Buy Nothing Day’s lesson for Birmingham

• Dec. 11 by Alice Tidey (0)

It’s two weeks until Christmas – are you, like most people right now, up to your elbows in wrapping paper and gifts that no one ever really needs?  Well Birmingham Friends of the Earth are encouraging you to take a moment and reflect on Buy Nothing Day, which hit the streets of Birmingham not long ago.

A parade of Santa Claus descended upon the city centre’s shopping district to promote the values that less is more as a way of saving the planet.

The parade was even briefly joined by Oxfam to take part in a Guitar Wave, an occasion that was a run up to the national event The Wave, put pressure on politicians in the run-up to the Copenhagen Climate Summit.

Buy Nothing Day is a worldwide event that aims to make people think about consumerism.

It also encourages companies and big businesses to realise that consumers can react against prices, quality and environmental impact of goods.

Andy Pryke who has organised this year’s event in Birmingham believes that the need for such a day is especially relevant this year because:

“With the crucial international climate change talks in Copenhagen we should also look at the unsustainable cycle of consumption and waste.

The current financial and ecological crisis should be an opportunity to re-examine what money is spent on and how resources are managed.”

The Santa Clauses were all equipped with placards with satirical slogans such as “Buy more, be happy” and “Spend, don’t think” as well as leaflets. One volunteer explained:

“The public’s reaction is great. They look at our placards and go: hang on, that’s not right!”

Campaigns Support Worker at Birmingham Friends of the Earth, Joe Peacock, said:

“This is a simple message; we are not telling people what to do, but asking them to consider what impact their actions have on themselves and the environment.

Rich Western countries have 20% of the world’s population, but consume 80% of its resources.

We’re not anti-Christmas or anti-shops, we want to promote the use of small local businesses, and locally sourced or fair-trade products that don’t contribute to damaging the world’s ecosystems.”