You may have already seen the video – since it has millions of YouTube hits and she was on the Colbert Report - but it’s important and even kind of shocking. Even for those who already know the planet’s going to hell in a handbasket.

I’m interviewing Annie Leonard later today. She’s the author of “The Story of Stuff,” as well as the video of the same name that, the first time I watched it, gave me chest pains about five minutes in. It’s extremely well-done and there’s a lot of important stuff to learn. And, even for the most crazed global warming denier, this tale of the birth, life, and death of our products, makes a lot of sense. If it helps, Glenn Beck hates her, so you know she has to be doing something right. And the production – though simple – works well. Especially for people like me, who don’t remember what they had for breakfast this morning. There’s another great video on the concept of cap-and-trade on the site, if you want to figure out what that means.