Basics: 

Buy Nothing Day it’s fairly self-explanatory; it’s a day you, you guessed it, buy nothing. Created by the folks at Adbusters; Buy Nothing Day correlates with Black Friday otherwise know as the biggest shopping day of the year.Facts:

• You have better things to do with your time than shop.
• The U.S. is overwhelmed with consumerism, and this is one day that highlights that while currently true, it doesn’t need to be this way.
• Black Friday is a holiday that’s all about encouraging people to buy more, more, more. You don’t have to be on board.

On the green side:

Black Friday is anything but earth friendly. This is one day where shopping can do double harm to the environment. Obviously here at THF we discuss the impact that products and the energy it takes to make them have on the planet. Consider the extra bad effects that will happen on Black Friday:

Extra gas needed to get from place to place because people are stuck in traffic even more than usual.

Senseless items bought. This is fact. I’ve seen it in action. People go to this huge sale because they saw something they actually need on the sales ad. That in itself is not a bad thing. However, once you get to a store the item is gone — because of course the store didn’t stock enough and so to make up for the wasted time people tend to shop for other items that were not on their list in the first place.

An utter lack of peace. I don’t talk about peace and calm too much here but in many ways I feel that both are tied intrinsically to eco-living. Once you start to live simpler a certain calm does take over your life. You do feel more at peace because you aren’t competing with anyone on a who has what level and it’s an overall nicer way to live. Less clutter, less competition, more peace. Black Friday is anything but peaceful. People fight over stuff and you don’t get any lamer than that. This is stuff wars are made of. Sure it’s on a smaller level but come on. We don’t need to live like that.

Time. One of the best ways to encourage green living is to live a happy healthy lifestyle. People who are healthy and happy tend to be more balanced and want a healthier planet as well. There is no argument on earth that’s going to convince me that all those lines, all the shoving, all the people weaving at the stores on the very crowed Black Friday is a healthy way to live. Your time is worth more than that. Many people get Black Friday off only to spend it working at the mall. Instead take the day and go to the park with your family; play board games; talk… spend time not money. This is what encourages health and happiness not the fact that you saved $10 on a printer.

Which side will you choose this year? 

I’m hoping you’ll take me up on the November green challenge and commit to shunning the stores on Black Friday this year. If you want to join the challenge, click the image below.

Let me know your thoughts on Black Friday and Buy Nothing Day in the comments.

November current events at Tree Hugging Family – themes, reviews, news, and more…

[image via Buy Nothing Day]

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Your green challenge, for November 2008, should you choose to accept it, is…

To buy nothing on Buy Nothing Day 2008.

Steps to take:

1. Buy Nothing Day happens on November 28, 2008 for North America and on November 29, 2008 internationally.
2. This small action step challenge consists of you buying nothing on the big day.
3. Another action step you can take would be to spread the word, tell your friends and family. Convince at least one other person to ban shopping on Buy Nothing Day.

Difficulties with this challenge:

For some of us, Buy Nothing Day will be a snap. However Black Friday is seductive to many. Some people are going to have to use massive will power to avoid the sales. To help you avoid caving in, I’ll be writing posts during the month that discuss Buy Nothing Day, ideas for simplifying, how to avoid shopping temptations, and how to be a good green shopper when you do shop.

The end result: 

Of course this challenge is about avoiding Black Friday; but there’s more to the end result than simply that. Part of being an earth-friendly individual is lowering your overall consumption, and buying ethically when you do shop. While Buy Nothing Day is a good first step, it merely kicks off a specific sort of mind-set. It’s not about NEVER buying items, it’s more, in my mind, thinking before you purchase. What the eventual end result should be is a change in your overall thinking; a knowledge that there’s a difference between needs and want, and that living simply can be a worthwhile endeavor, both for you and the planet.

To get started:

1. Soon I’ll be posting about Buy Nothing Day – it’s history, the basic gist, and so fourth. Watch for that post.
2. Start thinking about what challenges you may face on Black Friday – what might make you head to the stores. Let me know so I can provide you with helpful ideas.
3. Start telling your pals. If you participate in Buy Nothing Day, that’s swell, but if you can convince someone else, well, that’s a double accomplishment.

Now, are you going to try and participate in the Buy Nothing Challenge this month? Let me know in the comments. I’ll have update posts all month, including a wrap-up post to see how everyone did.

November current events at Tree Hugging Family – themes, reviews, news, and more…

[image via Buy Nothing Day]

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When I saw Enviro Mom’s post on Precycle and Reuse: Halloween Costume Challenge!, I knew I had to send some link love her way.

She’s engaging her readers in a challenge to Buy Nothing New this Halloween. And she talks about those yucky Halloween super stores that spring up in empty retail spaces this time of year. I love Halloween, but I do wish those folks would take to selling solar lights instead : )

Anyhow, Renee goes through her plans to supply her kids with Halloween costumes (in this case Statue of Liberty and a mouse) without buying anything new. And she provides some other tips, so go check it out and strengthened yourself against Halloween Mania Superlo.

