The Story of Stuff
by Annie Leonard
The Story of Stuff examines the often hidden environmental, social and health impacts of the mounting piles of stuff in our lives. Annie Leonard provides facts, analyses and stories gathered in over a decade of visiting the factories where our stuff is made and the dumps where it is disposed around the world. From interviewing garment workers sewing Disney pajamas in Haiti to survivors of the biggest chemical industrial disaster in history in Bhopal, India, The Story of Stuff takes us on a journey complete with scientific facts, personal stories and signs of hope – examples of people working for safe and sustainable alternatives to our current take-make-waste system. Embedded in Leonard’s approach is not just solid information and first hand investigative reporting, but a profound sense of hope that we can, indeed must, find a more sustainable way to meet our material needs. You may never look at all the stuff in your life the same again.
(for the full article and multimedia experience, click here: OM-Times June 2010 Edition)
“Annie Leonard’s is the rare voice who can pose fundamental questions about our economic system without alienating or frightening her audience. With The Story of Stuff, she provides not only a comprehensive look at what’s broken, but a bridge to a whole new economic, social and environmental reality.” ~ James Gustave Speth, author of The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability
“When Annie Leonard came to work at our Center, she brought a special character-a dynamic curiosity, a willingness to scour the countries of the Earth to understand and document solid and chemical wastes’ production, consumption and disposal, the intellectual and emotional intelligence to mobilize everyone she could reach to respect the ecosphere, and health and safety concerns.
Those dynamic energies permeate her galvanizing, exciting and fascinating book. You will be bouncing up and down as you are drawn through its pages, graphics and engrossing stories. Annie Leonard not only knows The Story of Stuff – she has the right stuff!” ~ Ralph Nader
“Where others have documented countless challenges to the Earth and its inhabitants, Annie Leonard has accomplished the rare feat of defining the systemic nature of the problems we face, and offering solutions that get to the heart of the matter. Whether you are redesigning industry and commerce, or simply imagining a better world for your grandchildren’s grandchildren, Annie’s work will engage you. Read it and be inspired into action.” ~ Ray C. Anderson, Founder and Chairman, Interface, Inc.
Published by Free Press, March 9, 2010.
