SunRun, Annie Leonard (Story of Stuff) for a Sustainable Future

January 14, 2011

On Tuesday evening, SunRun was proud to sponsor the Speak to Me event series in Mill Valley, California. �Two hundred women gathered to enjoy a food and wine tasting, casual conversation, and to listen to environmental activist Annie Leonard's discussion on ?The Story of Stuff: Creating a Sustainable Future.?

Annie Leonard is the creator of the viral online video and book, The Story of Stuff, which sheds light on the often forgotten environmental and social costs of extraction, production, distribution, consumption, and disposal of all the stuff in our lives. �The conversation was casual and warmly engaging, leading from what sparked Annie's life-long obsession with landfill visits to effective ways each audience member can make real change. �Her recommendations go beyond ?carry a cloth bag to the store' and ?turn off the water when you brush your teeth', things she lumps together as personal maintenance and hygiene, to really developing your citizen muscle and demanding change from the top.

Annie also discussed the use of services instead of products as part of the solution. �She praised businesses like Netflix that find ways to give people what they want ? in this case the ability to watch movies ? without stockpiling an arsenal of stuff. �Ownership is not always the best way to get what you want. �As a business offering a service, and saving homeowners the hassle of solar panel ownership, maintenance, and monitoring, we were delighted to hear this concept as a strategic solution for a sustainable future.

KellyAnn Lamb and Allana Helland of SunRun represented the company at the event

After the session, I had the opportunity to meet Annie in person and discuss the synergies of her message and SunRun's promise. �Annie lives in a solar home herself, and told me the issue of electricity generation really hit home for her when she visited www.ilovemountains.org and typed in her ZIP code. �The site distills data about purchasers of coal extracted from mountaintops, coded geographically to draw personal connections to energy consumers.

SunRun would like to thank The Spreak to Me event series organizers for an inspiring event, Annie Leonard for her thought-provoking talk, and all the women who came to the event to learn about building a sustainable future. �Remember, if you have a roof, you can be part of the solution!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SweetSolarHome/~3/s2-Jwm2XrBY/

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