Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Buy Nothing Day



Let's be honest. There is only one way to avoid a catastrophic collapse of this human experiment here on Earth - We must consume less.

Every one of our problems is exasperated by continued growth, yet the only solution offered by pundits and elected leaders is more growth.

Is there any evidence that we can grow our way out of the maldistribution of wealth and resources? Grow, grow, grow is the capitalist mantra yet these are the same forces killing the planet. Today, over 100 species will vanish from the planet forever, most as a result of our growth.

So what can we do?

Consume less.

Buy Nothing Day is the day after Thanksgiving here in the United States. Typically this day is one of the busiest shopping days of the year which is why we co opt this event in an attempt to change the current paradigm.

The creative folks at Adbusters have been sponsoring this event for over a decade now and I hope you'll take the day to reflect on consumption and how it impacts our world. There are actions all across the globe on November 27th and 28th. I hope you'll join me in reducing needless consumption this holiday season. You can start the day after Thanksgiving by enjoying some time with family and friends and just saying "NO", to shopping and mindless consumerism.




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