F RO M T H E C E N T E R F O R A N E W A M E R I C A N D R E A M

W W W. N E W D R E A M . O R G
WHO ARE WE AND WHY
ARE WE DOING THIS?

T he Center for a New American Dream helps Americans

consume responsibly to protect the environment,
enhance quality of life and promote social justice. Through
outreach programs like the Simplify the Holidays campaign, we
are working to promote sustainable lifestyles that will ensure a
healthy planet for future generations.
We hope this brochure is useful to you and we look for-
ward to hearing your comments and observations.
Sincerely,
The New American Dream Staff

WE INVITE YOU TO BE
OUR PARTNER

O ur work depends on the generosity and support of

people across the country. Please consider becoming a
supporting member of the Center for a New American Dream.
Annual membership helps us offset the costs of develop-
ing and coordinating our Simplify the Holidays campaign.
Membership benefits include a subscription to our quarterly
newsletter, In Balance, our More Fun, Less Stuff Starter Kit, an
educational booklet such as this one, and our More Fun, Less
Stuff bumper sticker.
Just visit www.newdream.org/join.html or call us toll-free at
1-877-68-DREAM!
Simplify the Holidays
No matter what you celebrate, this guide provides
many meaningful ways to have more fun with less
stuff this season!

T ABLE OF C ONTENTS
Are You Dreaming of the Perfect Holiday? . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Retail Extravaganza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Time and Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Gifts and Spending . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Talk to Your Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Simplify Gift Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Gifts of Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Homemade Gifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Budget: Zero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Gifts of Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Gifts to Charity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Gifts for Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Gifts for Grandparents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Change Gift-Giving Traditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Simpler Entertaining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Connect With Your Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Remember Your Elders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Be Kind to the Earth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Campaign Endorsements and Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
A RE Y OU D REAMING OF THE
P ERFECT H OLIDAY ?

I f you were asked

to describe the
ideal holiday sea-
son, chances are you
would include the com-
pany of loved ones,
good food, fun and
relaxation, and maybe
an inch or two of snow.
It seems so simple, but for many of us, this could not be
farther from reality. Too often, the holidays seem to exhaust
rather than uplift us. Do you sometimes feel trapped by the
shopping, spending, and frenzied preparations? Do you want
your holidays wrapped more in meaning and less in stuff? If
so, you’re not alone. According to a recent national survey, 70
percent of Americans would welcome less emphasis on gift giv-
ing and spending.
This year, you don’t have to rack up credit card debt or get
swept up in the season’s commercialism. Instead, consider cre-
ating holidays that instill more meaning into the season and
encourage more sharing, laughter, and personal renewal. This
guide is our attempt to help you get started. We hope the
steps outlined here will help you reduce stress and increase
your personal fulfillment during this holiday season.

2
R ETAIL E XTRAVAGANZA

T he holiday season is arguably our greatest cultural

paradox. Tradition, family, and faith are obscured by the
pressures to spend. The costs of the commercialized holiday sea-
son are reflected in these statistics:

Shoppers spent a total of $438.6 billion during the 2005 hol-

iday season. On Black Friday Weekend alone shoppers spent
$27.8 billion. (National Retail Federation)

For the entire 2005 holiday season (October 31 – January 1)

Visa cardholders spent $257 billion. This is a 17.5% increase from
2004. (Visa)

In 2005, the average American carried $2,328 in credit card

debt. (Myvesta)

In November 2005, 25% of consumers surveyed said they

were somewhat or very concerned about paying off that holiday
season’s credit card bills. (Consumer Federation of America/
Credit Union National Association)

Most malls began decorating for the 2005 holiday season on

November 1st. (ICSC)

Large stores, such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdales,

will spend 30% to 50% of their overall budget on holiday decora-
tions. (CNN, November 18, 2005).

