Annie Leonard

Annie Leonard is a tireless fighter for the environment and a longtime leader in the movement to change the way we make, use, and throw away Stuff.

She has over two decades experience investigating where our Stuff comes from and where it goes when we toss it—along with the environmental and social impacts of that production, consumption, and disposal. While working for organizations such as Greenpeace International, GAIA (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives), Health Care Without Harm, and Essential Action, she traveled to more than 40 countries poking into factories and trash dumps.

What she found inspired her to create The Story of Stuff: a fact-filled, fast-paced exploration of the impact of the materials economy on people and the planet. That movie blossomed into The Story of Stuff Project, which works to empower people around the globe to fight for a more sustainable and just future.

Annie is currently on the boards of GAIA and Public Citizen and has previously served on the boards of the Grassroots Recycling Network, the Environmental Health Fund, Global Greengrants India, Greenpeace India, and the International Forum on Globalization. She did her undergraduate studies at Barnard College, Columbia University and has a Masters in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University. She is currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area.