Introduction

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg News

When you stay in a hotel, you reuse your towel. When you shop for detergent, you reach for something nontoxic. But do small acts like these lead to further steps, or just check the “good deed” box for the day and distract from real activism? Is environmentally responsible spending effective or just a distraction?

Annie Leonard, director of the Story of Stuff Project, suggested this discussion.