free time and, 44, 224, 226–27
Netherlands, 230, 232–33
saving money, 21–22
Stone Age cultures, 129
taxes, 229, 230, 231
UK, 231–32
See also cultural differences
Internet, 16–17, 121–22, 157, 165, 219–20
Iowa Beef Processors slaughterhouse, 43
“Is Greed Good?” (article), 83–84
isolation, 64–66, 68–71, 206–7
J
Jacobson, Michael, 156
Japan, 117, 121
Jesus (the Christ), 74, 131–32
Johnson, Allen, 129–30
Johnson, Beth, 32
K
Kalahari Bushmen, 35, 88, 129
Kasser, Tim, 77
“keeping up with the Jones,” xii, 29–30, 78, 158, 173–74
Kellogg, W. K., 144, 225
Kellogg’s Six-Hour Day (Hunnicutt), 144
Kennedy, John F., 77
Kennedy, Robby, 152
Kerry, John, 226, 229
Kid Power, 57
Knowledge-Value Revolution (Sakaiya), 117
Korten, David, 87
Kuntsler, James, 65
Kurnit, Paul, 57
L
Lafargue, Paul, 140
Lakota Sioux, 132
Lasn, Kalle, 160–61, 215–19
Lawrence textile workers strike, 223
Layard, Richard, 86, 224, 232
laziness, 140–41
leisure time, 39–41, 43–45, 140–42, 225–27
Leon, Warren, 200–201
Leopold, Aldo, 192
Lerner, Michael, 76–77
Life without Principle (Thoreau), 137
Linder, Staffan, 41–42
Living Downstream (Steingraber), 102
Los Angeles (CA), 34
Lovins, Amory, 90, 203, 230
Lovins, Hunter, 90, 230
Lubbers, Ruud, 232–33
Luntz, Frank, 226
Luttwak, Edward, 52–53
Luxury Fever (Frank), 229
M
Machiguenga, 129–30
Macy, Joanna, 243–44, 246
Mall of America, 15
malls, 13–16, 149–50
market values, 50–52, 55–58
marketing
brand names and, 155–56
and children, 55–58, 231
front groups, 163–64
information validity and, 165–66
school subsidization and, 59–61, 231
television and, 150, 231
See also advertising; media; PR
Marketing Madness (Mazur and Jacobson), 156
marriage, 48–50
Martineau, Pierre, 154
Marx, Karl, 135–37, 138, 140
Maslow, Abraham, 117–20
Mazur, Laurie, 58, 155–56, 157
McDonald, Evy, 178–79
McDonald’s, 122
McKibben, Bill, 191
Meadows, Donella, 93, 116, 169–70
meaning. See fulfillment
media
Adbusters, 215–19
children and the, 55–59, 219–20
literacy, 219–20
product placement, 156
television, 29, 150, 154–55, 216–19, 231
See also advertising; marketing; PR
Meyer Friedman Institute, 45–46
Miringoff, Marc, 70
Molnar, Alex, 60
Monsanto, 164
Moore, Michael, 207
Moran, Virginia, 211
Morris, William, 140
Mother Jones (magazine), 83
Mother Teresa, 74
Motivation in Advertising (Martineau), 154
N
Nader, Ralph, 226, 231
National Consumer Finance Association ad, 149
National Retail Foundation, 13
Natural Capitalism (Hawken), 230
nature
abuse of, 90–91
alienation from, 188–91
Bioregion Quiz, 190
ecophobia, 192
living systems, 243–44
participating in, 192–96
as treatment, 6, 193–96, 243–44
See also environmental impact
Natural Step movement, 230
New York Times, 27
Newton, Issac, 102–3
Nickel and Dimed (Ehrenreich), 85
No Child Left Behind Act (2002), 61
Norman, Al, 67–68
Norris, Margaret, 86
Northwest Earth Institute, 186, 208
Nussbuam, Karen, 43
O
O’Connor, Terrance, 205
Oetjen, Marielle, 19
overwork, 43–45
P
Pacific Islanders, 122
paper industry, 91–93
Parade (magazine), 3–4
Paradox of Choice (Schwartz), 42
Parker, Thornton, 22
Pauly, Mike, 49–50
PBS, 219
personal choice
Affluenza Self-Diagnosis Test, 174–76
ecological footprint and, 96–97, 241
environmental impact of, 198–202, 204–5
free time and, 39–41, 42–45, 225–27
