THE STORY OF STUFF
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22. Wann, “Why Isn’t this Empire Sustainable?” p. 217.
23. Penny Herscher, “Will the Rising Personal Savings Rate Boom the US Recovery?” The Huffington Post, January 13, 2009 (huffingtonpost.com/penny-herscher/will-the-rising-personal_b_157526.html).
24. “National Voter Turnout in Federal Elections 1960–2008,” Infoplease.com, from the Federal Election Commission, based on data from Congressional Research Service reports, Election Data Services Inc., and state election offices (infoplease.com/ipa/A0781453.html).
25. Paul Hawken, “Commencement: Healing or Stealing?” 2009 commencement address at the University of Portland (up.edu/commencement/default.aspx?cid=9456).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Over the last twenty years, many dedicated and knowledgeable people all over the world helped me understand elements of the Story of Stuff.
Davis Baltz, Charlotte Brody, Barry Castleman, Gary Cohen, Tracy Easthope, Ken Geiser, Lois Gibbs, Judith Helfand, Michael Lerner, Stacy Malkan, Pete Myers, Peter Orris, Arlene Rodriguez, Kathy Sessions, and Sandra Steingraber educated me about the environmental health impacts of toxic chemicals. Marni Rosen and Sharyle Patton helped me conduct my own body burden testing and Ted Schettler helped me analyze the results.
Bradley Angel, Paul Connett, Pat Costner, Charlie Cray, Jorge Emmanuel, Mike Ewall, Rick Hind, Josh Karliner, Gary Liss, Glenn McRae, Pierre-Emmanuel Neurohr, Brenda Platt, Elizabeth Royte, Neil Seldman, and Alan Watson have spent two delightful decades talking trash with me. Hats off to Martin Bourque, Eric Lombardi, Dan Knapp, Jack Macy, and Dave Williamson, visionary leaders from whom I learned about the practical implementation of reuse, composting, and recycling programs. Beverly Thorpe and Bill Sheehan taught me about Extended Producer Responsibly (EPR). Thanks to them I no longer walk around the house cleaning up after my daughter: she now cleans up after herself, since—as EPR teaches—her mess is her responsibility. Bharati Chaturvedi, Juan Rosario, Omar Freilla, Heeten Kalan, Laila Iskandar, Jayakumar Chelaton, Shibu Nair, Merci Ferrer, Damu Smith, and David Pellow taught me that solutions must include a commitment to not wasting people alongside not wasting resources.
Many people shared stories about their personal experiences resisting oil and coal extraction around the world: Oronto Douglas, MaryAnn Hitt, Robert Shimeck, Owens Wiwa, Ka Hsaw Wa, Steve Kretzman, and Mike Roselle. Payal Sampat, Pratap Chatterjee, and Danny Kennedy taught me about mining. Lafcadio Cortesi, Daniel Katz, Josh Martin, Todd Paglia, Mike Brune, Randy Hayes, and Tyson Miller shared their vast knowledge of forestry and paper issues. Patricia Jurewicz did the same for cotton production and Mike Shade for all things PVC. Thanks also to my supply-chain guru Dara O’Rourke, and to Gary Ruskin and Vance Packard, who educated me about the advertising industry. Ted Smith, Sheila Davis, and Robby Rodriguez provided me with more information about electronics than even the most powerful iPod could hold.
Colin Beavan, John DeGraaf, Tim Kasser, Alan Durning, Michael Maniates, Tom Princen, Vicki Robbins, Juliet Schor, and the indomitable Betsy Taylor all helped me understand that for many of us, living with less really is more satisfying.
Thanks to the hundreds of people who opened their homes, welcomed me into their communities and shared their stories with me during my years of tracking factories and dumps. There are far too many to name here, but they include Bobby Peek in South Africa, Ralph Ryder in the U.K., Tomori Balasz in Hungary, Von Hernandez in the Philippines, Madhumitta Dutta, Bittu Sahgal, Praful Bidwai, and Nityanand Jayaraman—the Indian journalist who accompanied me on so many factory investigations that he once called me his greatest occupational hazard—in India. Many of the people I worked with around the world are members of GAIA, an international network of people in eighty-one countries working for safe, just alternatives to incineration. To GAIA, I offer especially heartfelt thanks.
Thanks to the economists who made me realize that the study of economics is both fascinating and essential: Dave Batker, Josh Farley, David Korten, Pritam Singh, John Talberth, and especially Jeffrey Morris, who spent hours exploring the nearly infinite externalized costs associated in making a modern-day consumer product.
