Make Black Friday a `Buy Nothing Day’
This year has posed unprecedented challenges to humanity: from COVID-19 related risks and restrictions to elevated stress levels and an increase in plastic waste. According to the recent reports, Wuhan, the original COVID-19 epicentre, experienced a massive rise in medical waste, from 40 to 50 tons a day before the outbreak to about 247 tons on March 1st. Other urban centres all over the world, from Kuala Lumpur to London, have experienced the same increase. Made with Respect, a sustainable not-for-profit online platform, believes that this year it is more important than ever to be conscious of purchases of new clothing, choosing sustainable materials, and being mindful of waste and recycling.
The effects of this pandemic have already been referenced as a “major setback” in terms of environmental progress of recent years. The exponential use of disposable medical masks is another type of waste, actively adding up to the overall planet pollution. Furthermore, many retailers and coffee shops stopped permitting the users to bring their reusable cups. Restaurants had to switch to takeout delivery (more plastic!) and supermarkets doubled down on plastic packaging to make the products look more “safe.”
2020 is asking us for resilience. On top of that, it is important to be conscientious and cut down on unnecessary spending to not add more waste to an already enormous pile of waste that is poisoning our planet.
Artist Ted Dave started Buy Nothing Day in Vancouver, Canada in September 1992. It is currently celebrated on the Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving and is considered a day for society to assess our overconsumption problem. Today, over 65 countries have already joined the celebration, calling for consumers to contemplate Black Friday madness and consider creating a more sustainable lifestyle of buying less and producing less waste.
It doesn’t take much to celebrate Buy Nothing Day. Merely abstaining from shopping is a significant contribution. Spreading awareness through personal channels like social media or microblogs is also a great idea so that more people learn about this initiative and consider participating themselves. Donating a share of the money that you were going to spend on Black Friday sales to an environmental organisation will directly help our planet and surely make you feel good too!