fulfillment and, 74, 235–37
lifestyle changes, 119, 178–80, 197–202, 204–5
policy and, 199–200, 222
voluntary simplicity, xi, 183–85
workweek reduction, 224–25
See also fulfillment
Pew School of Journalism poll, 69–70
Pinkerton, David and Mary, 104
Place for Us (Barber), 207
policy
campaign-finance reform, 231
commercialization and, xi, 231
corporations and, 60, 230
deregulation, 81–82
employment, 223–28
extended producer responsibility laws, 202–3, 230
graduated retirement, 227–28
international innovations in, 231–33
key areas of action, 222
mandated product efficiency, 199–200
sustainability and, 232–33, 244–45, 247
taxes, 229–31
political common ground, xvi–xvii, 52–53
“Politics of Well-Being” movement (UK), 231–32
Porter, Lana, 194–95
Portland (OR), 186
“possession overload,” 39
Potomac Mills mall, 14, 17
poverty, 82–83, 84–87
Power of Clan (Wolf), 64
Poyntz, Juliet Stuart, 142
PR (public relations)
corporate agendas and, 164–65, 166–67
front groups, 163–64
journalists and, 168–69
pervasiveness of, 161–62
quality of information, 165–66, 170
Proctor & Gamble, 162
products
energy-efficient, 197–200
environmental impact of, 202–4, 245, 246
extended producer responsibility laws, 202–3, 230
paper industry, 91–93
planned obsolescence, 148
sustainability and, 245, 246
See also automobiles
progress, 16–17, 28, 37, 41–45, 130
PRWatch, 164
Puritans, 133–34
Putnam, Robert, 65–66, 69
Q
Quakers, 134
R
Rathje, William, 37
Reagan, Ronald, 82, 153–54, 187
Redefining Progress, 7, 239–41, 286
Responsible Wealth, 213
retail chains, 66–68
Rifkin, Jeremy, 3, 139, 162
“Right to Be Lazy” (Lafargue), 140
Robin, Vicki, xi–xiii, 179–81, 235–36
Robinson, John, 44, 47
Roosevelt, Franklin D., 143
&nbs
p; Roosevelt, Theodore, 141
Ropke, Wilhelm, 78–79, 151, 159
Roy, Dick, 185–86, 208–9
Roy, Jeanne, 185–86
Royce, Beckett, 17
Ryan, John, 142
Ryan, Richard, 77, 115–16
S
Sakaiya, Taichi, 117
Satisfaction Guaranteed (Strasser), 148
Sawe, Caroline, 58, 75
Schenk, David, 41
Schifrin, Daniel, 156
schools, 59–61, 231
Schor, Juliet, 22, 29, 42–43, 44, 55, 62, 82, 224, 232
Schut, Michael, 185
Schwartz, Barry, 42
Seattle (WA), 220, 237–39
Second Vermont Republic, 222
Seeds of Simplicity, 184
self-actualization. See fulfillment
Selling Out American’s Children (Walsh), 56
ShareSaveSpend, 219–20
Shi, David, 131, 133, 141, 152
shopping
as addiction, xii–xiii, 14–15, 39, 109–13
birth of department stores, 141
cyber, 16–17
Electronic Mall Madness (game), 55
home, 16
malls, 13–16, 149–50
overwhelming choices and, 42, 49
responsibly, 198–200
retail chains and, 66–68
as therapy, xviii–xix, 17, 49
time stress and, 41–42
Simon, Scott, ix–x, 14–15, 17, 28, 155
Simple Life (Shi), 141, 131
Simpler Living, Compassionate Life (Schut), 185
simplicity
downshifters, 181, 185
late nineteenth century, 141
policy and, 199–200
and right livelihood, 178
sustainability and, 245
voluntary simplicity movement, xi, 183–87, 232
Simplicity Forum, xi, 225
Sitting Bull (Tatanka Yotanka), 132
Sobel, David, 192
social class
“classless” society, 85
in colonial American, 133–34
expectations and, 29
harried leisure class, 41–42
haves and have-nots, xviii, 81–85
See also economics
social norms
clutter as, 36–37
giving and, 62
isolation, 65–66, 68–71
