Press Release

Become a Golden Supporter

For Immediate Release: Friday 25th November 2005

Photo Opportunity: Saturday 26th November 2005, 11.00pm, on the corner of New Street and High Street (other days, times and places can be arranged). A parade of Father Christmases in Birmingham city centre carrying placards bearing slogans including "Buy More - Be Happy" and "Money CAN Buy You Love".

Buy Nothing Day in Brum City Centre!

Join Birmingham Friends of the Earth's Santa Parade and take a break from the shopping mayhem!

Saturday, November 26th 2005 is 'International Buy Nothing Day' [1], a chance for shoppers to reflect on the shopping and consumerist obsessions that pervade us, particularly at this time of year. For the fourth year running [2], a parade of Santa Clauses will rally in the City Centre to bring a humorous angle to Birmingham Friends of the Earth’s message that Christmas does not have to be about over-consumption, stress and debt.

Anyone is welcome to join the Father Christmas parade, which, by asking shoppers to buy and spend nothing for just one day, aims to raise awareness about our lifestyles, and how these will always impact our environment. This in turn leads us to question exactly why we are so addicted to consuming more and more of the earth’s natural resources for things we don’t need, that don’t make us happy and that can actually lead to the misery and crisis of huge personal debts.

Can we reflect more on the possibilities of reinforcing relationships, and giving and receiving friendship and fun, rather than useless Christmas gifts? Of course, costs of current overspending to the environment are huge. Manufacturing and transporting goods that nobody needs cause vast amounts of pollution, contribute to climate change, and can actually damage people’s lives around the world, particularly in developing countries.

Instead we should be encouraging corporations to clean up their act. If we spend just one day without buying anything, maybe we can make more of a commitment to re-use more and consume less. Friends of the Earth believe that, as consumers, we have a duty to think more ethically about the products that we buy.

We are encouraged by powerful and influential marketing forces that the more we consume, the happier and more popular we can be. It doesn’t really take much reflection to realise that this cannot possibly be true! Buy Nothing Day this Saturday gives us all the chance to step back, and stop ourselves being carried away by clever advertising and catchy slogans.

So, this Saturday, join the fun, save some cash, and take some time out from those stressful shopping queues too!

Editor's Notes

[1] Some background facts about Buy Nothing Day:

1. 2003 UK events include an "anti-fashion" show in Brighton, a credit card cutting service in Bristol, and flocks of consumer-sheep in London.
   
2. Previous stunts have included a "Zen Santa" meditating in one of Japan’s busiest shopping streets, "shopping free zones" in Birmingham, and cans of happiness on sale in Manchester.
   
3. The first BND was organised in Vancouver in September 1992, an idea by artist Ted Dave, as a day for the society to examine the issue of over-consumption;
   
4. In 1997 it was moved close to the America thanksgiving holiday, which is the busiest shopping pre-Christmas week-end in the US. Soon, campaigns started appearing in US, UK, New Zealand, Amsterdam and Norway;
   
5. Last year BND was celebrated in more than 30 countries all over the world.

For more info visit the Buy Nothing Day website www.buynothingday.co.uk.

[2] See www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/11/282245.html or google images for "birmingham santa bullring" to see photos from last year. Full resolution available on request.