The Benefits—and Joy—of "Making Do" With What You Have

Blog   |   by Bea Echeverria   |   December 14, 2017

After moving to the U.S. from Spain, New Dreamer Bea Echevarria realized that "making do" wasn’t a coveted value for everyone. But there are many good reasons it should be.

Helping Teachers and Their Students Think About the "Stuff" They Use

Blog   |   by Shara Drew   |   September 19, 2017

Susan Salterberg talks about her work helping K-12 educators design creative lesson plans around consumption, well-being, and sustainability.

Neighborhood Challenge

Custom Pages   |   December 21, 2017

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

Blog   |   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?

Leaving My Dream Job to Find Space to Grow

Blog   |   by Edna Rienzi   |   June 11, 2018

Edna Rienzi explains her decision to leave New Dream to pursue personal growth and to further her efforts to give back to her community.

What Is the American Dream? Dueling Dualities in the American Tradition

Blog   |   by James Gustave Speth   |   June 27, 2011

The story of the pursuit of happiness in America is a story of its close alliance with capitalism and consumerism. But is there another option?

Rethinking Plastic, Consumer Choices, and Our Values as Americans

Blog   |   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."

Film Review: “Sorry to Bother You”

Blog   |   by Alexis Arambul and Sarah Allison    |   September 13, 2018

Two New Dream Youth Fellows have a conversation about Boots Riley’s cringe-inducing satire of racism and capitalism in America.

How to Host an Unforgettable Party

Blog   |   by Michelle Damiani   |   March 7, 2018

Learn how one Charlottesville resident organized an unforgettable party around soup, designed to celebrate, honor, and support the diverse strands of her community.

"The Struggle in Rural Kentucky, Being a Black Producer, Is Real"

Blog   |   May 10, 2019

New Dream speaks with Tiffany Bellfield about the challenges she's faced as a business woman of color, and her contributions to her community as a holistic farmer, producer of botanical products, wellness practitioner, convener of women’s retreats, and mom.

How Sara Day Evans Is Working With Local Businesses and Growers to “Accelerate Appalachia” in an Equitable and Regenerative Way

Blog   |   by New Dream   |   March 19, 2019

In this interview, Sara Day provides her thoughts on the connections between agriculture, equity, and consumption—and what we can do, as individuals and communities, to tackle these important issues.