did not leave much to the imagination of the viewer it pretty much just laid the facts out there, this is what you buy, this is what you consume, this is the waste trail you are leaving and it really hits you hard that as one person you are making such a huge impact. I think that it will change the mindset of the viewer, now that you have seen all the things that you do from a baby to senior citizen, it may make you consume a little less and think about your actions a little more.


 * 8.** **What kinds of action or points of intervention are suggested by the film?**

This was one of the first films that actually gave the viewer an outlet to reach out to in order to help the problem. Numerous times throughout the film they told the viewer about solutions to the problem and websites and organizations to contact in order to make a difference which was helpful.

I think that the film did a really good job showing the environmental ramifications of the actions that we are taking. If I had to add something to enhance the value of the film I would say that they could have tied in exactly how much water is used in all of the items we use as well as bathing and drinking and compare that on the grand scale to how much water we have left. **
 * 9.** **What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?**