{Image: Shopping Bags by Richmond Square Photos on Flickr}
October is Buy Nothing New Month.
Supported by the Salvation Army, it’s an event encouraging us all to avoid unnecessary spending and to buy recycled clothing – or nothing at all – for 31 days!
Why buy nothing new?
“Buy Nothing New is not about going without, nor is it Buy Nothing New Never.
It’s about taking October to reassess what we really need, think about where the stuff we buy comes from (finite resources), where it goes (landfill), and what our alternatives are.
It is about conscientious consumption and by not spending on stuff we don’t need, increasing our savings for the things we do need.”
Are you suffering from Affluenza?
“Affluenza, n. a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more.[1]
Affluenza, n. 1. The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Joneses. 2. An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by the pursuit of the American Dream. 3. An unsustainable addiction to economic growth
Interested to read more? www.clivehamilton.net.au/cms/index.php?page=affluenza
A 2005 paper from the Australia Institute by Clive Hamilton Richard Denniss and David Baker tells us “Aussies have admitted to spending over $10 billion every year on goods we do not use: clothes and shoes we never wear, CDs we never listen to, DVDs we never watch and food we never eat and each year in Australia nearly 20 million tonnes of waste goes to landfill. By way of comparison, this amount exceeds spending by Australian governments on universities and roads.”
Before you hand over your hard earned cash, ask yourself:
“Do I really need this?
What is its lifecycle? What went into making it (time, labour, resources)
What are the alternatives?
Where did it come from? How did it get here?
What is its environmental and social impact?
Who benefits from the purchase? What will it do for me?
What’s in it? Who made it?”
Will you take the pledge?
I have. And you can join me by clicking here to go to the pledge page.
And be sure to have a wander around the Buy Nothing New site. It’s chock full of ideas, inspirations, links and facts to inspire you to give it a go.
(I’ve taken the information above directly from the Buy Nothing New Month website. They’ve said it so well, so I’m not going to try and change the message!)
