Nothing buys like FREE

by Melissa Alberts

November 30, 2009 12:34 PM

Buy Nothing Day was started 20 years ago by the non-profit, anti-consumerism organization known as Adbusters.
The day was started as a radical concept to promote awareness of the largely negative impact of consumerism.
Last year, 65 countries participated in recognizing the dark side of our material society. While awareness continues to grow, the edge is becoming dull. Humanity is facing crises of ecology, psychology and faith. As technology increases, human interaction depletes. We need to take action and reanimate the revolt with a new intensity, purpose and scale. Buy Nothing Day is November 27 (North America) and November 28 (International). Refrain from purchasing, but let’s take it a step further.
While you’re already busy avoiding the temptations of consuming goods, try to conserve energy by shutting off your lights, television and other nonessential appliances.
Park your car, turn off your phone and stay off the computer for a day. For 24 hours, let’s indulge in self-restrained consumerism. Feed your spirit, feed your mind. Pull pranks, do something creative, cut-up your credit card, take a run outside, and love each other madly.
Be Alive on November 27! Refuse to consume and realize what you can so easily go without. Further, take your no-longer-needed-shopping-time and explore ways to be proactive. If wishes could come true, what profound goals would you afford yourself?
Harness the intent and enthusiasm of your ideas and let them grow. Encourage your friends to participate and don’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Remember to remind your friends to remind you about the small things such as recycling and turning off unnecessary lights.
When considering conservation, minor lifestyle adjustments will result in reduced waste, cleaner air and an overall greater sense of well-being. For more ideas, economic reality-checks and devastating articles on the state of society, try searching the internet or your public library for works that challenge the dominant views pushed by popular advertising.
For example, found in the latest issue of Adbusters magazine are photographs of albatross bird carcasses, which reveal their insides to be filled with human trash.
The chicks are mistakenly fed plastic by their parents resulting in the death of tens of thousands of albatross yearly. On the North Pacific shore these birds are dying from starvation, toxicity and choking – a byproduct of consumerist habits. So take action, on Friday, November 27, encourage your friends to participate by not participating and see how long you can extend the notion. Make it a game of self restraint.
Reverse the dynamic of capitalism by making simple adjustments to the way you live. Don’t buy anything you’ve ever seen advertised and do rigorously with this commitment until it becomes instinctual. Happy Nothing Day and for Pfuffnick’s sake, FLICK OFF!