Image by L Marie/flickr. Go here for instructions to make your own croc head.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes and everything else going on at Tree Hugging Family in October 2008 – that includes Blogtoberfest, (we’re giving away over $7,000 in prizes)!

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The BYOB challenge:

• The challenge kicks off
• First BYOB challenge update
• BYOB Challenge Update!!!
• CHANGE: A Summer Surprise Contest
• Reusable Bag Challenge Update – How Did Your Entire Month Go?

Reusable bag basics and overcoming issues:

• How Many Reusable Bags Do You Need?
• Overcoming Reusable Bag Shyness
• Pros and Cons of String Market Bags
• Reusable Bags & The Self Checkout
• Reusable Bags for Bulk Food Items
• Reusable Bags & Reusable Storage Options for Bulk Food Items
• Polite Ways to Suggest Reusable Bag Use

Get your own bag:

• Reusable Bags with a Message
• My Dream Bag – Haiku Ultimate Messenger/Diaper Bag
• ReJAVAnate Reusable Bags
• Organic Cotton FEED 100 Bags
• The Absolute Last Word in Cute Reusable Totes
• Creative Ways to Score Your Bags
• Flip & Tumble Bag: A Bright Idea
• Make Your Own Long Shopping Bag
• Green Product Review: My New Bags
• My Reusable Bags Review: Organic Cotton Eco-Bags
• What’s Your Favorite Reusable Bag?
• Have You Tried a ChicoBag?
• Review: ChicoBags, a Fun Solution
• Fun Angry Girl Reusable Bags
• Make Your Own Oilcloth Bags
• CarryEco Bags Now Available in the US
• Dream Bag Line Up
• Inexpensive Reusable Grocery Bags
• Olive Smart Reusable Grocery Bags

The why of reusable bags vs. disposable:

• Plastic Bags – Facts & Figures
• Paper Bags Aren’t the Solution
• 17 Ways to Purge Those Plastic Bags
• Where do Unwanted, Unrecycled Plastic Bags Go?
• More Ideas On Recycling Plastic Bags

Bags for kids!:

• Craft Project: Altered Reusable Bag for Kids
• Kids, Design a Trick-or-Treat Bag for ChicoBag!

Other reusable bag ideas:

• A Different Sort of Bag — for Leaves!
• Baskets Instead of Bags?
• Eco Patches for Your Bags
• And the big fat anti tree hugging award of the week goes to…
• Plastic Bags Around Delivered Newspapers

Holy smokes – now that’s a lot of bags. Can you imagine if I went through and found all the bag posts we’ve ever done since this blog started? Wow. I’ll most likely be adding this round-up to the sidebar pages, so later you can find these posts again if you like.

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Myself: I did pretty good. I only ended up with the one lame video store bag. Thankfully, I averted some clerks during the month, who were trying little sneaks, like re bagging my fruit into plastic. One bag is not so bad. I worked really hard to take my bags with me everywhere. I basically always kept them in the car, which worked well for pet store trips, and other quick stops.

Now, how did you do? Also, look for a bag round-up post. I’m going to try and gather all the bag posts together in one place – yikes.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in June 2008

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So far, I’m only in for one bag – my previously mentioned lame movie store situation bag. I haven’t used that one bag for anything yet though. I decided to place it by the door to the garage. This way, when we’re on the way out, I see it and think “LAME” – which has been great for reminding me to always grab a bag, if I know there’s not one in the car.

Other than that, I’ve got nothing to report because I rock. I did look up some basic stats on bag use – none are very complete, because that’s an impossible task, but here are some links if you’re interested:

• How many plastic bags does the average store use in one day?
• Sorting through plastic grocery bags

I also read that the average use per U.S. individuals is 300 plastic bags a year. So, if you consider that I got one bag this month, that’s an average of 12 bags a year vs. the possible norm of 300. I know that many of you have been doing great with this challenge, which means as a groups we’ve saved seriously countless bags. AMAZING. Great job everyone! I think we all deserve a shiny star – here they come…

Your turn:  

If you’re participating in the Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB challenge) make sure to leave a comment about how you’ve been doing since the last check-in. We’d love to hear how you’re doing and may use your comment for something special. So be sure to fill us in.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in June 2008

[image via stock.xchng]

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One of the options in this month’s poll on why you don’t take your own bags is “I’m too shy to ask clerks to use them.”

While that option has only received one vote so far, I’m convinced there are many people out there who just don’t want to ask clerks or baggers to do something out of the ordinary. You hopefully have the facts on why taking your bags is a good idea, but now is time for some inspiring reasons to overcome your shyness.

Top Reasons You Can Take Your Own Bags to the Store

1. You made it through high school gym class. Trust me, this is far less humiliating. (Did you have to learn to square dance in gym class? I did, and I hope that knowledge didn’t make it into my long-term memory, but I dare not reach for it to see.)

2. You’re not alone. I’ve yet to find the person behind me in line with their own bags, but many clerks have told me they appreciate what I’m doing, and they’re seeing a lot of other people with their own bags. Sure, some clerks don’t get it, but they will.