I deeply appreciate the people who shared their knowledge about solutions and alternatives: Bryony Schwan and Janine Benyus for their teachings on biomimicry, Beverly Bell for documenting that other worlds are possible, and John Warner for articulating and advancing Green Chemistry.
In addition to the invaluable expertise shared by those working in specific issue areas, I also want to thank those who taught me to look at the big picture, who helped me to connect the dots. First and foremost, Patrick Bond at the University of KwaZulu Natal in Durban, South Africa, who read through this manuscript and provided invaluable critiques and comments throughout. Additionally, Maude Barlow, John Cavanagh, Gopal Dayaneni, Ellen Dorsey, Anwar Fazal, Tom Goldtooth, Paul Hawken, Van Jones, Rita Lustgarten, Jerry Mander, Donella Meadows, Peter Montague, Ralph Nader, Bobby Peek, Meena Raman, Mark Randazzo, Katie Redford, John Richard, Satinath Sarangi, and Robert Weissman.
I am forever grateful that my first real job was with an organization whose default response was “let’s do it” rather than “but that might not work.” Jim Vallette, Heather Spalding, Kenny Bruno, Connie Murtagh, Jim Puckett, Marcelo Furtado, Von Hernandez, Veronica Odriozola, Kevin Stairs, Dave Rapaport, Peter Bahouth, and others in Greenpeace’s Toxic Trade Team taught me how a handful of people, whose sense of possibility far outweighed a sense of limitations could tackle a problem as sinister and widespread as international waste trafficking.
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 ma
king 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 holiday: grandmother, mother, and toddler heading off to the PVC factory.
My book agent, Linda Loewenthal, skillfully guided me through the world of book publishing. My editor, Wylie O’Sullivan, at Free Press was a cheerful source of feedback as the book came together. Dominick Anfuso and Sydney Tanigawa provided invaluable guidance and support. Karen Romano and Suzanne Donahue made sure that the production of the book was as environmentally friendly as possible. Researcher Marcia Carroll found facts and figures far beyond Google’s reach, and Renee Shade also helped track down specific data for this book. Patrick Bond, Alan Watson, and Ken Geiser provided valuable comments on specific chapters in this book.
There is one person without whom this book really could not have been written: Ariane Conrad. Ariane collaborated with me, in a role she describes as a book doula, throughout the long months of labor and successful delivery of this book. Ariane’s intellectual and logistical contributions were significant and I am delighted that the result is not just The Story of Stuff book but a treasured new friend. Thank you Ariane.
HOW WE MADE THIS BOOK
Our intent in creating this book was to use as few toxic materials as possible, to minimize the carbon footprint, and to avoid waste. To that end the manuscript was almost entirely designed and edited electronically. Review copies were offered to readers as downloadable e-galleys, and a very limited number of publicity copies were printed on 100 percent post-consumer waste recycled fiber.
The book was printed on Rolland Enviro100 Print, a 100 percent post-consumer fiber paper that is processed chlorine-free. The text plates were recycled after use and the ink used in this book contains more than 20 percent renewable resources, including soy and other vegetable-based oils. All of our adhesives for the case glues are solvent free. The case boards were created with 100 percent recycled fiber. The jacket was printed with vegetable-based inks and was printed on 100 percent post-consumer waste stock. Of the materials used in the creation of this book, including the printing plates and paper waste, 90 percent were recycled.
Any unused inventory or returned books will be recycled.
