The Great Lakes are among the largest reserves of freshwater on the planet. We’re working with local grassroots groups to ensure that it remains in public hands.
Why This Fight Matters The citizens from two very different Michigan communities— small town Evart and industrial Flint— have found their futures inextricably linked by a threat to the one thing that all life requires: water. In Flint, thousands were exposed to lead-polluted water following cost-cutting measures by the city. But just 128 miles away,…
How Cascade Locks beat Nestlé In 2016, dedicated community members in the small town of Cascade Locks championed a successful ballot measure to ban commercial water bottling in their county. We partnered with Local Water Alliance to tell the David and Goliath story of small town organizing that took on a multinational corporation and won.…
Why This Fight Matters The Story of Stuff Project launched a campaign against Nestlé Waters in 2015 after learning that the world’s largest water bottling company had been taking water for years from public land in Southern California, without paying anything for it and without any monitoring or regulation. This case is an alarming example…
Why We Give The Story of Stuff Project established the Grassroots Grants Program in 2017 to support small organizations and groups organizing against water privatization and plastic pollution in the United States. Since we launched, we’ve supported nearly 100 grassroots groups with $300,000 in grants. Our 2023 goal is $100,000. We offer these partners financial…
Are Bioplastics Really Better? With labels like “made from plants” and “biodegradable”, there are a lot of supposedly environmentally-friendly alternatives to plastic. But are bioplastics really any better? Where Does Your Trash End Up? Have you ever wondered where exactly your garbage goes when you throw it away? Should Plastic Producers Pay for Recycling? Why…
At this point in modern life, we likely touch plastic more than we touch our loved ones. Plastic has become a ubiquitous symbol of globalization. Most of us have a limited relationship to this material, experiencing it only from purchase to disposal. But there is a whole story that exists before and after when we…
Story of Stuff partner FLOW has announced model legislation to protect Michigan’s public waters from unauthorized privatization. Earlier this year, we released A Tale of Two Cities, a short documentary telling the story of Michigan’s battle for the public control of water. We explored the threat of privatization through the eyes of local activists in…
