1. Find a BND event.
2. Do the obvious – hang with the family, have a cookie baking day, play games, go for a walk, plant a tree, play dress-up, sing, make some crafts, it’s a great day to find a family activity.
3. Go to a store, but not to shop, instead stick one of these up quietly.
4. Get started on a Buy Nothing Christmas. As BND advocates note, if a Buy Nothing Christmas is too extreme, try selling your family on, “A Buy Less Christmas. Or a $100 Christmas. Or a Regifting Christmas. Or a Green Christmas. Or a Slow-Down Christmas.”
5. Join the New Dream Community (all you need is an email). Once you join you’ll gain access to FREE booklets on the following topics:

• Tips for Parenting in a Commercial Culture
• Good Times Made Simple: The Lost Art of Fun
• Simplify the Holidays
• Back to School Buying and Action Guide
• Alternative Gift Fair Guide

Other good reads: 

• Give the gift of time this holiday season
• It’s not green Friday folks…
• Buy Nothing Day Tips
• Hypocritical me & the stuff issue
• Homemade Eco Gifts You Can Make for the Holidays!

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

[image via Buy Nothing Day]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Could I be more hypocritical?

Each year at this time I start feeling like I should answer the question above. Last year I posted, If you’re so against having stuff, then why show all these products on this blog? That post basically covered why I’m not a hypocrite. But, it’s always good to recap during the holiday season.

My take on stuff:

Personally, I don’t love having too much more stuff around than I need. It’s a consumer and clutter issue for me.

I do own items that are unnecessary; books, incense, candles, pictures in frames, more than one pair of shoes, but I do try to keep unnecessary item numbers low. For instance, I don’t think you need three kitchen appliances that do the same thing. For me, it’s about items that make you feel at home – i.e art supplies or books, vs. total wants like four TV sets or three bathrooms in a family of two. That’s insane. But overall I’m not against things that make your home feel like home.

Just because I show a product on this blog, does not mean I think you need it. I consider that you might need something at some point, and that then, the post might come in handy. Eventually, you will need a new blanket, coffee cup, or car. Do I hope that when you need a new dishes, baby clothes, a gift, or something, that you’ll choose an environmentally responsible product over a not responsible product. Um, yeah. How do people hear about these products – well, from me here at Tree Hugging Family, from other bloggers, news ads, etc.

Do I hope that you purchase everything I show here? Obviously NO. I know that no one needs all the stuff I show. Why do I show things that are decoration? Well, when it comes right down to it, I do believe that people can have the home they want, decorated and all. I don’t believe in collecting a thousand little knick knacks and other useless items, but some sense of personal style is what makes the world go round. Some records can make your life a little happier, and the right piece of art can brighten everyone’s day. It’s ok, especially when you consciously make smart decisions surrounding most areas of your life.

There you go – this is why I show items you could buy on this, and other blogs. Have stuff all you want. Just make sure that you honestly own stuff for a reason, don’t let your stuff own you.

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

[image via Buy Nothing Day]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

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]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

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]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family