market values, 57–58, 159
postwar economic growth, 152
shopping therapy, xviii–xix, 17, 49
throw-away society, 49–50
social status
cars and, 26–27
conspicuous consumption and, xii, 25, 86
housing and, 25
“keeping up with the Jones,” xii, 29–30, 78, 158, 173–74
socialism, 136–37, 138
Sony Ericsson, 162
space clutter, 35–36
SpaceShipOne, 27
Sparagon, Bart, 45
“spaving,” 17
spiritual crisis. See discontent; fulfillment
standard of living
children’s well being, 61–62
decline in, 29–30
GPI and, 7, 239–41
income equality and, 82
overwork and, 42–43, 223–25
personal time and, 39–41, 43–45, 225–27
policy and, 231–33
sustainability and, 245–47
Stanton, Glenn, 50–52
Stauber, John, 161, 162, 164
Steingraber, Sandra, 102
Strasses, Susan, 148
stress
busyness and, 39–41
choice and, 42, 247
meaningful work and, 76
overwork and, 42–46, 227
possession overload and, 39
shopping and, 41–42
symptoms of, 38–39
Type A personality and, 45–46
study circles/groups, 183–85, 187
stuff, 32–37
Stuff (Durning and Ryan), 95–96
Super Mall, 13–14
sustainability
benefits of, 246–47
community, 237–39
corporations, 186
and the environment, 237, 245
infrastructure for, 222
national, 232–33, 239–41
nature and, 243–44
practices in Europe, 232–33
trends towards, 174, 243, 245
values and, ix–x
voluntary simplicity and, xi, 183–87, 232
Sustainable Seattle, 237–39
SUVs, xii, 26–27, 200–201
Swenson, Richard, 38–39, 132
symptoms
addiction, xii–xiii, 14–15, 39, 109–13
bankruptcies, 20–21, 22
clutter, 32–37
credit cards, 19–20
crime, 58, 69–70, 76, 86–87
debt, 18–21
education
commercialization, 59–61, 231
financial security, 21–22
industrial toxicity, 101–7
isolation, 64–66, 68–71, 206–7
list of, 5
shopping fever, 13–17
See also discontent; expectations; stress
T
Take Back Your Time, 7, 225–27
taxes, 213, 229–31
Taylor, Betsy, 244–46
technology
conspicuous consumption and, 16–17, 28, 34, 37
Internet, 16–17, 121–22, 157, 165, 219–20
time stress and, 40–41
television, 29, 150, 154–55, 216–19, 231
Terkel, Studs, 77–78
Thoreau, Henry David, 137–38
throw-away society, 49–50
time famine, 39–41
Time to Care legislative agenda, 225–26
Toxic Sludge Is Good for You (Stauber), 161
Toynbee, Arnold, 187
transcendentalism, 137–38
travel, 27, 28–29, 35
treatment
Adbusters, 215–19
Affluenza Self-Diagnosis Test, 174–76
civic life, 207–9
co-hosing, 209–12
corporate responsibility, 202–3, 230
downshifting, 181, 185–86
Fever Index, 235
financial integrity, 180–81
free time, 225–27
and hope, 243
lifestyle change, 119, 178–80, 197–99
media literacy, 219–20
responsible wealth, 213
smart product design, 202–4
theories on, 6–7
voluntary simplicity, 183–87
work reduction, 223–24, 227, 228
See also nature; personal choice; policy; sustainability
Trends 2000 (Celente), 6
Truman, Harry, 151
Turbo-Capitalism (Luttwak), 52
Type A personality, 45–46
U
United Kingdom, 231–32
United Methodist Church, 185
V
values
advertising and, 157, 159
children’s shifting, 61–62
erosion of, 127
family, 47–48, 50–53
identifying and aligning with, 208, 236
international consumer, 87
market created, 50–52, 55–58
meaningful activity/work, 73–76
patience, 41, 43
personal time, 39–41, 43–45
shopping addict’s, 13, 14, 15
subsidized education and, 59–61
sustainability, ix-x
