As the Executive Director of Greenpeace USA, Annie Leonard uses research, creative communication, non-violent direct action and people-power to advance environmental solutions. Prior to this role, Leonard released The Story of Stuff, a hit 20-minute webfilm that takes viewers on a provocative and eye-opening tour of the often hidden environmental and social costs of our consumer driven culture. The film became one of the most watched online environmental-themed films to date. Capitalizing on this momentum, Leonard founded The Story of Stuff Project, which inspires and encourages civic engagement of the more than one million members of their global community. Prior to that project, Leonard spent two decades working on international sustainability, environmental and health issues. She traveled 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.

Leonard has an undergraduate degree in environmental and political science from Barnard College and a Masters in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University. She is on the boards of Wallace Global Fund, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, Public Citizen and the Democracy Initiative.