Published by the Center for a New American Dream

A quarterly report on consumption, quality of life and the environment

No. 18, Winter 2001/2002 ◆ $3

Page 3
Letter from
Betsy Taylor
‘Tis the Season for Meaning
Page 4 Center Survey Shows Americans Looking Deeper this Holiday Season
What’s Happening By Eric Brown

A
at the Center ndea Ferrari of Rochester, New York, had more than a quarter plan to give more personal
been planning to give simpler, less expen- or meaningful gifts, and more than one in five
Page 5 sive gifts this holiday season, but initially plan to purchase fewer or less expensive gifts.
A Patriotic met with resistance from her family. September The 2001 holiday season was already shaping
Shopping List 11 changed all that. up as a showdown between those trying to resist
Page 8 Ferrari’s extended family has now agreed to the pull of holiday consumerism and those
Members’ Tips for make changes in their gift-giving this year, in encouraging Americans to ramp up their con-
a Happy Holiday! order to focus their energy on spending quality sumption to ward off a looming recession. The
time as a family. “I wish (it) could have been economic impact of the September 11 attacks
Page 10 accomplished without the sacrifice of 9/11,” says has brought that conflict into much sharper
Bad, Good and Ferrari. “My in-laws who usually go overboard relief. continued on page 2
Truly Ridiculous have finally realized less is best.”
Page 12
Books for the Young Po l l S h o w s C o m m i t m e n t
(at Heart) t o M e a n i n g f u l H o l i d ay
Apparently, Ferrari’s in-laws
Page 13 are not alone. A new poll
Fun Box:A Little conducted by the Center for
Fun ‘n’ Games a New American Dream
Page 14 reveals a vast number of
Americans yearning for deeper
Step by Step:
meaning this year as a result of
Success Stories
in 2001 the events of September 11.
According to the national survey
Page 15 conducted in mid-November,
Orwell’s Corner 63% of Americans are planning
to make the holiday more mean-
Page 16
ILLUSTRATIONS BY ISABELLE DER-

ingful than ever as a result of the

Please Help Us
recent tragedy.
Spread the Word
The poll depicts a public
eager to find meaning and con-
nection in the aftermath of Sep-
tember 11. About half of all
Americans intend to
spend more time with
friends and family,
‘Tis the Season for Meaning
continued from page 1
‘Patriotic’ Spending Messages Ring
False
According to the poll, Americans are extremely wary of
the strong pressures being exerted on them to use the
holidays to prop up the economy. Despite highly public
forays into malls and stores by a host of politicians, only
8% of Americans think we should use this holiday sea-
son to stimulate the economy, while a whopping 85%
think we should instead focus on friends, family and
meaning.
Nick Breems of Cham-
T h e p o l l d e p i c t s paign, Illinois puts it bluntly:
“I do find it somewhat iron-
an American ic, as we go into the Christ-
mas shopping season, that
public eager to the last time we went to war,
f i n d m e a n i n g a n d our patriotic duty was to buy
war bonds. Now it’s to go
connection in shopping.”
Nevertheless, Center for
the aftermath of a New American Dream
executive director Betsy Tay-
S e p t e m b e r 1 1 t h . lor fears what she calls an
“incessant drumbeat from
Madison Avenue” around holiday overconsuming.
“The really unfortunate thing is that if Americans fol-
low their hearts this year and focus on family and mean-
ing instead of work, stress and shopping, many people
will call the holiday season a failure,” she said.
The poll also reveals a deep ambivalence about hol-
iday debt. Seventy percent of Americans say they want
to help the economy, but are worried about overspend-
ing or going into debt. Even in the best of economic
times, high consumer debt has been a growing prob-
lem. In 1999, at the height of the economic boom, the
average American family who carried a balance on their
credit cards owed more than $7,500, and spent over
$1,000 in interest and penalties, according to the Con-
sumer Federation of America. In 2001, for the sixth
year in a row, more Americans will declare bankruptcy
than graduate from college, according to estimated sta-
tistics from the Department of Education and the
Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
continued on page 7
2 ◆ WINTER 2001/2002
Highlights from the
Center’s Holiday Survey
63%
plan to make this holiday season more meaning-
ful than ever as a result of September 11.
70%
want to help the economy, but are concerned
about spending too much or going into debt.
8%
think we should use this holiday season as an
opportunity to stimulate the economy.
85%
think we should use this holiday season to focus
on friends, family and meaning
49%
plan to spend more time with friends and family
as a result of September 11.
26%
plan to give more personal or meaningful gifts.
21%
plan to buy fewer or less expensive gifts
21%
intend to get more involved with their faith com-
munity.
19%
intend to use credit cards less.
Only 3%
plan to buy more or more expensive gifts.
* National Poll Commissioned by the Center for a New
American Dream and conducted from November 9-12,
2001 by Opinion Research Corporation International. The
survey was administered by phone to 1039 adults nation-
wide. Findings from the survey have a margin of error of
+/- 3% with a 95% level of confidence.
The essential idea Cafecito Story,” by Julia

