Ray Boshara Ray Boshara fondly remembers his grandmother washing and re-using plastic sandwich baggies. Her frugality has inspired him to champion a new era of thrift and stewardship for America.

His timing couldn't be better. The troubled economy has led many Americans to trim the fat and contemplate the larger role money plays in their lives. To Boshara, vice president and senior research fellow at the New American Foundation, this is an opportunity for spiritual growth. "The recession has forced us to think about resources, and there is a moral and spiritual element to how we manage our resources on earth," he says. ...