3. It gets much easier after the first time. Think of it as making a friend. The longer you talk with the person (take your own bags), the more natural it becomes.

4. Nothing bad will happen to you. The clerk isn’t going to slap you or yell to the whole store, “What’s this guy’s problem? Plastic’s not good enough for him.”

5. You’ll love the roominess and feel of real bags, not one-timers that often rip before you reach your door.

6. You can always try a self checkout lane first.

7. Realize the person behind the register really doesn’t care. Even if said person audibly complains (very rare in my experience), you’ve every right to take bags with you.

8. Store owners love that you’re taking your own bags. It saves them money, and they often give that back to you with a per-bag discount.

9. If you’re single and see someone you like in line or behind the register, you have the perfect excuse for conversation. Just talk about how you love not having to throw out a bunch of slimy plastic bags when you get home.

10. It’s really no different than asking for no onions on your burger. It’s what you want. Be brave, and go for it!

Can you think of more inspiration for those too shy to ask clerks to use personal bags?

Image via Envirosax.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in June 2008

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In landfills, plastic bags take up to 1,000 years to break down.

As litter exposed to sunlight, plastic bags photodegrade, breaking down into small, toxic pieces. Those pieces pollute our land, lakes, rivers and oceans. Plastic bits look like food to marine life. Look at the jellyfish photo to the right. Can’t you see a turtle mistaking a plastic bag for a jellyfish?

When fish eat plastic pieces, that not only hurts them, but it can hurt you if it enters the food chain. Pretty gross.

The wind loves plastic bags. I see them daily in the lake outside my apartment. They’re the perfect, noxious, lightweight tumbleweed.

The solution: A sturdy, reusable shopping bag. One investment can eliminate thousands of plastic bags. Don’t wait until plastic bags are illegal everywhere. Help wipe them out now.

Image via flickr.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in June 2008

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The cashier questions and hesitation really puzzled me. I never got asked those questions before I started taking my own bags. Why are the bags making some cashiers nervous?

Then Michael said something that totally made sense: “They think of them as your personal space. They probably think if you’re picky enough to bring your bags, then you’re picky about how things are bagged.”

Oh. I also remembered another cashier commenting once, “You must really hate plastic.”

Then it became clear: I’ve been taking for granted that people who bag my groceries actually understand why I’m bringing my own bags. I always just hand the bags to the cashier quickly before they start their plastic routine and say, “I brought my own bags.” I guess that may not be enough.

If you live in an eco-minded city, this won’t be a problem for you, but some people still don’t know about the bring your own bag movement. Crazy, huh?

To help inform folks who may not understand why you’re taking your own bags, try selecting reusable shopping bags that make your reason for using them loud and clear. If you don’t like the direct approach of the “Plastic Bags Blow” bag above from reusablebags.com, then I’m guessing a bag with a cute planet image would do the same. Try the bag to the right from Etsy. Or you can add your own message on plain canvas bags.

Have you found any nice bags with a green message?

BYOB image from reusablebags.com. Planet/Heart image from Etsy/melissavest.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in June 2008

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This month’s challenge is BYOB – or the Bring Your Own Bag challenge.

Peggy made a nice little chart for her paper towel challenge. Frankly, I’m not that organized, not about challenges anyhow. What I’m going to do is lay out the challenge and some ideas, and we’ll take it from there. Since this month is reusable bag month here at Tree Hugging Family, we wanted our challenge to relate, hence the BYOB challenge.

Your challenge, this month, should you choose to accept it is multi layered…

1. BYOB – If you’ve got reusable bags, your goal is to take them everywhere. The grocery store, pet supply store, take them when you go clothes shopping.
2. If you don’t have your own bag to bring, your goal is to get some reusable bags. Get one even.
3. The end result – no plastic bags coming into your house this month.

Last month I ended up with a few plastic bags. I used them for other things, and currently my house is plastic bag free, which is a nice way to start off this challenge. One way we can chart our success this month is to count up our bags at the end of June. If you already have some plastic bags in your house, keep any new ones that come in somewhere else.

Difficulties with this challenge:

The most likely problem with the BYOB challenge is that one, you have no bags, or two, you forget your bags at home. During the month we’ll be writing posts that should help you with both.

To get started:

1. Set up an area where you can collect plastic bags you acquire this month.
2. Get a note on whatever door you leave out of (the garage, the front door, etc.) that says, “DON’T FORGET MY BAGS!”
3. If you don’t have a bag yet, start thinking about getting one. We’ve done many posts on reusable bags before, so you can read:

• Fleurville Bags: PVC-free & Chic
• Reusable Bags Video from Good Morning America
• See Ya Plastic Bags…
• One Small Step: Take Your Own Bag to the Shopping Mall Too
• Cute Preschool Age Book – My Bag and Me!
• Reusable Bags for Him
• I Need New Reusable Bags & Hate Shopping

Now, are you going to try and BYOB everywhere this month? Let me know in the comments and we’ll have some update posts all month, including a wrap-up post to see how everyone did.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in June 2008

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