Story Of Stuff Creator Annie Leonard Speaks Out On Rampant Consumerism And The Social And Environmental Consequences

BOSTON/Jamaica Plain - Annie Leonard says she's obsessed with stuff.

"A fascinating neurosis" she calls it; constantly thinking about the life cycle of anything she picks up, from pens to cell phones to bottled water. Where it came from, how it's made, and what happens when it's thrown away. The result of all this analyzing forms the backbone of the "Story of Stuff," an internet based series of animated films.

Leonard documents how many of the consumer products we buy, use, and throw away are made with chemicals and other materials that never go away. She explains how babies are born "pre-polluted." The Environmental Working Group, she points out, did a study and found 200 industrial and agricultural chemicals present in the umbilical cords of newborns.

All of which, she says, helps explain threatened human immune systems and unprecedented numbers of people suffering from cancers and other diseases.

Her public work is not without detractors. Following a recent appearance on the Fox Network's Glenn Beck program she received death threats.

On Friday, October 22nd, she presented the "Story of Stuff" to an audience of nearly 300 people attending the Jamaica Plain Forum at the First Unitarian Universalist Church in JP.

OMB Audio Annie Leonard at Jamaica Plain Forum (30:30)

Web Resources

http://www.storyofstuff.com
http://www.jamaicaplainforum.org