Whilst snooping around in Treehugger looking for cool bikes, I was reminded that Buy Nothing Day approaches. November 23rd, USA! November 24th, everybody else! For just one day, let’s us buy nothing—not even super-cute fold-up pretty-colored bikes.
If you’re in need of inspiration for the big day, head over to shirt.woot. The theme of this week’s T-shirt design derby is consumption, and there are some pretty rockin designs posted. I’m not such a fan of the current top four, but it’s fun to look.
Despite appealing T-shirts and etc., the idea of not-buying sounds real good sometimes. Especially when I’m not in a store. Yes, susceptible me: avoiding stores dramatically decreases my inclination to purchase. I grew up in the woods, where there wasn’t anything to buy, and the result? A lot of the time, I bought nothing. Then I moved to the city and was corrupted by commerce. But that’s another story. . . .
The same is true of having a variety of good food in the house/garden: that makes me a lot less likely to want to bike over to Ye Olde Harris Teetere and buy something unhealthy—or drive, since consumption so easily breeds carelessness, at least for me.
If you can’t avoid buying a lil thing or two on the 23rd or 24th but would like to participate, consider designating another day as your very own Buy Nothing Day. Oh, and to get ideas for Buy Nothing Day actions (such as having a buy-nothing shopping cart conga line at Wal-Mart—hmm, maybe I can convince my parents to do this with me when they visit on the 23rd. . . .), check Adbusters.
To paraphrase the old favorite Rowland Alston, Happy nothing, everyone!
Tags: art, buy nothing day, folding bikes, shirt.woot
