29 无消费日 Buy Nothing Day

Buy Nothing Day is a great way of reminding yourself you don’t need to go shopping. In today’s world, most of us buy too much, too often. There is really no need for us to buy half the stuff we purchase. In fact, make that three-quarters, or even nine-tenths. Shopping has become an addiction  for many people. Companies are experts at making us buy stuff. TV and Internet ads can even make us buy things we don’t really want. There is a well-known bumper sticker that says: “When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping.” I would say only foolish people go shopping to reduce their stress. Anyway, Buy Nothing Day is a fantastic way to avoid crowded stores, save some money (for once) and spend time wisely.

Lots of ideas on how to spend this day are on the www.buynothingday.org website. Here, you learn that you actually help save our planet by not going shopping. You consume less and this means we use fewer of Earth’s resources. We easily run out of money when we go shopping, but we can also run out of our planet’s animals, forests, water and a lot more. The website suggests you lock your credit card away for the day and keep your cash under the bed. You will not be alone. The website says: “Buy Nothing Day is the biggest 24-hour [campaign] against consumerism. People around the world will make a pact to take a break from shopping as a personal experiment or public statement. And the best thing is, it’s free."

1992年，起源于加拿大的国际无消费日，最初是针对广告所呈现的消费意识提出反思，到底我们买到了「需要」，还是满足了「慾望」？台湾在2001年由永续地球工作网发起，透过环境资讯协会网路的传播力量来协助，2年多来，各界开始从好奇，慢慢的重视。这一次，我们很高兴邀请到新世代青年团、台湾媒体观察教育基金会以及银行员工会全国联合会的加入，跟大家一起分享。

藉著无消费日，各位将有机会透过「消费」与「使用」两者之间的对照，看见我们在面对「消费」本身的一些矛盾与难解的问题；从广告的解读，以及置入式行销的手法与力量，发现我们几乎快失去了对新闻的理性期待；面对著手头现金的有限，银行如何透过种种手法，突然间，借钱也蛮「高尚」的。主编在面对难以釐清的「需要」和「慾望」、挣扎于「实用主义」与「艺术发展」之间，除了消极的提出「减少不必要的消费」这种八股式的说词，但却可能是最根本的答案之外，如果有所谓正向且积极的态度的话，那麼「绿色消费」无寧是站在环境友善的立场上，值得介绍给大家的消费取向了。