Natalie P. McNeal’s No-Buy Month project began with the recession in 2008 and is still going strong. Symbolic of the new recession-inspired frugality, thrift comes in many flavors today. Consumers’ increasing aversion to waste and excess is driving interesting new behaviors in multiple categories. Consumers of all ages show a passion for using everything they buy to the max, believing that what they throw away and what they don’t buy says as much about them as what they do buy.

Millennials are driving a new type of fusion -- of company culture and brand -- as they seek meaning in the products they buy and the companies where they work. No brand is immune from the responsibility to do no harm and consumer pressure to do good, not even the mighty Apple. In our classes, students say the current labor practices publicity has caused them to question their future loyalty.

Millennials define themselves more by their interests and passions than their careers or even tech- nology. The desire to connect with brands that share their passions is a key motivation, both online and offline.

I love the Vanity Fair/ 60 Minutes poll because it asks questions I wouldn’t think to ask. This month, two questions caught my eye. Both questions are theoretical, and the results by age group surprised me. They underscore how differently Millennials often see the world.

Yesterday the New York Times published an online article that will also appear in its Sunday magazine titled, “What Is It About 20-Somethings?” The article has already provoked controversy for itemizing the ways that today’s ‘emerging adults’ are more immature than the generations that preceded them. (See “The 10 most infuriating quotes from the Times’ latest 20-something takedown” for a sample.)

Yesterday I shared portions of a remarkable Twitter chat among 45 Gen Y’ers on the topic of the “American Dream”.  Today, I’m going to share the rest of that conversation where they discussed what it means to have a good life.  The conversation took place over an hour using the hashtag #genYchat and included contributions from 45 different people.