Americans throw away 25% more trash during the

Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday season than any other time of
year. This extra garbage amounts to 25 million tons of trash, or
about one million extra tons of garbage per week. (Bob
Lilienfeld/The Use Less Stuff Report)

3
G ETTING S TARTED
efore deciding how to simplify, take a moment to reflect on
B what kind of holiday celebration you want. Are you looking
for more activities to enjoy with your children? A celebration
focused more deeply on nature? New charitable or community-
based traditions? A clearer affirmation of your spiritual beliefs?
Or are you trying to reduce the stress and get a little extra time to
sleep? Once you have
decided what you want to
do differently, it’s easier to
decide how to act.
When adults reflect back
on their childhoods, holi-
days are often some of their
most precious memories.
What holiday memories do
you want, for yourself and
for your children?
Unfortunately, too
many of us get trapped in
the chaos of shopping, plan-
ning, cooking, and cleaning.
We speed up so much that
we never really slow down and enjoy the season. The heart and
soul of the holidays often get lost.
Imagine the holidays have come and gone. The food has been
eaten, the gifts have all been opened, and you are observing the
aftermath. Picture the scene carefully: the way the house looks,
the way you feel, what your family is doing. Once you can see the
image clearly, answer the following questions.

4
 Does your usual celebration focus on those aspects of the
1. holiday that you feel are most important?
o YES o NO

Which parts of your celebration would be the easiest to

2. change so that you could spend more time on the things
that are most meaningful for you?

T IME AND S TRESS

List all the holiday-related tasks for which you were
1. responsible last year (e.g., buying gifts, making cards, dec-
orating the house, entertaining guests, etc.).

Put a star next to the activities you truly enjoyed. Look at

2. your list and consider the following questions:
Which activities could you scale back to reduce stress?

Where can you enlist help to make tasks easier and more fun?

Which activities could you cut out altogether?

Which activities do you find particularly enriching, and wor-

thy of more time and effort?

5
G IFTS AND S PENDING
ry to remember how much money you spent last year on
T gifts, decorations, and overall celebration-related items dur-
ing the holiday season last year. If necessary, estimate your bills,
but if your bank and credit card statements from last year are
available, do your best to get an accurate picture of what your
actual costs were. Don’t forget to add in the price of wrapping
paper, food for entertaining, and any last-minute “stocking
stuffers” or other extras you may have purchased, too. Calculate
what percentage of your annual income this amounts to.
Amount: __________ Percentage of annual income: _________

Are you comfortable with this figure? Is the amount you spend
on the holidays greater than your yearly electric bill? Your annual
savings? Your annual charitable giving? Did you put any of these
expenses on a credit card, and if so, how long did it take to pay off
the credit debt? The purpose of this exercise isn’t to make you feel
guilty, but to give you some perspective. Often, we are simply not
conscious of how much is flying out of our wallets during the rush
of the season. Seeing the total amount added up can provide some
resolve to track expenses more carefully, however. If you don’t feel
the level of enjoyment you received justified the amount you spent,
try setting a budget to spend less.

B UDGETING
or many people, overspending is the biggest source of stress
F at holiday time. We all want to show our loved ones that we
care about them, but we don’t need to go broke in the process.
If financial concerns have the potential to ruin your holiday, set a
holiday budget well ahead of time that weighs the money you
have available against your obligations. Then, reconsider your
6
obligations. Take another look at what you spent last year, outlined
in the exercise above. If you paid $200 to prepare a large, fancy
meal for your extended family, could you spend $30 this year on a
simpler main course and ask guests to bring side dishes? If you
spent $10 on wrapping paper, could you use children’s artwork or
maps from your travels as a free alternative this year? (The tips that
follow will help with creative ways to save money.) Every budget is
unique, but the bottom line should be a figure you can cover with-
out credit debt over the months leading up to the holiday. Calculate
a total amount you are comfortable with, then plan a budget that is
roughly half of what you know you can afford. This gives you a
cushion against all those little extras that spring up unexpectedly.
It’s also a good idea to record your holiday purchases as you
make them. Keeping a running tally of your expenses (in a memo
pad in your purse or a sheet of paper in your wallet) will help you
track how well you are sticking with your budget. If you predict
that overspending will be a problem, make a rule to do all of your
holiday shopping with cash. This reduces the chance that you will
buy on impulse, limits your spending to the amount you choose to
bring into a store, and won’t cost you anything in interest.

