The New Dream Blog

In our blog, we feature stories, tips, and commentary from contributors around the world on topics ranging from
consumerism and parenting to how to live a fuller life with less. Enjoy!

Interested in contributing a guest post? Please review our submission guidelines.


Our Emerging Normal: Results from New Dream's COVID-19 Survey

June 10, 2020

In April, we asked our audience for thoughts and feedback on how the COVID-19 pandemic was informing what they prioritize and consume. The feedback was deeply insightful. 


The Privilege of a Simple Life

by Kate Parker   |   June 10, 2020

The pandemic has shown that the ability to "simplify our lives" is not distributed equally. For those able to simplify, how can we direct this privilege toward better tending to the injustices of the world?


How the Pandemic Helped Me Rediscover Local Markets

by Kelley Dennings   |   June 9, 2020

Kelley Dennings shares how the challenges of grocery shopping during a pandemic reconnected her to local markets, and prompted an innovative yet old-fashioned approach to finding toilet paper.


Solutions to the Pandemic Are Hiding in Plain Sight

by Ashley Colby   |   June 8, 2020

Normally, in times of crisis, we look to the technocrats—highly trained doctors, technologists, and bureaucrats—for answers. What if we looked to how communities take care of each other instead?


Our Emerging Normal: Share Your Thoughts with Us

by New Dream   |   April 28, 2020

We welcome any reflections you wish to share about this moment in time, as you and those around you more deeply question what we prioritize and consume—and as we all continue to seek individual and collective well-being. 


Rethinking Design for a More Equitable World—for the Incarcerated and for Us All

by Asha Klass   |   April 26, 2020

Asha Klass asks, where do the spaces I occupy come from? Who are they designed for? Who has power in and over them? How can they be more fair to people and the land?


How to Protect Ourselves by Protecting Each Other

by Christina Lewis   |   April 26, 2020

COVID-19 has ripped through our society and exposed us at the seams. Forced to confront glaring discrepancies, we now see how vulnerable our society really is. What will get us through? 


Connection Amid Crisis

by New Dream   |   March 31, 2020

Like you, the New Dream team has been busy these past few weeks transforming our daily lives, taking in information, and trying to make thoughtful choices under these urgent and significant circumstances.


Now Is the Time to Invest in Our Health and Communities

by Esther Clark   |   March 24, 2020

How a personal experience led the author to advocate for immune-system health and community vitality to combat COVID-19.


Armageddon—Or A Time for Reinvention?

by Sarah Allison   |   March 23, 2020

A young California resident wonders whether, as a species, we can learn wider societal lessons from the spread of coronavirus.


Love in the Time of Coronavirus

by Dyaami   |   March 23, 2020

In the time of coronavirus, we may find that we have a lot more to give to others when we give love to ourselves.


Partner Update: Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood Adopts New Dream’s Kids & Commercialism and Kids Unbranded Programs and Assets

February 19, 2020

Our longtime partner, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), has officially adopted New Dream’s work in this area. CCFC is committed to helping children thrive in an increasingly commercialized, screen-obsessed culture, and is the only organization dedicated to ending marketing to children. 


What We See and What We Know (Or, Why We Need to Question Overabundance)

by Kate Parker   |   February 18, 2020

What is lost when we're confronted with a constant state of overabundance? What are the hidden systems that prop up these manifestations of largesse? And who are they good for?


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