Buy Nothing Day

It's Buy Nothing Day today! Buy Nothing Day, started in 1993 by the founders of Adbusters, is now an international event celebrated in over 55 countries. It's a day when you challenge yourself to switch off from shopping and tune into life. This year the message is simple, shop less - live more! The challenge is to try simple living for a day, spend time with family and friends, rather than spend money on them.

Buy Nothing Day also exposes the environmental and ethical consequences of consumerism. The developed countries - only 20% of the world population are consuming over 80% of the earth's natural resources, causing a disproportionate level of environmental damage and unfair distribution of wealth. The idea is to make people stop and think about what and how much they buy effect the environment and developing countries.

So here are some tips on "How to buy Nothing"...

1. Make a budget and stick to it.
2. Leave the money at home.
3. Avoid plastic.
4. Avoid unnecessary upgrades.
5. Avoid shopping malls altogether, if possible.

Technorati Tags: consumerism