PHILOSOPHY 104 (STOLZE)
Notes on Annie
Leonard, The
Story of Stuff
Notes on Dale Jamieson, Ethics
and the Environment, chapter 7
Introduction
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The goal of Leonard’s book = “to unpack the Story of Stuff –the flow of materials
through through the economy—as simply as possible” (p. xxvi)
Leonard’s methodology: to identify interconnections
The problem: ecological limits; and so not primarily “individual behavior and poor
lifestyle choices, but the broken system—the deadly take-make-waste machine” (p.
xxvi)
The solution: bring about a transition from an economy based on limitless economic
growth to one based on sustainable development
Three points of clarification: she’s not against Stuff, she’s not romanticizing poverty,
and she’s not bashing the U.S.
But she is criticizing capitalism! (pp. xxi-xxii)
Chapter 1: Extraction
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Trees
Water
Rocks
Trees
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The economic value of forests (besides lumber and paper!): carbon sequestration,
filter fresh water and maintain planetary hydrologic cycle, maintain soil health by
keeping top soil in place, provide chemicals used in medicines, maintain biodiversity
The aesthetic value of forests: Jack Kerouac quote on p. 6
Some ways to save trees: stop clear cutting and adopt sustainable methods of
forest management, reuse and recycle paper and wood products
Water
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Water sewage
Safe drinking water
Water conflicts
Water justice: fair sharing and allocation of water
Making water use visible: virtual water and water footprint (www.waterfootprint.org)
Rocks
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Open-pit mining
Examples: gold, diamonds, coltan, petroleum (case studies of Ecuador and Nigeria),
and coal
Recycling cell phone and other electronic devices
Three ways to transform extraction: at “the front end” (e.g., less packaging), at “the
back end” (e.g. recycling), and “in our hearts and minds” (e.g., by finding nonmaterial
ways to meet our needs and desires and by sharing with others)
Chapter 2: Production
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A case study: cosmetics
Leonard’s other examples of ordinary Stuff: a cotton T-shirt, a book, a computer
Stupid Stuff: aluminum cans, PVC plastic and phthalates
Key questions to ask about the production process:
--Were toxic ingredients used to make it?
--What was it like to be one of the factory workers who helped create it?
--Was any part of the production so distasteful that rich countries with higher
standards refused to do it? (The question of environmental racism on p. 87.)
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Bill McDonough on design and sustainability (p. 103)
Biomimicry (pp. 104-5)
Another case study: Bhopal, India in 1984 (pp. 90-2)
Chapter 3: Distribution
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Supply chains: lean manufacturing and lean retail
Transportation methods: trucks, container ships, and planes
Three case Studies: H&M, Amazon, and Wal-Mart
Local alternatives: energy and retail outlets (food, books, etc.); transition towns
Barbara Ehrenreich on the moral value of solidarity = “love between people who may
never meet each other, but share a vision of justice and democracy and are willing to
support each other in the struggle to achieve it” (p. 142).
Chapter 4: Consumption
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A Case study: bottled water
Shopping as a “sacred rite”
Consumption, happiness, and happiness
Time vs. Stuff
The recent history of the U.S. as a consumer nation
Two “tricks of the trade”: planned obsolescence and advertising
Consumers vs. citizens
Consumption and climate equity
Duane Elgin and Alan During on redistribution, reverence, and sustainability (p. 181)
Chapter 5: Disposal
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Five kinds of waste:
(1)
Industrial waste
(2)
Municipal solid waste
(3)
Construction and demolition waste
(4)
Medical waste
(5)
Electronic waste
The “away” myth: by burial, fire, or shipping offshore
The limits of recycling
Zero waste?
Chapter Six: Epilogue
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Individual responses
Four paradigm shifts:
(1)
Redefine progress
(2)
Do away with war
(3)
Internalize externalities
(4)
Value time over Stuff
Change and hope