T ALK TO Y OUR F AMILY

f you are planning to change your usual holiday celebrations and
I rituals, talk to your family about it ahead of time and get their
feedback. Explain why you want to make a change. Assure every-
one that you want to emphasize the traditions that foster the great-
est sense of meaning and connection, and that you don’t want to
take anything away from the holiday. Skeptics may change their
minds after giving a few new ideas a try. You may also be pleasantly
surprised by who shares your concerns and enthusiasm.

7
 Some families will resist any kind of change. This doesn’t
mean you can’t gradually incorporate new practices into your usual
rituals. Creatively planned activities and thoughtful homemade
gifts will often win over cynical friends and relatives, and even the
smallest changes in your routines can make you feel better about
your holiday while reducing your impact on the environment.

S IMPLE G IFT I DEAS

We’ve compiled hundreds of ideas that celebrate the holiday sea-
son without overwhelming family time, credit cards, or landfills.
For a periodically updated list of ideas, visit www.newdream.org.

Gifts of Time
his is a wonderful option for just about anyone, from the
T person who “has everything”

In appreci
to the elderly relative who would
ati on of your
friendship
most appreciate your companion-
,
I am prou
d to give y
ship. A particularly nice way to
ou
____________
_________
give the gift of time is by creating

____________
a voucher or “coupon” that
describes the gift being given, _________
for_________
like in the example at the right. ______ .
This gift ca
n be
redeemed
at any tim
Special activities with a
during the e
year by
loved one — a candlelight
calling me
and
dinner, massage, or picnic
arranging
a
convenien
A month of taking out the
garbage, doing the dishes, t time.
shoveling the snow, cleaning With Love,
the cat box, or performing
other household chores.

8
 A monthly lunch date with an elderly relative or friend

Babysitting

Car washing

An outing to a zoo, museum, or park

Dinner at a favorite restaurant

A canoe, boat, train, or balloon ride

A hiking, camping, biking, or swimming trip

Dog walking or pet sitting

Homemade Gifts
ou do not have to be an artist, or even exceptionally creative,
Y to make a great gift for someone. And while it does take
some time to make a gift, it may be no more than the time you
spend hunting for a parking spot at the mall.

Give someone a personalized basket, filled with homemade

muffins, cookies, and jam.

Make a rope swing, painted wooden blocks, or a sandbox for

a child.

Make a family calendar marked with important dates, such as

birthdays, anniversaries, and family gatherings. Decorate the cal-
endar with family photos.

Put together a photo album, scrap book, or framed collage

containing pictures and mementos.

Make an emergency kit. Do you know someone with an

unreliable car? Create a gift basket with a blanket, flashlight, gas
can, jumper cables, and flares. Does your friend walk home from
work or class after dark? Make a gift box with pepper spray, a
whistle, and a prepaid calling card.

9
 Make homemade potpourri, candles, or soap.

Frame one of your best photographs.

Re-pot herbs and passalong plants with clippings from your

favorite house and garden plants.

Record interviews of parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles

on audio tape. You can ask them to share memories of the person
you plan to give the tape to, or tell stories of your family history.

Prepare homemade soups or dinners that can be frozen for

future use.

Buy a plain, clean T-shirt from the thrift store and customize
it for your recipient with iron-on transfer paper or fabric paint
(available at craft stores).

In lieu of store-bought gifts I make homemade candy… I

don’t set foot in a store during the crazed Christmas sea-
son, and all the gifts for 20 people cost about $125.
–Sara Heard
New York, New York

Budget: Zero
Give away the last great book you bought and enjoyed to
someone who enjoys your taste. You’ll get to talk about the book
later, and you can always reread a library copy.

Plant a tree or perform some other “random act of kindness”

in your recipient’s honor.

Take a friend off of junk mail. Generate automatic forms

with your recipient’s name and address at www.newdream.org/
junkmail to reduce unwanted mail by 50 percent. Present the
forms in stamped, addressed envelopes ready to sign and mail.

10
 Put together a little book of
favorite family recipes.

Have a “re-gift” swap. We all

have gift-quality things in our closets
we don’t actually use (many left over
from holidays past, still in shrink
wrap). Get together with a few like-
minded friends and trade them for
items that fit your gift list. Or, use
websites like Craigslist.org,
Throwplace.org, and Freecycle.org
to barter and “shop” for gently used gifts.