is to spend your
Alvarez, about coffee grow-
ers and coffee lovers. Read ‘Tis the Season for
money on things
as much as you can about
international affairs, other
Meaning
continued from page 2
cultures and Islam. If you
t h a t m a t t e r, o n have a TV, no need to buy
another one. Leave it S i m p l i f y t h e H o l i d ay s B ro c h u re ,
things that bring turned off, and spend We b S i t e P r o v i d e T i p s & R e s o u r c e s
money on building your Instead, the Center for a New American Dream is
r e a l j o y, o n t h i n g s library. (See www.chelsea- trying to help Americans have a meaningful holi-
that accelerate green.com.) day this year without breaking the bank. Visitors
to the Center’s holiday Web site (www.simpli-
positive changes I t e m s : Tr e e s . L a n d . fytheholidays.org)
Wa t e r.
toward sustain- A great number of organi- “ T h e g o o d n e w s i s have already down-
loaded over 10,000
zations specialize in plant-
ability ing trees, conserving land,
t h a t w e h a v e a r a r e free copies of the
Center’s popular
cleaning up rivers and lakes. Simplify the Holi-
oppor tunity to
They need money. Then, they spend money — boost- days brochure this
ing the nation’s economic activity. Their purchases make some tr uly year alone (hard
have many added benefits, from reducing the impact of copies are available
global warming, to fostering a greater sense of commu- deep and lasting for $2 by calling
nity. (See www.tpl.org for one excellent organization, 877-68-DREAM).
the Trust for Public Land.) connections. This Visitors to the site
can send newly-
Item: Presents for Family & Friends poll reminds us redesigned elec-
Any of the above, and a lot more (by now, you get the tronic holiday
idea, and can run with it) could make a great birthday, what Americans
cards and get plen-
or holiday, or wedding present.
The essential idea is to spend your money on things
r e a l l y w a n t f o r t h e ty of tips and
resources for gift-
that matter, on things that bring real joy, on things that
h o l i d a y s .” giving. The Cen-
accelerate positive changes toward sustainability. Every ter’s New Dream
dollar you spend will still look like “economic growth,” Forum also gives
will still help to reverse the recession. And it will also people the opportunity to share their tips and
help develop the market for more sustainable goods and ideas by posting messages to others.
services. “This is shaping up to be a very challenging
For once, it’s okay to spend a little extra money if time for Americans, both financially and spiritual-
you have it. It’s time to help with the rebuilding ... by ly,” said Betsy Taylor. “The good news is that we
rebuilding something truly worthwhile: a more peace- have a rare opportunity to make truly deep and
ful, just, and sustainable world. lasting connections. This poll reminds us what
Americans really want for the holidays.”
Alan AtKisson is president and CEO of AtKisson, Inc., an Annaliese Franz of Costa Mesa, California,
international sustainability consulting firm, and a member of agrees. ‘This holiday season will be very different
the CNAD Board of Advisors. This article is excerpted from a from any before,’ she says. “Even more so than
longer essay, “Give Peace Half a Chance,” which you can read ever, families will be want to be closer, people will
on his Web site, www.AtKisson.com. be more spiritual, and everyone will feel even

WINTER 2001/2002 ◆ 7