“For fast acting relief; try slowing down.” —Lily Tomlin

Embracing Substance, Community, and Connections

• The Corporation for National and Community Service has acknowledged a sharp rise in volunteerism—what it calls a “compassion surge”—as more people seek to help those around them who are struggling.
• Looking for a more personal form of philanthropy, more than half a million people have loaned money to “working poor” entrepreneurs around the world via microfinance site Kiva. As of November 2009, more than $100 million had been invested.
• Bypassing the impersonal finance industry, people are flocking to peer-to-peer community websites such as Zopa, where “real people” lend and borrow money to and from one another.
• A 2008 study by Alter Eco found that 71% of U.S. consumers were aware of the term Fair Trade, a substantial increase from a decade prior; of the 56% who had purchased Fair Trade products, almost half were motivated by a desire to help others.
• In December 2009, the movie Avatar—centered on an alien culture that embraces the notion that all life is intertwined—captured the public’s imagination, grossing more than $1 billion in its first 17 days and eclipsing Titanic as the highest-grossing film of all time. The message of a symbiotic relationship between people and planet struck a chord.
• Responding to people’s deep-seated desire for substance and connection, Café Emunah opened in Fort Lauderdale in 2007. Founded by a rabbi and a psychologist, this first-ever Kabbalistic lifestyle lounge and tea bar offers a side of “Table Talk” during which one of the owners will sit with diners and chat about any topic of interest, from spirituality and health to parenting.
• Tired of mass-market goods and impersonal retail experiences, some 2.4 million people in 150 countries have registered on the Etsy website—where artisans personally sell their handcrafted wares. More than 155,000 vendors sold $58 million in goods in the first five months of 2009, doubling sales from the same period in 2008.
• Locavore (“a person who endeavors to eat only locally produced foods”) was New Oxford American Dictionary’s 2007 Word of the Year, indicative of the strength of the Buy Local movement. According to the USDA, the # of farmers markets in the U.S. has exploded from 1,755 in 1994 to more than 5,200 in 2009—a 300% increase. Euro RSCG research has found that motivations for buying local have more to do with helping others (e.g., supporting local communities and small businesses, preserving the environment) than with personal gain (e.g., higher quality, improved safety).
• A Part of Something Big was founded by parents dissatisfied with the standard approaches to school fundraising. The company’s product catalogs showcase Fair Trade, earth-friendly, co-op, and microeconomic offerings. About 40% of proceeds go to the schools, with 43% going back to the producers and the causes they support.

“Conspicuous consumption’ is being replaced by ‘conspicuous expression’ as the driver of identity. This new paradigm emphasizes the conspicuousness of ideas, interests, and opinions rather than accumulating more stuff than your neighbor. This is not insignificant.” —Stephen Lino, Brad Bate, Michael Keating, “Conspicuous, but not Consuming,” GOOD Blog, June 20, 2009

Cutting Back & Rightsizing

• In January 2009, the U.S. personal savings rate hit a 14-year high, as Americans got serious about guarding against future crises.
• Signs of the new frugality abound: In tony Chappaqua, New York, the public library reports 17,000 more books, movies, and other items were taken out in the first nine months of 2008 compared with the year prior.  Euro RSCG’s Future of Value study found that more than half the global sample (U.S., U.K., France) were saving money by clipping coupons, putting off major purchases, staying home more, lowering their in-home energy consumption, and shopping online for bargains. When asked whether the “new frugality” will remain in force even after the recession ends, two-thirds of 44 leading economists surveyed by the Associated Press said yes.
• After years of upsizing, the size of the average new U.S. home declined in 2009 for the first time in three decades.

“The new frugal trend [is] based on sustainability….The thing about sustainability is that it’s really an optimistic act. You believe that you’re going to make a difference. So now frugality isn’t you’re being cheap or denying yourself, but you’re helping your community and at the same time helping your pocketbook.” —Chris Farrell, author of The New Frugality

Growing Up & Taking Responsibility

• There were 130 socially responsible investing funds in 2007, up from 39 a decade earlier [Morningstar]. SRI is growing more rapidly than the overall investment industry, driven both by altruism and concrete business concerns.
• The National Gardening Association reports 43 million U.S. households planned to grow their own fruits, vegetables, berries, and herbs in 2009, up 19% from 2008. Part of the impetus is a desire for self-sufficiency.
• Eight in 10 respondents to Euro RSCG’s The Future of Shopping study (U.S., U.K., France, China) buy environmentally friendly products. And 82% indicated they are willing to pay more for a product that is eco-friendly.
• Recycling participation in the U.S. is at its highest rate ever, according to Mintel.
• In 2002, the Republic of Ireland became the first country to introduce a tax on disposable plastic bags. From the 2001 level of 1.2 billion plastic shopping bags consumed, consumption is down an astonishing 90%.  As noted in The New York Times, “Plastic bags were not outlawed, but carrying them became socially unacceptable.” Several other countries and cities around the world are considering implementing a similar tax, including the U.K., Australia, and New York City. [reusablebags.com]

“The dominance of a competitive consumer ethos, especially amongst middle-income individuals, supported by bank credit facilities, surfeit of advertising messages and unprecedented conformity to emergent ‘lifestyles’ is over. Experiencing harder economic times, consumers’ desire to differentiate themselves via the exhibition of luxurious brands will be suppressed by financial constraints, social awareness and ethical considerations.” —Georgios Patsiaouras, University of Leicester School of Management