26 November 2009 - 12:27MEMO TO SELF: Buy Nothing on November 27
There’s only one way to avoid the collapse of this human experiment of ours on Planet Earth: we have to consume less. (Adbusters)
And so another shopping season is upon us. With a major gift-giving holiday around the corner and retailers fighting to grab the public’s attention with their door-crasher deals, it’s a good time to pause and say, ‘That’s enough.”
Enter Buy Nothing Day, a day of action and resistance against commercial culture, fueled by fed-up people who are suggesting an alternative to mindless shopping sprees. In North America this year, the day falls on November 27.
BND is commonly observed by refraining from making consumer purchases for 24 hours and/or joining a group demonstration to spread the message. But the overall purpose of the day is to make people think about their daily consumer habits and promote being a responsible consumer all year round.
“On one side we constantly hear that the only way we can climb out of the current economic downturn is to buy our way out,” says Keith Treffry, Director of Communications at Earth Day Canada. “On the other hand, it is this very act of consuming our way to prosperity that is creating such an environmental mess in the first place.”
Events
If you want to join a Buy Nothing Day event, check out Adbusters’ event listings. Can’t find one in your city? Do a web search, check Facebook or start your own!
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