Friday is an important day for many North American environment groups as they are marking "Buy Nothing Day," to signify the need to cut back on excess consumption.
The message of Buy Nothing Day is for people to resist buying unneeded consumer goods.
(CBC)
The idea is to keep people's wallets in their pockets to avoid buying unneeded consumer goods, said Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada.
"This is a day to be thought provoking," May said.
"Obviously we're not saying buy nothing throughout an entire year. That would be silly. But just to make people have a moment to reflect that quality of life can mean more than quantity of stuff."
May said she is inviting leaders of other political parties and all Canadians to join her in observing Buy Nothing Day.
"Many of the environmental problems we face come down to a single, inescapable truth — we must consume less," she said.
"With the approach of the Christmas consumption season, Buy Nothing Day is a good opportunity to stop, take a deep breath, think about whether we really need all those things and perhaps come up with some better ways to spend our money and our precious time."
Not everyone is in favour of Buy Nothing Day. Several B.C. merchants told CBC News it's a terrible idea, because it's bad for business. None of the dissenters agreed to an interview.
But ski shop owner Jill Winters likes the plan.
"It definitely wouldn't be great for business," Winters said. "For one day, if people can kind of just realize, I guess, to cut back a little bit on what they're consuming. And maybe make some better choices."
"A lot of the time some of the better choices are more expensive," Winters said.
The first Buy Nothing Day was organized in Vancouver in 1992.
Related
Internal Links
More Consumer Headlines »
- Canadians flock to Boxing Day bargains
- Millions of Canadinas took part in the Boxing Day bonanza on Wednesday, although shopping malls may have been less crammed with bargain hunters this year.
- Boxing Day purchases in cars easy prey for thieves: police
- Vancouver police are advising Boxing Day shoppers not to leave newly-bought items in parked cars because they're easy prey for thieves.
- U.S. house prices drop by a record 6.7 per cent
- House prices in the United States fell in October for the 10th consecutive month, posting their largest monthly drop since early 1991, a widely watched index showed Wednesday.
- Toyota announces plan to sell 9.85 million vehicles in 2008
- In a neck-and-neck race that could dethrone General Motors as the world's top automaker, Toyota said it plans to sell 9.85 million vehicles globally in 2008.
- Teen charged in Yellowknife Wal-Mart blaze
- Yellowknife RCMP have arrested a teenager in connection with a fire at the city's Wal-Mart on Dec. 15.
Blog Watch
Most Blogged about CBC.ca Articles
Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - link will open in new window