Give a gift exemption voucher, explaining that the recipient

needn’t feel obliged to get a gift for you.

Give attractive and meaningful articles from your own home.

For example, a sewing machine you no longer have time to use
would make a wonderful gift to a teenager just learning how to
sew or a new homeowner wanting to make custom decorations.
Explain how the gift is significant to you and why you want the
person to have it.

List one hundred of your fondest memories with the recipient.

Give the gift of forgiveness. Call an estranged friend or write

a letter to someone you haven’t seen in a long time. Making a
real connection is sweeter than any other gift you can give.

Gifts of Experience
ome gifts are not tangible, but are a chance for the recipient
S to try something new. This kind of gift can provide memo-
ries that last forever, without the need for more stuff.

Sign someone up for lessons in a sport, a language, or a

musical instrument.

11
 Offer to teach a skill you possess, such as canning, swing
dancing, knitting, furniture-making, or doing the butterfly stroke.

Offer a talent such as photography, gardening, or financial

planning.

Gifts to Charity
he commercialized holiday culture encourages everyone to
T focus on getting stuff, for our kids and ourselves. But many
religious traditions instruct us that true joy and purpose come
from focusing on the needs of others. This year, consider more
gifts of charity that touch the hearts and lives of people who are
less privileged.

Donate to a cause in the name of a family member. Some

families make gifts to charities and then present family members
with a coupon or card indicating the gift was made in their name.
See www.altgifts.org for ways to give.

Sponsor a child refugee, support a homeless shelter, or pro-

tect an acre of rainforest.

Buy renewable energy certificates to offset the carbon emis-

sions of a friend burning fossil fuel. More information is available
at www.newdream.org/consumer/carbon.php.

Set aside a few hours to volunteer in your community.

Call your local social services agency and anonymously give

food, clothing, and money to a particular family in need.

Designate an amount of money to donate to charity and let

your kids pick which causes will receive it. Older children can
research different types of organizations and learn what kinds of
projects match your family’s values.

12
 What is an Alternative Gift Fair?
magine a shopping list that, instead of sweaters, knick-
I knacks, and video games, contained solar cookers for
refugees in Kenya, solar water systems for victims of natural
disasters in Honduras, and garden plots for urban families in
your neighborhood. These are all examples of presents that
can be purchased at alternative gift fairs, generaly for just $5
to $100. When you make a donation toward a specific gift of
charity, you receive a card detailing your gift to give to your
recipient.
In addition to supporting worthy charities in your area and
around the world, gift fairs are a great way for communities
to come together for a festive holiday celebration. Many
feature live music, homemade decorations, food, and lots of
holiday spirit.
Want to attend a fair but don’t have one in your neighbor-
hood? Consider organizing one! Hosting a fair is a great
way to support a diverse range of organizations while
bypassing much of the stress that comes with the annual
shopping season. Find out more about where fairs are being
held and how to host one in your own community by visiting
www.newdream.org/holiday/altgift.html.

Gifts for Children

nstead of making a contribution to the dead toy pile in your
I child’s room, give your kids gifts they can’t break. Like pen
pals. Or the adoption of a wild animal at a wildlife organization
or zoo. And instead of joining the stampede for the latest mass-
produced gimmick, make a gift that fits the child you love: a web
page featuring her, or a story with him as the main character.
Make a voice recording of yourself reading a favorite book aloud
(a gift that would be cherished by adult children, too). Or check
out some of these ideas.

13
Yay! A lump of coal!
Have you ever noticed that some kids are happier with the wrap-
ping paper than the present? Often, the less complicated a gift is,
the more it engages a child’s imagination. So, consider stuffing a
stocking with these timeless toys:

a bag of marbles, polished rocks, sea shells or foreign coins

a magnifying glass

a long piece of thick

rope or chain

a stamp and stamp pad

building blocks

modeling clay or
homemade play dough

a homemade sock
monkey

a drawing pad and

crayons or pastels

Some assembly desired

Gather the materials that appeal to a child’s sense of play:

