What Would It Take to Shift Our Gifting Away from "Stuff"?

Blog   |   by New Dream   |   October 9, 2017

Learn more about New Dream's research on the barriers and benefits to giving gifts of experience rather than "stuff."

Meet Raagini Appadurai, Our New Program Lead

Blog   |   March 15, 2019

Raagini is a social justice and equity educator whose deep commitment to this work is informed and fueled by her unique position as a woman of color, an artist, and an activist.

What Does the New Dream Mean to You? Join Us in the Inquiry

Blog   |   October 29, 2018

Now is a great time to ask ourselves what “reducing consumption” means, when social divides grow ever wider and so many people experience economic insecurity. Join us in the inquiry!

NEW! Hypercapitalism: The Modern Economy, Its Values, and How to Change Them

Blog   |   by New Dream   |   December 13, 2017

Hypercapitalism is a sharp, digestible, and funny cartoon guide to how global, privatizing, market-worshipping hypercapitalism threatens well-being, social justice, and the planet.

Experiences Increase Happiness and Well-Being, Research Shows

Blog   |   by Kelley Dennings   |   November 12, 2017

Need some more convincing that experiences increase happiness and well-being? New Dream's Behavior and Social Change Fellow, Kelley Dennings, brings us the research to back up the claim.

The Atlantic: The Joy of No-Gift Christmas

Blog   |   by Joe Pinsker   |   December 13, 2018

Raagini Appadurai, a 26-year-old educator and social-justice advocate living in Toronto, told me that her family—her two sisters, her parents, and herself—made a no-gifts pact this year. “When we remove material purchasing and consumption from the table, we are forced to question what we are bringing to [the holiday] instead—individually and collectively,” she said. 

Voluntary Simplicity: Reimagining the Good Life Beyond Consumer Culture

Blog   |   by Lisa Mastny   |   July 22, 2011

A new analysis of "voluntary simplicity" dispels some common criticisms that it is an escapist, hippie, or leisure-expansion movement.

How the Pandemic Helped Me Rediscover Local Markets

Blog   |   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.

May My Children Be Givers

Blog   |   by Bellamy Shoffner   |   February 7, 2018

Bellamy Shoffner, editor of the online magazine Hold the Line, shares an eye-opening experience that led her to deepen her social justice work and step up her family's efforts to give more to their community. 

Raagini Appadurai

Staff   |   March 18, 2019

How a Group of Kids Bagged the Disposable Bag in Boulder, Colorado

Blog   |   by Kate Bailey and Kate Nelson   |   March 17, 2016

What decades of education and outreach couldn’t accomplish, a group of high school students could.

Do You Love What You Wear? 10 Tips for Boosting Your Style While Avoiding the Traps of Fast Fashion

Blog   |   by Rebecca Ballard   |   June 9, 2016

Here are 10 tips for boosting your style while avoiding the traps of fast fashion.

Activism in a Place Where Eco Isn’t the Norm

Blog   |   by Christine Kane   |   October 18, 2018

Retiree and New Dreamer Chris Kane shares some of her strategies for being an eco-activist in her adopted home state of Florida.

WEBINAR: Reducing Holiday Waste

Webinars   |   by New Dream   |   November 26, 2018

Packed with tools and take-aways, this webinar provides guidance on reducing and preventing waste around the holidays through experiential gift giving. 

The Threads That Bind Us: One Woman's Perspective on the Border Crisis, Climate Change, and Our Choices as Consumers

Blog   |   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.