Annie Leonard coming to Brunei for NEC
By Danial Norjidi
Article from Borneo Bulletin. Published on Monday Apr, 30 2012
American filmmaker, proponent of sustainability and critic of excessive consumerism, Annie Leonard, will be in Brunei to speak at the National Environment Conference on June 20, 2012, organisers Asia Inc Forum announced yesterday.
According a press statement from Asia Inc Forum, Annie rose to fame after releasing “The Story of Stuff”, a 20-minute provocative and eye-opening film on the often hidden cost of consumer driven culture in December 2007.
Today, The Story of Stuff has generated over 15 million views in more than 200 countries and territories since its launch, making it one of the most successful environmental-themed viral films of all time. Annie also published a book on The Story of Stuff in 2010 that sheds light on America’s consumption craze as she connects the dots between all the stuff in our lives and the environmental, economic, and social issues we face.
“Drawing on two decades of experience traveling the globe visiting the places where our stuff is made and the places where it’s dumped, Annie’s rapid-fire, fact-filled stories lend humour and hope to what is all too often a bleak situation,” read the statement.
Prior to directing The Story of Stuff Project, it is stated in the Asia Inc press release that Annie spent two decades working on international sustainability, environmental and health issues.
She travelled to 40 countries, visiting the factories where our stuff is made and the dumps where it is dumped, collecting interviews and facts along the way.
During this time, she worked for various environmental organisations, including Greenpeace International and GAIA. Annie studied environmental and political science at Barnard College and Cornell University, and is a contributing editor for YES! Magazine and she resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Among her honours are: Time Magazine’s Heroes of the Environment 2008 and the Human Rights Award – an exclusive award given by Global Exchange to honour Annie’s extraordinary contributions to human rights worldwide.
Fatin Arifin, Programmes & Research Executive at Asia Inc Forum was quoted as saying, “We are very excited to have secured Annie to speak at the National Environment Conference as we aim to deliver real action and change this year in the way we in Brunei look at waste and to challenge ourselves to rethink our obsession with stuff.
“Annie’s work has inspired millions of people around the world into putting a stop to environmental damage, social injustice and health hazards caused by polluting production and excessive consumption,” she continued.
“Therefore Annie will help us explore the link between consumerism and environmental degradation and inspire change around the way we think about our lives, how we consume and our relationship with the planet. We truly believe that sustainable change is within reach.” Convened by Asia Inc Forum in collaboration with HSBC, Total, ButraHeidelbergCement and Alcoa, the National Environment Conference will bring together over 300 stakeholders from the public and private sectors as well as academic institutions.
For more information and to register for the conference, those interested are asked to please contact Ms Nanette Ramos and Mr Paul Lee at 2226555 or email conference@asiaincforum.com or visit our website at www.asiaincforum.com.