INDEX
Abacha, Sani, 31
Abu Dhabi, 66
Acetone, 60
Advertising, 160, 163–168, 251, 256
Advisory committees, 99–100
Afghanistan, 243, 244
Agent Orange, 54, 213
Air freight, 115, 119
al-Qaeda, 26
Alameda County Waste Management Authority, 211
Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA), 258
Allan, John, 17
Alloys, 44
Aluminum, 21, 59
Aluminum cans, 64–68, 196
Amazon, 116, 118–121
Amazon River, 66
American Chemistry Council, 93, 99
American Cyanamid, 222
Ammonia, 60, 61
Amnesty International, 28, 32
Anderson, Ray, 19, 185, 187–189
Anderson, Warren, 92
Anheuser-Busch, 196
Antibacterial products, 79
Antimony, 59
Appalachia, 35, 36
Apple Computer, 57, 59, 108, 109, 203, 206
Aral Sea, 46
Arsenic, 13, 15, 35, 59, 73, 203
Autoclaving, 201
Automobile industry, 159–160, 164
Bangladesh, 12–14, 49, 184, 193, 219–221
Barber, Benjamin, 169, 172
Basel Action Network (BAN), 205, 227, 228
Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, 227, 258
Batker, Dave, 246
Batteries, 203, 204
Bauxite, 21, 64–65
Beavan, Colin, 147, 239, 245
Bechtel, 140
Bee, Rashida, 91
Benin, 45
Benyus, Janine, 105
Benzene, 30, 48
Beryllium, 203
Beta-hexachlorocyclohexane, 79
Beverage containers, 64–68, 194–195
Bezos, Jeff, 118
Bhopal disaster, India, 90–93, 98
Big-Box Swindle (Mitchell), 121, 125
Big Coal (Goodell), 36
Bingham Canyon copper mine, Utah, 21
Biological oxygen demand (BOD), 10–11
Biomimicry, 104–105
Bioplastics, 230–231
BioRegional, 40
Birol, Fatih, 29–30
Birth defects, 60, 74, 76, 91
Bisignani, Giovanni, 115
Bisimwa, Bertrand, 28
Bisphenol A (BPA), 78, 99–100
Bleach, 15, 48, 56
Blood Diamond (movie), 26, 28
Body burden testing, 78–80
Bolivia, 140
Books, 51–56, 118–120
Borden Chemical, 222
Borneo, 3
Boron, 59
Boston Tea Party, 127
Bottle Recycling Climate Protection Act of 2, 195
Bottled water, 16
Bowling Alone (Putnam), 149, 238–239
Bräutigam, Deborah, 37
Brazil, 8, 66, 67
Breast milk, 81, 82–83, 91, 171
Bridge at the End of the World, The (Speth), 167
Brockovich, Erin, 30
Bromines, 48
Bruno, Kenny, 225
Burkina Faso, 45
Burundi, 27
Bush, George H. W., 250
Bush, George W., 147
Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), 141
Cadmium, 24, 30, 59, 73, 203, 205, 219
California Gold Rush of 1849, 24–25, 27
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, 256
Cancer, 45, 48, 54, 60, 68, 69, 74, 76, 83, 85, 202
Car-sharing programs, 43
Carbon dioxide, 2, 36, 50–51, 65, 180–181, 209
Carbon monoxide, 65
Cargo ships, 113–114
Carlin, George, 183
Carson, Rachel, 98
Catalogs, 9
Caustic soda (lye), 48, 54, 64
Cell phones, 27, 29, 57, 103–104, 161, 202
Center for a New American Dream, 246
Center for Constitutional Rights, 258
Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ), 69
Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), 100
Center for Sustainable Economy, 242
Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO), 62
Ceramics, 44
Chelaton, Jayakumar, 236
Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA), 93
Chemical pulping, 53
Chemicals. See individual chemicals
Cheney, Dick, 247
Chevron, 30, 33–34
Child labor, 22, 49
Chil
e, 66
China, 5, 45, 49, 114, 142, 164, 180, 204, 243
Chlor-alkali plants, 54, 68, 75
Chlordane, 79
Chlorine, 48, 53–54, 56, 213
Chlorine dioxide, 54
Chromium, 44, 59, 73, 77
Chromium trioxide, 60
Chrysler Corporation, 164
Chungong Ayafor, Martin, 26–27
Chuquicamata copper mine, Chile, 21
Clark, Dana, 226
Clean Air Act (CAA) of 1963, 97
Clean Production Action, 60, 63
Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972, 97
Clear-cutting, 7, 10–12
Climate change, 2, 12–13, 36, 50, 98, 246, 258
Clinton, Bill, 88
Closed-loop factories, 19
Coal, 20, 21, 35–36, 102, 207
Cobalt, 59
Coca-Cola Company, 196
Coffee, 14, 17, 169, 170, 172
Colborn, Theo, 45
Collapse (Diamond), 39–40
Coltan (tantalum), 27–29, 35, 246
Commercial Alert, 256
Community/citizen self, 173–177
Community forestry initiatives, 10, 41
Community-supported agriculture (CSA), 241
Composting, 198, 209–211, 233, 257, 261
Composting toilets, 12, 19
Comprehensive Chemicals Policies for the Future (Geiser), 101
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, 97, 98
Computer TakeBack Campaign, 60
Computers, 57–64, 203, 206, 256
Computers and the Environment (Williams), 60
Conflict minerals, 25–29
Confronting Consumption (Maniates), 159
Connett, Ellen, 214
Connett, Paul, 183, 184, 214, 217, 232
Construction and demolition waste (C&D), 185, 199–201
Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole (Barber), 169, 172
Consumer Product Safety Act of 1972, 96
Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, 96
Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), 96
Consumerism, defined, 145
Consumption, 144–181, 256