Annie Leonard

What was the inspiration for your video, The Story of Stuff?

I recently took a workshop that was amazingly helpful. It is called the Rockwood Leadership Program. We would meet every three months and talk about our purpose. My purpose was that I believed there needed to be a paradigm shift in how we as people relate to materials as simple as the chair we sit on and the cup we drink out of, and how they come into being. They all thought I was bonkers. During all the years I have been working on these issues around the world, I always hid behind facts, jargon and big words that weren't easy for everyone to understand. It seemed that I would get to 'the point' twenty years later. I learned that if I wanted to relay the message of what I cared about, I needed to simplify things. At the end, I drew some of my ideas on the board and used stick figures as a joke to make my point. A woman in the class told me she would help me make a movie out of it. There it was.

When did you first become aware of environmental issues or, say, have your eco-awakening?

I grew up in Seattle. Every summer my family went camping. This is before people had DVD players in their cars, so we actually talked to each other. We noticed that we needed to drive further and further over the years to get to a campground. The countryside was being over taken by campus-type industrial parks that were ripping away at natural resources. I thought I was going to be a forest activist back then. So where did I end up? In New York City, naturally. I went to college at Barnard. I lived on 110th street and walked to class on 116th. While walking, I noticed all the garbage that was left out to be picked up and I wanted to know where it went. In my sophomore year, I went to the Fresh Kills landfill, and that changed my life. As far as you could see, there was trash: refrigerators, sofas, and more garbage. It was like an Impressionist painting of hell. I knew it was a major problem and it has been my career to look at the problem and find a solution.

What are three things you recommend to people who like to do their part but don't know where to begin?

Well, I have a ten-step plan on our website. I always hesitate to dictate because the possibilities are deliciously infinite and I don't like the idea of possibly stumping anyone. I like to say: Look at your own skill set. There is something that you are good at that might be a great thing for you to do. It's different for everyone. Pay attention to the dynamics that are encouraging you to shop. This is not an individual problem; we are not living in a vacuum. I shop—don't get me wrong. I just think that most people are not spending any time thinking about the structure and politics of what lies behind their consumerism.

What does green mean to you?

It means community. I live in an exceptional community. Over the past 15 years, a group of friends have bought up six houses all in a row. It's not a commune or anything like that, more like a commoditized neighborhood. We share the yard space, we share a pickup truck, a swing set, tools, pruning shears. I am not anti-stuff, but I've found that the best way to unplug is by building community. You have more space and more fun. It's a great lifestyle; we are lucky.

When was the last time you experienced an eco-conflict?

I'll tell you: I don't beat myself up over this stuff. It's not worth beating yourself up over individual compromises, and it's not an individual problem on the most part. Yesterday, I rode my bike to work and it started to pour rain, so today I drove my car. We can't all be held hostage by doing our part and falling short sometimes.

Is there a product or service that you wish were green but isn't?

Everything! Electronics drive me nuts just knowing the potential to make them better. What are they waiting for? Get the toxics out of them already. Make them more modular so when one piece breaks you don't have to replace the whole thing. Also cosmetics and body products: We have come to a place where these companies are just irresponsible putting poisonous chemicals in their products.

Have you met anyone memorable along the way?

I am grateful to have met so many amazing people along my path. There is this one couple in particular; I have a framed picture of them and their only living child in my home. In the Philippines where I have spent a lot of time, they have gigantic dumps. There are families of scavengers who spend their days in these dumps picking out resources, and there are endless resources for them to find to make a small amount of money. Well, this couple and their five children were all present when there was a huge landslide at the dump. They lost four children that day, and I find it reprehensible that these people have to live like that. The picture of the couple and their one remaining child reminds me to keep going with my message.

As a whole, do you believe we can right our wrongs and heal the planet?

Absolutely! That is the biggest point in the movie. We can choose to make better choices and get on this new path. The obsolescence principal was intentional—it was put upon us by the government and big business to generate money, and it's ruining our planet. We must be ready to make our own decisions and not be asleep to this kind of manipulation.

What can we ask kids to do beyond setting an example to de-program them from wanting so much stuff?

It's all in how we train the kids. Do you notice that there is more preparation to learn how to be a good consumer than there is to be a good citizen? Democracy means so much more than voting. We need to nurture citizenship in these kids. My daughter came home with a homework assignment on matching outfits or something. I am trying to nurture her with the concept of meaningful action. The other day she came home and told me her and her friend started a petition to stop the city from cutting off the water of people who couldn't pay their bills. I asked her why she was doing this and she said, 'Because Mom, water is essential to life!'