Birmingham Friends of the Earth Newsletter February 2002/March 2002
Buy Nothing Day
International Buy Nothing Day, the brainchild of Canadian pranksters Adbusters,
was born some years ago but still seemingly escapes mainstream attention. Birmingham
FOE decided to hit the streets in the run-up to Christmas last year & target
the consumers.
In short, Buy Nothing Day exists to "expose the environmental and ethical consequences
of overconsumption". I recall a couple of years ago realising what day it was
as I marched into a local supermarket (if there is such a thing), having not
been in one for a couple of months I continued to shop, conscious of my social
responsibilty and the effervescent "reduced" shelf.
Last Buy Nothing Day (24th December 2001) however, I behaved a little different
choosing the glorious vista of New Street. Unable to source a fair trade coffee
and having shared my sandwiches I joined the chilly hardcore few who had bravely
ribboned off a No Shopping Zone.
Birmingham FOE's Mike Bekin had produced some clever violation notices, issued
as mock fines to the frenzy of passing Christmas shoppers. These violations were
clearly outlined in a polite fashion and overleaf included a checklist to appraise
how important buying or not buying any item was. The stunt was all very tongue-in-cheek
& well taken by most of the victims. I personally found that anybody who did
take the time to stop ignoring me was profoundly aware of the impact of their
gift-buying but appeared apathetic towards change. The exception being a teenage
death-metal band I inadvertently pounced on who proclaimed that all creations
had sprung from their splendour, so I agreed that their purchase of guitar strings
was most benevolent, and bowed.
Buy Nothing Day is not just for Christmas however, it is an opportunity to address
the precarious balance of consumerism, to reflect on how we source the contents
of our shopping baskets for the rest of the calendar. Serendipitously, on the
same day Moseley Farmers' Market was alive with local produce and South Birmingham
LETS held a trading day, both of which seek to promote alternatives.
Go On, Treat Yourself.... Buy Nothing!!!
Alistair Waugh
On loan from Redditch FOE
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