November 2001- February 2002

Redefining the American Dream

The Stress of Excess is Forcing Many Americans to
Reconsider the Important Things in Life

"Keeping up with the Joneses" has long been the mantra of mainstream suburban American culture. But in the wake of the September 11 attacks, America has developed a profound aversion to consumer overindulgence - consumer spending is down 2.4% - despite President Bush's exhortations for us to return to America's malls and restaurants in resumption of our "normal lives."

Why are we the focus of worldwide hostility? How does our unabashed opulence and vast accumulation of the world's resources affect people outside our borders?

• While the U.S. comprises only 5% of the world's population, we consume 30% of the world's resources.
  
  
• 20% of the people own 87% of the world's wealth; 54% of the world's wealthiest call America home.
  
  
• According to the U.N., while Norway gives $285 per capita in development aid, the U.S. gives only $30.

The endless pursuit of "more" places incredible stress on American families, causing us to work more in order to afford material items, leaving us with less time to spend with our kids, family, friends, and hobbies.

• We are no happier now than we were in 1957 when our level of material wealth was much lower.
  
  
• Americans receive, via advertisements, some 3,000 competing consumer messages per day.
  
  
• 75% of Americans feel torn between their jobs and their desire to spend more time with their families.
  
  
• 90% of all divorces are attributed to money problems.
  
  
• The number of young people who believe that they have a good chance of obtaining "the good life" has dropped by half just since 1978.

In the end, it turns out that our culture is about much more than our glittering baubles and trifles. Beauty is not skin-deep. The terrorist attacks of September 11 have underscored what is most important to us: our families, friends, and communities. We have witnessed incredible valor, altruism, and selflessness at the core of our country's response to these horrific events.

Many Americans are actively redefining the American Dream and are opting for quality of life over quantity of stuff. This ethic is showing up in the food we buy, how we manage our finances, our deep engagement with religious and spiritual values, the depth of our friendships, our community involvement.

How can we define an American Dream that would be more rewarding for both ourselves and for the unseen millions who provide the goods and services that make our lives so comfortable? What steps can you take today to simplify your daily routine so that you may focus on the important things in life?

The Mainstream Media Project offers you and your listeners the opportunity to speak with experts who demonstrate not only that more is not necessarily better, but who can provide practical ideas and solutions that will help make your life richer, more fulfilling, and more enjoyable.

From November 2001 through February 2002, MMP conducted a major public education campaign on these issues. The campaign was a remarkable success, especially given that it occurred in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Altogether, we scheduled 279 interviews, with the preponderance of those taking place on individual radio stations in thirty-two states. Of these, twenty-two were regionally, nationally or globally syndicated. Nearly two-thirds of the interviews occurred on commercial radio stations.

Forty-nine nationally recognized experts and authorities representing dozens of NGOs were interviewed on a wide range of topics: how to de-emphasize materialism and instead focus more time on family, friends, and civic engagement while not sacrificing a comfortable lifestyle; finding a balance between work and family and rearranging schedules, routines, and priorities to allow more time for the important things in life; impacts of youth-targeted advertising on children and how to help our youth examine materialism and financial responsibility and make sound life decisions; how we can lower the impacts of excessive consumption on the environment; effects of food choices on human health and the environment and the impacts of how we grow our food; companies that have taken innovative steps towards sustainability, waste reduction, and energy efficiency; and the search for the deeper life meanings than material wealth.

Guest Speakers by Topic:

John de Graaf, Independent Public Television Producer, KCTS-TV, Seattle, Interim National Coordinator, Take Back Your Time Day

Alisa Gravitz, Executive Director, Co-op America , Vice Chair, Board of Directors, Social Investment Forum

Ronald Inglehart, Professor of Political Science and Senior Research Scientist, Center for Political Studies, University of Michigan, Chair, Steering Committee, World Values Surveys

Richard Swenson, Physician, Researcher, Futurist, and Author, THE OVERLOAD SYNDROME: Learning to Live within Your Limits

Betsy Taylor, President, The Center for a New American Dream

Sarah van Gelder, Executive Editor, YES!, Co-Founder and Board Member, Positive Futures Network

Juliet Schor, Professor of Sociology, Boston College

Jerome Segal, Senior Research Scholar - Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy, School of Public Affairs, University of Maryland, President and Founder, The Jewish Peace Lobby

Paul Wachtel, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, City University of New York

Michel Gelobter, Executive Director, Redefining Progress

David Gershon, President, Global Action Plan

Bill McKibben, Author, The End of Nature

Mathis Wackernagel, Sustainability Program Director, Redefining Progress

Cecile Andrews, Director - The Simplicity Circles Project, Seeds of Simplicity

Duane Elgin, Social Entrepreneur

Paul Ray, CEO, Integral Partnerships LLC

Dick Roy, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Northwest Earth Institute

David Shi, President, Furman University

Wanda Urbanska, President, Simple Living Company, Host, PBS

Gary Cross, Professor of History, Pennsylvania State University

Alex Molnar, Director - Education Policy Studies Laboratory, Arizona State University, Professor of Education Policy

Gary Ruskin, Executive Director, Commercial Alert, Executive Director, Congressional Accountability Project

Michael Ableman, Executive Director, Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens

Deborah Kane, Executive Director, The Food Alliance

Mark Ritchie, President, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy

Ray Anderson, Chairman and CEO, Interface, Inc., Co-Chair, President's Council on Sustainable Development

Scot Case, Director of Procurement Strategies, Center for a New American Dream

Catherine Gray, Executive Director, The Natural Step

Robert Massie, Executive Director, Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies

Ted Smith, Executive Director, Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, Co-Founder and Coordinator, International Campaign for Responsible Technology (sponsors the Clean Computer Campaign)

Judy Wicks, President and Founder, White Dog Cafe, Board Chair, Social Venture Network

Cassandra Carmichael, Director of Faith-Based Outreach, Center for a New American Dream

David Myers, Professor of Psychology, Hope College

Michael Schut, Program Associate and Development Officer, Earth Ministry

Dean Baker, Co-Director, Center for Economic and Policy Research

Betsy Leondar-Wright, Communications Director, United for a Fair Economy

Christian Weller, Senior Economist, Center for American Progress

Jared Bernstein, Labor Economist, Economic Policy Institute

Jennifer Ladd, Co-director, Class Action

Robert Manning, Gannett Professor of the Humanities, Rochester Institute of Technology, Founder, Newtonian Finances Ltd.

Vicki Robin, President, The New Road Map Foundation, Founding Board Member, Center for a New American Dream

Eric Brown, Communications Director, The Center for a New American Dream

Chuck Collins, Co-Founder and Program Director, United for a Fair Economy

Kristin Dawkins, Director, Global Governance Program, Vice President International Programs, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy

Scott Exo, Program Director, The Food Alliance

Kathy Fay, Treasurer, Financial Integrity Associates with the New Road Map Foundation

Chris Hartman, Research Director, United for a Fair Economy

Amy Isaacs, National Director, Americans for Democratic Action, Inc.

Jean Kilbourne, Visiting Scholar, Wellesley College

Mike Lapham, Co-Director, United for a Fair Economy, Project Director, Responsible Wealth

Jonathan Moscatello, National Technical Director, The Food Alliance

Chris O Brien, Managing Director, Co-op America Business Network

Allan Solomonow, Director, Middle East Peace Program, Pacific Mountain Regional Office, American Friends Service Committee

Mike Stradley, Moderator, Financial Integirty Associates