The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession with Stuff is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health—and a Vision for Change

Environmental justice offers “an alternative vision—one of environmental health, economic equity, and rights and justice for all people” (87). Environmental justice is an important site of environmental activism. In 1987, a study called “Toxic Wastes and Race in the United States” published by the United Church of Christ (UCC) demonstrated that racialized communities were far more likely to have toxic waste facilities nearby. Sixty percent of African American and Hispanic Americans lived in communities with toxic waste sites. This means they were exposed to more toxins and had higher levels of disease. Race is a central issue in environmentalism.

Historically, environmentalists did not focus on race. Preserving forests, protecting national parks and saving whale populations were priorities. Environmentalism was a movement largely driven by white people. The effects of environmental pollution on poor and racialized communities were ignored. Environmental activism did not speak to the people who were most affected by environmental issues. After the “Toxic Wastes and Race in the United States” report was published, environmental activists shifted their analysis and integrated these findings into the movement; some environmentalists did not.

Today, environmental justice is an important part of the environmental movement. Access to healthy food, clean water, safe homes, transportation, and clean air are examples of environmental justice demands. Despite the growing awareness of the role of race and class in environmental issues, a 2007 report by the UCC “Toxic Wastes and Race at Twenty, 1987–2007” found that the issue persisted and, in some areas, was getting worse.

Systems thinking reveals the interconnections between things that we often consider separate. In The Story of Stuff, Leonard argues that there is no one answer to the environmental and social problems she discusses. Solving these problems requires action by individuals, corporations, and governments. Historically, environmentalism as a movement emphasized individual choices. Recycling campaigns are an example of an individualized approach to solving climate crisis. Leonard tells us that individual choices matter. She documents how we can make more informed choices and vote with our dollars. However, she is careful to show that as long as corporations prioritize profit over sustainability, our individual choices will not be enough. Government regulations are needed to mandate the kind of broad changes we require, and individuals have a role in this. We can pressure corporations to shift how they produce products and encourage governments to bring in tougher regulations.

Currently, regulations are inadequate:

Haven’t we elected or appointed someone to be in charge of making sure that we’re safe from dangerous chemicals? What about the Food and Drug Administration? The Environmental Protection Agency? The Occupational Safety and Health Administration? Well, the very sad and very scary fact is, our government’s regulation of toxic materials is riddled with holes. (94)

Because governments tend to address problems in isolation, the more complex chains of causality are overlooked. Years of lax regulations and deregulations have made things worse. Governments subsidize industries like mining, which needs to change. The problems that Leonard describes can’t be fixed if they are considered in isolation. In the same way, changes by one group of people aren’t enough. Individuals must work with corporations and governments to bring change.