See also fulfillment; simplicity
Vancouver (British Columbia), 215, 218
Vancouver Island’s West Coast Trail, 91–92
Vermont, 222
voluntary simplicity, xi, 183–87, 232
Voluntary Simplicity (Elgin), 183, 187
W
Wachtel, Paul, 24
Wacker, LaNita, 24–25
Wackernagel, Mathis, 96–97, 241
Walden (Thoreau), 137
Wal-Mart, 66, 67
Walsh, David, 56
Wann, Colin, 91–92, 193
Weil, Andrew, 121
What If Boomers Can’t Retire? (Parker), 22
When Corporations Rule the World (Korten), 87
“Why Bigger Isn’t Better” (report), 239
wind farms, 204
Wolf, Stewart, 64
Woll, Matthew, 141
Woolman, John, 134
work
deregulation and, 82
graduated retirement and, 227–28
the Great Depression, 143–44
Industrial Revolution and, 135–38
international practices, 224, 226–27
personal fulfillment and, 76–80, 140–42
policy and, 224–27
right livelihood and, 74–76, 178, 236
and stress, 42–43, 227
W. K. Kellogg on, 144–45
Wagner Labor Relations Act, 141
work sharing, 227, 228
worker benefits, 225, 226, 228
Worswick, Matt, 210
Wuerthele, Suzanne, 101–2
Y
Your Money or Your Life (Dominguez and Robin), 180, 181
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS
JOHN DE GRAAF has been a producer of public television documentaries for twenty-eight years. More than a dozen of his programs, including For Earth’s Sake: The Life and Times of David Brower, Running Out of Time, Affluenza, and Escape from Affluenza, have been broadcast nationally in prime time on PBS. He is a frequent speaker at colleges and universities and has been a visiting scholar at The Evergreen State College and a lecturer on documentary production for the University of Washington Extension. He is also the national coordinator of the Take Back Your Time campaign (www.timeday.org) and the editor of the book Take Back Your Time (Berrett-Koehler, 2003). He was also coauthor of a children’s book, David Brower: Friend of the Earth. He is a member of the steering committee of The Simplicity Forum (www.simplicityforum.org). He lives in Seattle.
DAVID WANN has written four books and more than a hundred articles and has produced many videos and television programs about sustainable lifestyles. His book Biologic (1994) discusses individual actions based on biological realities, while Deep Design (1996) looks at the prospect of an entire economy grounded in sustainable enterprise. He has taught at the college level, worked for more than a decade as a policy analyst for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and helped design and build the co-housing village in which he now lives, in Golden, Colorado.
THOMAS NAYLOR is professor emeritus of economics at Duke University, where he taught for thirty years. He has also taught at Middlebury College. He is a writer and social critic and has consulted with governments and major corporations in more than thirty countries. In 1993 he moved to Charlotte, Vermont, where he writes about the search for meaning and community and for simplifying all aspects of our lives. His articles have been published in the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, the Christian Science Monitor, the Nation, and Business Week. He has appeared on ABC, CBS, CNN, NPR, and the CBC. He is the author or coauthor of thirty books.