Bill Mckibben is concerned about connection between people's happiness and money. He asserts that "reinventing the world, and reinventing ourselves, may be one and the same" (44). He begins his article with recent research, which shows that people in 1957 were happier, than in 1994. He says that it is unusual because for the recent years people have got a lot of things – such as TV, VCR, dishwashers, computers, nice houses, fancy cars – that improved their lives.
             The first problem Bill Mckibben discusses is a global warming. He says that our technological progress is so huge that it can change the planet in a bad way.
             People get "all those extra cars, bigger houses, added appliances...which, without exception, require fuel to make and to run" (45). As a result, carbon dioxide goes to the atmosphere. Bill Mckibben emphasizes that people can help to solve this problem if they try to decrease using of that "extra" stuff.
             Next, Bill Mckibben states that some Americans want to change their lives; they do not want to depend on money. Getting some simple things, spending more time with the families and friends are becoming their new goals. For the purpose to prove that people can enjoy life not spending a lot of money, Bill and his friends had an experiment. They asked some American families to celebrate Christmas with only $100 expenses. He was amused how many people were looking forward to it, for they were free from pre-Christmas routine and could devote time and energy to their families.
             Bill Mckibben also claims that there are some people who will never decrease their expenditure or substitute material things. On the other hand, there are some people who "discovered the concept of Enough, which is as useful for the planet as it is for our individual lives" (45).
             In conclusion, Bill Mckibben says that changing our lives is not a panacea from all probl...