Annie Leonard to Deliver Keynote Address at Annual Conference

Published on: June 7, 2010

Written by: WDNStaff

Annie Leonard, Director of the Story of Stuff Project and author of The Story of Stuff (Free Press, March 2010), will give the keynote address at our Annual Conference in Philadelphia this November 4-7. She will speak on the topic of the global consequences of US economic and foreign policies, and the impact of American free market ideologies on women and girls. Leonard will explore these global/domestic linkages and also share alternative approaches that are rethinking cultural and economic “norms.” Her innovative work was recently featured in the LA Times.

More about Annie Leonard:

In December 2007, Annie released The Story of Stuff, a hit 20-minute webfilm that takes viewers on a provocative and eye-opening tour of the often hidden costs of our consumer driven culture. The Story of Stuff has generated over 10 million views in more than 200 countries and territories since its launch, making it one of the most successful environmental-themed viral films of all time. The film has won numerous awards, including a South by Southwest Festival award, and in 2008 Annie was named one of Time Magazine’s Heroes of the Environment.

Annie has spent nearly two decades investigating and organizing on environmental health and justice issues, traveling to over 40 countries to visit the factories where our stuff is made and the dumps where it ends up. Annie’s films, writing and presentations combine solid information and first hand investigative reporting with a profound sense of hope that we can, indeed must, find a more sustainable way to meet our material needs.

Prior to directing the Story of Stuff Project, Annie worked for the Funders Workgroup for Sustainable Production & Consumption, the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), Health Care Without Harm, Essential Action and Greenpeace International. She is currently on the boards of the International Forum on Globalization and GAIA and has previously served on the Boards of the Grassroots Recycling Network, the Environmental Health Fund, Global Greengrants India and Greenpeace India.

Annie did her undergraduate studies at Barnard College, Columbia University and graduate work in City and Regional Planning at Cornell University. She resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.

For details and updates on our 2010 conference, visit the Annual Conference section of our website.

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