This month (October) is Buy Nothing New Month encouraging people to shop only for essentials – food toiletries medications.
Instead of shopping the organisers are calling on people to buy second-hand goods or borrow rent or swap for the items they need. According to the organisers you’ll save money feel good and reduce pressure on our planetary resources.
Not shopping is a hard sell not least because it goes against the fundamentals of our economy and therefore our society. We are built around growth and consumption.
A choice not to consume is far more than a choice to reduce resource use. It is a political statement about the structure and function of our society.