I think they do, but their dream stries me as much less materialistic. They want to live in a place where people respect each other without regard to their differences--racial, religious, or whatever it might be. They want to live in a safe place. They want to have enough to give their children good educations and opportunities, of course, but it's a more modest, economic dream than their parents' and grandparents' generations, which tended to measure success materialistically...Part of their American Dream involves a country that's more environmentally healthy, more pristine. And, maybe most importantly, they really want to recreate community.

In a recent Newsweek article called "The Great Shopping Spree, R.I.P," Robert J. Samuelson says that the consumption cycle that drove the economy for the past 25 years is over. He outlines some disturbing statistics, including:

In 1980, Americans spent 63 percent of national income (gross domestic product) on consumer goods and services. For the past five years, consumer spending equaled 70 percent of GDP.

In 2007, household debt (including mortgages) totaled $14.4 trillion, or 139 percent of personal disposable income. As recently as 2000, those figures were $7.4 trillion and 103 percent of income.

Thanks to Boulder County Going Local, I watched the film King Corn last night. It's a fantastic complement to Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. Let's face it, that book is pretty long and very dense; it's a great book, but not everyone is going to crack it. This film presents similar information is a more digestible, entertaining way. It's not full of answers, but it outlines the changes in our agricultural system over the past 50 years very carefully, through interviews with scientists, farmers, and doctors. Did you know that 1 in 3 children born in the year 2000 will be diagnosed with diabetes over their lifetime? That we are the first generation in a long time with a shorter life expectancy than our parents? That's because we're mainlining high fructose corn syrup, in the form of sodas, juices, and junk food additives.

I could tell you more about it, but you should really see it for yourself. Order it on their website, Netflix, or attend a screening near you.

Brace yourself for cuteness.

I came across this great website created by the Environmental Working Group: Pets for the Environment

Though it may seem at first glance a cutsy, almost frivulous way to talk about environmental toxins in the home, the toxins are real and have the potential to be extremely harmful to people, their children, and their pets. This website does a great job of explaining the invisible harms in our cleaning and storage products.

Check out the Healthy Pet Tips! I'm going to be making at least some of these changes in my own home, if not for me, for my kitties I care so much about.