empty food boxes, play money and a cash box for running an
imaginary store

old business forms, rubber stamps, file folders to play office

scrap wood, cardboard, shingles, a small hammer, non-toxic

paint, etc. for building a club house, and a map that shows where
it can be built

silk nightgowns, wild shoes, silly ties, and hats for playing
dress-up

14
 a cookbook with simple, healthy recipes

gardening tools, seeds, and pots of soil for indoor gardening

a book of skits or plays

a treasure hunt with a series of mysterious clues for children

to follow

a subscription to a magazine that explores the larger world,

like Ranger Rick or National Geographic Kids

offer to throw an “unbirthday” party in any month a child

wishes, with a choice of party themes

G IFTS FOR G RANDPARENTS

randparents often benefit the most from nontraditional gifts.
G For those elders who already have all the material goods and
comforts that they need, consider instead a gift that honors their
role in your life:

Arrange and frame a family tree photo collage.

Have all the children and grandchildren write stories or draw

pictures of meaningful experiences or lessons they learned from
grandparents.

Give a gift that returns a

I plan on asking relatives and
present from your childhood or
friends to donate money to the
Nature Conservancy in my name, past. For example, if your
rather than buy me a gift… I have grandmother knit sweaters for
come to realize that more bath you each winter, learn to knit or
soaps, shirts, and earrings don’t do crochet a simple scarf to show
a thing to make me content. Just your admiration for her work.
playing with my son is all I need to
be happy.
–Laura Monti
Arlington, Virginia

15
C HANGE G IFT -G IVING T RADITIONS
or extended families, office parties, or families with grown
F children, the usual custom of getting a brand new gift for
each person on your list can be excessive. Try one of these fun
ideas for reducing the number of material gifts while keeping the
fun spirit of a gift swap.

Have a “Yankee Pot Luck” or “White Elephant Party.” Each

person brings one wrapped second-hand item in good condition
to the party and all the gifts are arranged on a table. Everyone
draws numbers and the first person picks a gift from the table and
unwraps it. The second person can either choose another gift, or
take the first person’s gift (in which case the first person chooses
again). Continue opening and “stealing” each other’s presents
until all are opened. This shifts the focus from getting more and
more to creatively exhanging just a few things in a fun way.

For large gatherings, get everyone together in advance, put

all the names in a hat, and have each person draw the name of one
other person to buy for. Everyone still has the fun of giving and
receiving, but not the excess and expense of every person giving
to each other person.

Designate a dollar limit on gifts in advance. The lower the

limit, the more creative the gift ideas get, especially if humor is
the goal. You would be surprised how much laughter you can
evoke by spending a dollar or two at a yard sale.

If you celebrate Hanukah, shift the focus to avoid giving gifts

for eight consecutive evenings. Consider having a theme for each
night: hosting a family party, working on a charity project togeth-
er, making homemade presents or baked goods for otheres, play-
ing games, etc. — with gift-giving as only one night’s focus.

16
S IMPLER E NTERTAINING
or some people entertaining can be a major holiday stress.
F Starting in November, we are bombarded with images of
extravagant decorations and elaborate holiday recipes. With these
standards, a simple party can become a
monstrous task.
The first step in making hol-
iday events more manageable is
to decide that you are willing to
give up perfection. If you accept
that your gathering will not look
exactly like the cover of a maga-
zine, you might be able to enjoy
it more. Here are some ideas to
simplify your party, whether it’s a
large or small gathering:
If friends and relatives are willing, have a gourmet potluck
party instead of doing all the cooking yourself. The food can still
be scrumptious, but each person only cooks one dish!
Instead of having a party centered around a full meal, have
people over for coffee and dessert alone.

Host a cookie swap. Instead of going through the trouble of

baking many different kinds of cookies, double or triple one
recipe and share them. Six friends who each make six dozen of
the same kind of cookie can meet for coffee and go home with a
dozen of each kind (minus one or two, perhaps).

Delegate some of the decorating, especially if you have young

helpers in your home.

17
C ONNECT WITH Y OUR C HILDREN
any of us are looking for new ways to connect with our
M children during the holidays. If you would like to create
some holiday rituals, especially for kids, here are some suggestions:

Help kids put on a holiday play, talent show, or puppet show.

