George W. and Tony Blair say shopping is the best way to protect First World freedoms and support the new war. We say, "Buy Nothing - For Peace!"

"The average North American consumes five times more than a Mexican, 10 times more than a Chinese person, and 30 times more than a person from India...


WHAT IS BUY NOTHING DAY?
Buy Nothing Day (November 24th UK), is a simple idea, which challenges consumer culture by asking us to switch off from shopping for a day.
Consumer culture is absurd, we buy out of comfort, to feel good and to impress each other. BND is a global stand off from such desires - celebrated as a holiday by some, a street party by others - anyone can take part provided they spend a day without spending!
Buy Nothing Day also exposes the environmental and ethical consequences of consumerism. The rich western 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.


Checklist for Shopping
The Buy Nothing Day campaign in Seattle distributed this checklist to let shoppers evaluate things they were thinking of buying.
-Do I need it?
-How many do I already have?
-How much will I use it?
-How long will it last?
-Could I borrow it from a friend or family member?
-Can I do without it?
-Am I able to clean, lubricate and/or maintain it myself?
-Am I willing to?
-Will I be able to repair it?
-Have I researched it to get the best quality for the best price?
-How will I dispose of it when I'm done using it?
-Are the resources that went into it renewable or nonrenewable?
-Is it made or recycled materials, and is it recyclable?
-Is there anything that I already own that I could substitute for it?

During the 1990s, developed nations were 20% of the world's population yet used two-thirds of all resources and generated 75% of the world's pollution and waste.

With world population at 6 billion and rising, the richest 20% of humanity consumes 86% of all goods and services used, while the poorest fifth consumes just 1.3%. The wealthy consume 45% of all meat and fish, use 58% of all energy produced and own 87% of the vehicles. Meanwhile, 2.6 billion people lack basic sanitation, 1.3 billion have no access to clean water, 1.1 billion lack adequate housing and nearly 900 million have no access to modern health services of any kind.

What is Ethical Consumption?
Ethical consumption stresses the role of the consumer in preventing the exploitation of women and children in sweatshop factories overseas and in the U.S. It also considers the environmental costs of production. These costs include the depletion of natural resources, as well as human costs

By consuming consciously and ethically we can realistically create change. Being aware of current issues in labor exploitation, environmental conservation, and human rights is the best way to spend ethically. Before buying anything ask: Who makes it? Who needs it? and Who profits from it?


WHAT IS ANTICONSUMERISM?

GREEN CONSUMERISM
This is where people purchase or participate in goods or services which attempt to replace existing ones with something designed to be 'friendlier' and less damaging to ecosystems and natural planetary defences
ETHICAL CONSUMERISM
This is a development of green consumerism which considers a variety of wider issues than just a product's green credentials, such as whether or not the manufacturer invests in the arms trade or has supported oppressive regimes. Through a comprehensive monitoring of the behaviour of modern business, ethical consumerism aims to encourage trade to be as responsible as is possible within the current economic system.
ANTICONSUMERISM...
however, challenges many of the assumptions about what is needed in contemporary society. Taking the view that the rich nations of the world are fundamentally damaging the planet and themselves in the pursuit of material acquisition, it raises the question, "How much is enough?" Rather than just buying green or ethically-produced goods, different ways of living, trading and working are advocated in order to 'live more lightly' on the Earth and be less dependent on buying things to feel good about ourselves.

'The plain fact is that we are
starving people, not
deliberately in the sense that
we want them to die, but
wilfully in the sense that we
prefer their death to our own
inconvenience."
Victor Gollancz

What causes global hunger is not a shortage of resources, but the unequal distribution of those resources in favour of the rich. No solution to world poverty can ignore this basic fact: putting an end to it will inevitably involve a fairer distribution of the world's food, resources and wealth. This is not compatible with the consumerist creed of ever-increasing consumption.

have a look at the adbusters and buy nothing day websites