The Story of Stuff - Annie Leonard [205]
I am grateful to Idelisse Malave, one of the first to see the potential of the Story of Stuff project, and her colleagues at the Tides Center Cathy Lerza and Chris Herrera, for their invaluable guidance and support.
The 20-minute internet film that first brought the Story of Stuff to over 8 million people (and counting) worldwide would not have been possible without the genius creative team at Free Range Studios: Producer Erica Priggen, Director Louis Fox, Animator extraordinaire Ruben DeLuna along with Jonah Sachs, Emily Weinstein, Liz Kuehl and Ross Nover. Free Range’s Amy Hartzler and Chris Brunell also helped with the images for this book cover.
I am grateful to the Funders Workgroup for Sustainable Production and Consumption, who provided encouragement, support and friendship in getting this message out: Jennie Curtis, Stuart Clarke, Scott Denman, Jon Jensen, Daniel Katz, Cathy Lerza, Jenny Russell, Ina Smith, Don Weeden, Darryl Young, Pam Allen, Nikhil Aziz, Tim Crosby, and Valentine Doyle.
The staff of the Story of Stuff Project—especially Allison Cook and Michael O’Heaney—kept our project moving forward while I focused on writing this book. Their skill and dedication is unsurpassed. I am also grateful to the members of the Story of Stuff Advisory Board (Stuart Baker, Jennie Curtis, Omar Freilla, Ken Geiser, Michael Maniates, Erica Priggen, Beverly Thorpe, Darryl Young) and the Community Board (Lorna Apper, Nikhil Aziz, Andy Banks, Colin Beavan, Bill Bigelow, Gary Cohen, Lafcadio Cortesi, Josh Farley, Reverend Harper Fletcher, Ilyse Hogue, Danny Kennedy, Mateo Nube, Dara O’Rourke, Richard Oram, David Pellow, Maritza Schafer, Bryony Schwan, Robert Shimeck, Ted Smith, Betsy Taylor, Pamela Tuttle, Aditi Vaidya, Monica Wilson). Scott Denman, Jeff Conant, Nathan Embretson, Babken DerGrigorian, Chris Naff, and Jodi Solomon have also contributed greatly to the SOS Project.
Thanks to those who provided funding for the Story of Stuff Project: the 11th Hour Project, the Artnz Family Foundation, the Jenifer Altman Foundation, the Fund for the Environment and Urban Life, Garfield Foundation, Grassroots International, The Overbrook Foundation, Johnson Family Foundation, Wallace Global Fund, Lia Fund, Park Foundation, Singing Field Foundation, Solidago Foundation, Peter Buckley, Jack Paxton, and many individual donors. Thank you for making our work possible.
I am immensely grateful to the many thousands of viewers of Story of Stuff who wrote letters and emails to me sharing the insights and insights that the film inspired.
A special thanks to Raffi Cavoukian, for making me laugh and for always reminding me to honor children. A society that truly honors our children, as Raffi advocates, would never permit waging war to secure oil or putting neurotoxins in furniture.
Experience is the best teacher and I have learned about the invaluable benefits of living in community by experiencing it day in and day out. I thank the people with whom I share backyards, bikes, garden tools, meals, adventures, and love: Bill Barclay, Andre Carothers, Faik Cimen, Lafcadio Cortesi, Adam Dawson, Cathy Fogel, Maureen Graney, Bryon and Cindy Hann, John Harvey, Andrea Hurd, Firuzeh Mahmoudi, Deborah Moore, Sloane and Nick Morgan, and Joanne Welsch.
While I worked on weekends, researching the data about how Americans work too much and neglect their families, a team of friends whisked my daughter away and kept her entertained. Thanks to Jane Fry, Lisa Hunter, Christie Keith, Josue Revolorio, Danny Kennedy, Miya Yoshitani, Jeremiah Holland, Michelle Hammond, Michael Cohen, Leigh Raiford, Erick Matsen, Zephania Cortesi, Joe Leonard, Rebecca Fisher, and above all my mother, Bobbie Leonard, who over the years has always cared for my daughter while I traveled, sometimes even accompanying me with my daughter in tow for a truly unique intergenerational