FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Buy Nothing Day all about?

Buy Nothing Day (November 27th 2004 UK), is a simple idea, which challenges consumer culture by asking us to switch off from shopping for a day. Its a global stand off from consumerism - celebrated as a holiday by some and street party for others! Anyone can take part provided they spend a day without spending!

Where did BND come from?

Buy Nothing Day started in 1993 by the founders of Adbusters and is now an international event celebrated in over 55 countries.

What\'s the point?

As consumers, we should question the products we buy and the companies who produce them. The idea is to make people stop and think about what and how much they buy effects the environment and developing countries.

Who runs it?

You do - it\'s your day - so get involved! Tell all your friends, put up posters and refuse to shop on November 27th 2004 in Europe or November 26th 2004 Canada/USA. The BND-UK site is part of global network of campaigns - see the links to the left for more BND sites around the world.

Why is there two different dates/days?

In Canada and USA Buy Nothing Day falls the Friday after the American Thanks Giving Day. In Europe we hold our celebration The last Saturday in November. We\'re always out shopping on Saturday, so it makes sense.

But what will I achieve?

It\'s incredibly challenging to last 24 hours without spending any money these days. You\'ll feel detoxed from shopping and realise how much it uses up your free time - especially when there are 101 THINGS to do. For 24 hours you\'ll got your life back - that\'s a big achievement! We want you to make a commitment to consuming less, recycling more and challenging corporations to clean up and be fair. Modern consumerism might offer great choice, but this shouldn\'t be at the cost of the environment or developing countries.

Do you want me to stop shopping altogether?

It won\'t hurt to stop for one day and we don\'t expect the UK to grind to a halt. Like we said, we want to challenge people to think about the effects of what they buy has on the environment and developing countries.

What is so bad about shopping?

It\'s not shopping in itself that\'s so harmful, it\'s what we buy. The two areas that we need to concentrate on are the environment and poverty. 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. We need to worry about the way our goods are produced. Increasingly large companies use labour in developing countries to produce goods because its cheap and there aren\'t the systems to protect workers like there are in the west.

What about the environment?

The raw materials and production methods that are used to make so many of our goods have harmful side affects such as toxic waste, destruction of wild life, and wasted energy. The transport of goods internationally also contributes to pollution especially when many can be produced nationally.

Is one day really going to make a difference?

Buy Nothing Day isn\'t about changing your lifestyle for just one day - it\'s a lasting relationship - maybe a life changing experience! We aim to make Buy Nothing Day stick in peoples minds so they think about the future and turn their back on the throw away society we have become.

Has the day been successful in previous years?

Absolutely, and it\'s getting bigger and better every year! See the Adbusters.org home page for links to newspaper articles and other resources and news from previous years.

What can I do?

Literally, doing nothing is doing something! However, check out the BND-UK web site then join a JAMMER GROUP or start one up and support Buy Nothing day which is great fun!

Other than that try to follow this check list before you buy something.

* 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 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?

Sources from http://www.buynothingday.co.uk