Looking to push back against the rampant consumerism of the holiday season? There’s a worldwide movement that has got you covered. Buy Nothing Day was started by the anti-consumerism magazine Adbusters back in the early ’90s. What do you need to do to participate? While others are out gorging themselves on Black Friday extravaganzas this Friday, sit back and relax. Simply buy nothing for 24 hours.
Also known as Occupy Christmas, the movement seeks to make a statement against the frenzied materialism of the holidays, and does not consider itself anti-Christmas or anti-local business. People participate for all kinds of reasons: to make a statement against inhumane or environmentally destructive practices of large corporations; to protest the imbalance of global resource consumption (20 percent of people currently consume 80 percent of natural resources); or to simply see what it feels like to not be a consumer for a day. At the very least, it is a great way to excuse yourself from the post-Thanksgiving madness!
As a grassroots movement, Buy Nothing Day participants are encouraged to help spread the word. If you are interested in going a step further than just refraining from buying, consider staging an event or posting flyers around town. Visit http://www.buynothingday.co.uk/toolkit.html to get started.
by Mica Habarad
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