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.
Why I Stopped Combing Through Chemicals and Took My Hair Care Into My Own Hands
by Jasmine Curtis | February 18, 2020
Many of the hair and beauty products marketed to Black women—from dyes and relaxers to lipsticks and makeup—pose serious health and environmental risks. Jasmine Curtis wants to change that.
5 Ways to Show Up for Social Change in 2020
by Raagini Appadurai | January 31, 2020
In the pivotal decade that’s just begun, what will get us through? How will we adapt and evolve, even in the face of increasing pressures on people and the planet?
Signs of Hope from 2019
by New Dream | December 18, 2019
As we looked back on this year, 2019 seemed to offer it all: moments of deep concern and persistent challenges to our safety and well-being, alongside meaningful signs of hope that are taking us into 2020.
In Pursuit of Justice: My Experience of Nine Years of United Nations Climate Talks
by Anjali Appadurai | December 16, 2019
Is It Wrong to Want to Give Your Children What You Never Had?
by Kelley Dennings | December 16, 2019
A strong advocate of experiences over gifts, Kelley talks about her own struggles with trying to make holiday memories less about what’s under the tree and more about spending time together.
New Dream Happenings: 2019 Year-End Update
November 21, 2019
The latest on organizational priorities, active programs, and strategic partnerships.
Becoming a Teacher Made Me an Activist—and My Story Might Make You One, Too
by Mary-Alexis | November 21, 2019
Mary-Alexis hated high school when she was a student, which is exactly why she became a high school teacher. By understanding what made school so awful for her, she's learned how to better serve her students, and become an activist in the process.
Who’s Telling the Story? Consumer Culture and America’s Rural Communities
by Kate Parker | November 21, 2019
The commodification of rural life is happening across the country, from factory farming to agritourism. What are the costs of these changes and how can they support the people and communities that make a place what it is?
Why Witches? This Halloween, Put on Your Pointy Hat and Summon Your Inner Subversion
by Guinevere Higgins | October 22, 2019
One person's take on how New Dreamers are like witches.
Question Consumption (and Go Lighter on the Planet) This Halloween
by New Dream | October 22, 2019
Halloween is big business. It also requires a bit of cultural and environmental sensitivity, so we can be sure we're really embracing the spirit of good old fashioned fun.
Rethinking Plastic, Consumer Choices, and Our Values as Americans
by Dyaami D’Orazio | September 18, 2019
"We consume to have fun, to fit in, for convenience, to fill the spaces between ourselves and our families...and because the structure of society forces us to."
How Commercial Buddhism Is Hurting Buddhism
by Christina Lewis | September 18, 2019
In American society, where consuming is championed as the cornerstone of civilization, it is difficult not to give into the commodification of minority cultures, especially when it promises happiness and the furthering of our uniqueness.
The Threads That Bind Us: One Woman's Perspective on the Border Crisis, Climate Change, and Our Choices as Consumers
by Amber Cadenas | September 17, 2019
We can't ignore the connections between our own behaviors as consumers and many of the wider crises facing our world, including climate change and the realities of climate-related migration.
Great Summer Reads: 2019 Edition
by New Dream | June 21, 2019
Looking for a great summer read? Here’s a list of our favorite recent (or recent to us!) books.