'The Story of Stuff' Filmmaker to Offer UMass Amherst Earth Day Keynote Address

Environmental and health activist filmmaker Annie Leonard is the keynote speaker for Earth Day on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus on Monday, April 22 at 7 p.m. in Bowker Auditorium. She is the creator of the animated short documentary film, “The Story of Stuff,” which has been viewed over 10 million times worldwide. Leonard will also sign copies of her book, “The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession with Stuff is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities and Our Health, and a Vision for Change.”

 

Leonard will be available to speak to media representatives from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

 

Her 20-minute film, released in 2007, examines the materials economy, modern “throw away culture,” and how consumers can stop what she calls “a system in crisis” by changing our shopping habits and attitudes toward material possessions. The film traces commodities from raw material extraction in the Third World through production that often involves toxic chemicals, to consumer demand and finally to disposal in landfills. She discusses planned and perceived obsolescence strategies introduced in the 1950s that created a culture of waste and unsustainable use of natural and human resources.

 

Leonard has more than 20 years of experience investigating factories and dumps around the world and is a past coordinator of the Funders Workgroup for Sustainable Production and Consumption, communicating worldwide about the impact of consumerism and materialism on global economies and international health. Her work on sustainability and environmental health issues has included projects with Global Anti-Incinerator Alliance, Health Care without Harm, Essential Information and Greenpeace International.