Somewhere between the recycled-tire rubber purses and Fair Trade wool sweaters, it becomes clear: We’re not at Wal-Mart anymore, Toto.
When wandering around Greater Goods, a Eugene retailer that specializes in eco-friendly products and sustainable business practices, it doesn’t take long to realize the consumerist frenzy that invades our shopping malls and wallets this time of year probably isn’t a frequent customer. But if you ask the store’s owner, Joan Kleban, that’s all the more reason to bring your business there.
“We all consume,” she says, “but we must be more mindful of what we consume.”
And she’s not the only one who thinks so.
In a world where the words “holiday season” have become synonymous with materialism and wasteful consumption, it’s no surprise that many people have decided enough is enough. Adbusters, a non-profit magazine whose self-stated goal is to raise awareness “about the erosion of our physical and cultural environments by commercial forces,” has for years spearheaded the Buy Nothing Day campaign, urging people to take a spending holiday on the Friday after Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year.
“There’s only one way to avoid the collapse of this human experiment of ours on Planet Earth,” the campaign’s Web site urges. “We have to consume less.”
There are some, however, who worry about this message. Given the current state of the global economy, many believe that to simply buy nothing for a day to fight over-consumption is not only misguided, it’s irresponsible. They argue that movements such as Buy Nothing Day are meant to target the corporate behemoths of the world, rather than the small businesses that often follow eco-friendly practices and sell unique products. But it’s those small businesses that could be hardest hit by such a movement.
“My first reaction was, ‘nice idea, if you don’t work in a shop,’” wrote Toronto blogger Lloyd Alter in a post last year on the Web site treehugger.com.
Susan Janvrin, co-owner of Papergeist, an online company that makes and sells books fashioned from reused office paper, echoes the same sentiment.
“The real problem isn’t mom and pop selling things that are locally made,” she says. “It’s big-box retailers shipping cheap plastic from China and just being socially irresponsible.”
These “mom and pop” establishments often depend on holiday shopping for a large part of their yearly revenue. A nationwide buying cessation on what is, for many, the most profitable day of the year, could prove detrimental, even fatal, to a small business.
Instead of “buy nothing,” an increasing number of people think the message should be “buy better.” This could mean shopping locally, buying Fair Trade fabric clothing or recycled products and packaging. What is important, they argue, is being conscientious about what you’re consuming and where your money goes.
That’s where stores such as Greater Goods come in. It’s among a growing population of companies that embraces sustainable
business practices in light of global issues such as climate change, human rights violations, poverty and economic upheaval.
Buy Nothing Day has more to do with combating big corporate entities than combating various global issues, Kleban said. It focuses on intense consumption that leads to wastefulness when, as she put it, “it’s cheaper to throw it away.” Her fellow employee Jen Leister agreed.”As a retailer, it’s a difficult concept,”
Leister says. “It’s what you buy and where, more than whether or not you buy.” She advocates buying consciously every day and being aware of where one’s money goes, which she calls “voting with your dollars.”
Stacey Bierma, owner of another long-time Eugene business, Harlequin Beads & Jewelry, agrees. She urges people not to succumb to the pressure big companies put on them during the holidays.
“Buying local is huge,” she says. “Be conscientious about not getting sucked into the corporateness of it.” Big chains might offer the lowest prices, but people love it when they get something more personalized, she says. “We can sell things for dirt cheap, but they end up in the trash … We’ve followed this must-have attitude for decades that’s not helping the environment or the economy.”
Representatives from Wal-Mart and Target stores were unavailable for comment.
So does this mean it’s bad to buy nothing?
Not necessarily, say Kleban and Leister. Everyone consumes in some way, they point out, and it’s important to be aware of this, and to make an effort to do so as consciously as possible. But simply buying gifts is not what the holiday season is all about, they say.
“For a while it was all about the greed of ‘What can I get?’ Now it’s about ‘What can I do for other people?’” Kleban says.
If people don’t want to buy, they could donate money or support someone in another country, Leister says. The company works with various aid organizations, such as Friendship with Cambodia, which partners with other non-profit organizations to educate children, strengthen communities and help people in need, including AIDS survivors and young children rescued from trafficking, according to its Web site.
“Spend time with family and friends,” Leister says, “instead of spending all your time shopping. Gifts should be a follow-up to something else you do.”
And when you do shop? Kleban warns about the impersonal nature of the “must-have” mentality. Our economy is in a recession, and we must come together through simple efforts to reverse the trend, she says.
“It doesn’t have to be huge gestures; everyone can do something,” she says. “Building community is one of the pieces that will save us.”