It doesn’t have to be elaborate and it could be great holiday party
entertainment. Pick a well-known play or movie and assign roles
in unconventional ways.

Take them caroling. This is particularly enjoyable when

friends and relatives are visiting so that the group of children is
large, and it is also a good way to rekindle a sense of community.
Be sure to make multiple copies of song sheets!

Make latkes, chocolates, a gingerbread house, or other treats.

Hand-dip candles together for use in a menorah, kinara, or

advent wreath.

Help your children prepare gift boxes for the homeless (filled
with items like food, treats, and toiletries). This can be done
jointly with a few families and is a gentle way to teach them to
appreciate their own good fortune and instill the values of com-
munity service and kindness to others.

R EMEMBER Y OUR E LDERS

e tend to focus on children during the holidays, but this
W can also be the perfect time of year to connect with our
elders. We are all so busy with our normal routines the rest of the
year that it is easy to put off that visit to an elderly friend or rela-
tive. Before we realize it, months have gone by. This year, sched-
ule special time with a senior citizen who enjoys the company of
your family.

18
 B E K IND TO THE E ARTH
f you are looking to
Several years ago I made dozens
of cloth gift bags which I gave as
I connect your holi-
gifts and hae used for our own day rituals to the natur-
gifts since our children were new- al world, or if you just
borns, saving a mountain of wrap-
want to be more envi-
ping paper and ribbon.
–Karen Madsen ronmentally conscious,
Everett, Washington there are lots of things
you can do:

Save paper by wrapping gifts in newspaper comics or

paper bags decorated with markers, rubber stamps, or
homemade art. You can also wrap presents in topograph-
ic maps, fun thrift-store fabrics, fabric remnants, silk
scarves, children’s drawings, artwork from old calendars,
or other unconventional materials you have on hand. If
this doesn’t appeal to you, look for recycled wrapping
paper that can be recycled again.

Reuse gift bags, boxes, and ribbon from last year.

Save this year’s gift wrap for reuse next year.

Buy products produced locally by small businesses

and artisans. Reject overpackaged and sweatshop-made
goods.

Make your holiday meals with as many locally grown

and/or organic foods as possible.

If you are decorating a tree, buy a live one and replant

it, or go outside and trim a tree in your yard with
biodegradable treats for the birds. Or, skip the tree and
decorate your home with clippings from local evergreens
and holly bushes.

Call the toll-free numbers on unwanted holiday cata-

logs and have your name taken off of their mailing lists.

19
This Campaign Endorsed by Further Reading
Cecile Andrews
Hundred Dollar Holiday by Bill
Learning for Life Project
McKibben
Liz Barratt-Brown
The Oikos Group How the Grinch Stole Christmas by
Dr. Seuss
Brent Blackwelder
Friends of the Earth Simplify Your Christmas by Elaine
Co-op America St. James
Marian Wright Edelman Unplug the Christmas Machine by
Children’s Defense Fund Jo Robinson & Jean Coppock Staeheli
Robert Engelman
Population Action International What Kids Really Want That
Money Can’t Buy by Betsy Taylor
Peter Forbes
Trust for Public Land “Winter Solstice Celebrations for
Paul Gorman Families and Households” by Selena
National Religious Partnership for Fox <www.circlesanctuary.org/
the Environment pholidays/SolsticePlanningGuide.html>
Jaqueline Hamilton
Environmental Defense “Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?”
(Christian-oriented pamphlet),
Mark Jacobs
Coalition on the Environment and Alternatives for Simple Living, (1-800-
Jewish Life 821-6153) <www.simpleliving.org>

Sources for Earth-Friendly

Jack Kornfield

Products
Spirit Rock Center
Frances Moore Lappé
Center for Living Democracy
Alternative Gifts International (1-
Rabbi Mordechai Liebling 800-842-2243)
Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
<www.altgifts.org>
Bill McKibben
Author Conscious Consumer
Mary Pipher <www.newdream.org/consumer>
Author
Conservatree recycled card listings
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Fourth Edition: Credits

Written by New American Dream staff
Illustrations by Amanda Wood
© October 2006, New American Dream
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American Dream
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