A TENDENCY DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A DESTINY

At the dawn of this new century, the time has come to redefine and recreate the American Dream. Every day in the news I hear all of us labeled "consumers." Don’t we wish to be more? Americans are the world’s most gluttonous consumers. Don’t we want to be known for our redeeming qualities? Are we not caring capable citizens of an extraordinarily beautiful country and planet?

There has been a 62% rise in per capita income in the U.S. since 1970. Yet the number of Americans reporting that they are "very happy" has not risen. In fact, the number of 18- to 29-year-olds who think they can achieve "the good life" has gone down by 50%. It’s time to pause, take a deep breath, inspect and comprehend the road we have taken.

One of the most interesting facets of population and consumption issues is that so many of the decisions–including how we define the good life–are personal and daily. We don’t have to wait for the government or the media to define a New American Dream. We can do it ourselves, with our daily decisions. In the words of writer Antoine de Saint Exupery: "These prison walls that this age of commerce has built up round us, we can break down. We can still run free, call to our comrades, and marvel to hear once more the impassioned chant of the human voice." The American Dream matters. We pass it along to our children, and export it to the rest of the world. We can–and do–control our destiny.

The average American consumes 30 to 50 times more resources than a person in the developing world. And we are astonishingly effectively at exporting our lifestyle through TV and movies. Every added American does matter. Do we really care? According to a recent ABC News poll, Americans think one of the most important problems facing the world in the 21^st Century is how we handle population growth and the environment.

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT U.S. CONSUMPTION

1. While the U.S. has 5% of the world’s population, it uses what percent of the world’s resources? a) 10% b) 15% c) 25%
2. How much land in U.S. cities is devoted to cars, i.e. streets and parking lots? a) 1/16^th b) 1/8^th c)1/3^rd
3. What is the annual electric bill to operate all the exit signs in the U.S? a) $100,00 b) $1 million c) $1 billion
4. What is the amount of U.S. land developed each year to build residential and commercial centers? a) 100,000 acres b) 250,000 acres c) 400,000 acres
5. The average American consumes over 700 lbs. of paper a year. How much of that is "junk mail?" a) 10 lbs. b) 24 lbs. c) 34 lbs.
6. What is the average tonnage of post-consumer waste in the U.S? a) 60 million tons b) 100 million tons c) 200 million tons
7. According to the American Moving and Storage Association, the average American has how many pounds of stuff? a) 550 b) 1,050 c) 1,950
8. What is the percent of Americans who have stated that nearly half the items they purchase they really don’t want or need? a) 13% b) 23% c) 33%
9. If all Bostonians ate one less hamburger per year it would save . . .? a) 2,000 cattle b) 3,000 farm acres c) 552 million gallons of water
10. What is the amount Americans spend on cosmetics per year? (Hint: It’s more than the cost of providing family planning for everyone in the world.) a) $4 billion b) $6 billion c) $8 billion

Answers: C for all questions.