Consume, spend, repeat? Just say, 'No'
This post isn't about Black Friday, Giving Tuesday, cute lambs or the relentless march to the solstice.
Today is Black Friday, the day Americans, still digesting their Thanksgiving dinners, claw at each other to shop deals at big retailers. It’s also “Buy Nothing Day” and “#OptOutside” day, launched in 2015 by outdoor retailer REI:
At the time, no other large retailer had ever shut its doors on both Thanksgiving and Black Friday. The response was incredible: More than 1.4 million people and 170 outdoor companies, nonprofits and organizations chose to follow suit, shutting their doors and spending that Black Friday outdoors.
Yay!🌳🐿️🌄🏔️🙌🏻🙌🏾🚵🏾♂️
Now, hold on.
We’ve assigned a purpose to so many days after Thanksgiving, it’s dizzying: Black Friday, Buy Nothing Day, OptOutside Day, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday, Advent, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, New Years Day! Less well-known to Westerners are also Bodhi Day and Pancha Ganapati. Phew! It’s as if, as the world grows darker, the human psyche cannot stand — to have nothing to do.
What’s going on?
After watching several seasons of reality show “Alone,” which places wilderness survivalists into desolate places as winter descends, I’ve wondered if there’s something biological about the urge to relentlessly work and pack on pounds as the days grow darker. Far from the tundra, these urges translate to rampant consumption and feasting. Then, ten days after the solstice, when days noticeably stretch longer, we give ourselves whiplash with New Year’s resolutions to exercise and diet. We return gifts and set budgets.1
Why do we do this to ourselves?
Worse, why do we do it to the planet?
From Columbia Climate School, How Buying Stuff Drives Climate Change:
The research concluded that it is not enough simply to “green” consumption by buying more sustainably produced goods—it is essential to reduce consumption. This is because 45 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions comes solely from the production of the things we use and buy every day.
Consume, spend, repeat …
’Tis also the season for responsible news outlets to start highlighting the many ways we can spend less, consume less, and create less trash.
From Vox: The case for buying less — and how to actually do it
From Grist: The case for spending less money on holiday gifts
From The New York Times: How to Buy Nothing New This Holiday Gifting Season
While darker days might biologically drive us to stay busy and hungry, I can’t believe mass consumption is an inherent human condition. We teach ourselves this gluttony. Consumerism, the habit of buying lots of things we don’t need, is only about 100 years old. Mass marketing tracks our desires with every scroll and click. Excessive consumption reaches a frenzy by, well, the darkest day of the year.
Can I get off this train? I’d like to get off at Empathy Station.
Most children, in contrast, develop empathy by the time they are 12 months old. At this age, they already understand when someone else needs help because of, say, hunger, pain or scorn.
Consider this anecdote:
When my child’s first baby tooth fell out, I put a dollar under her pillow on behalf of the Tooth Fairy. By the holidays, she had accumulated $3. Although she didn’t yet understand what money was for, she still saved her bills in a special box.
Looking through holiday stationery that year, I came across some cards from a charity that gives farm animals to families in other countries. My daughter looked them over with much curiosity. Her chubby finger traced the image of an adorable lamb. I explained to her that we could give this organization some money and they would give the lamb to a family who needed it.
She disappeared for a few minutes, returned with all $3 and announced that she wanted to help pay for that lamb.
We’re not born this way
My daughter never expected the bounty of presents she began to receive holiday season after holiday season. The year she became aware of presents, maybe at three years old, she studied the first one for a minute, pulling delicately at the tape to preserve the perfect wrapping. I had to teach her to rip it off so she could move on to the next present.
But it’s one thing to preach it; it’s another to do it. I’m guilty every year of buying a last-minute piece of trash that my loved one will likely never use, simply to fulfill that obligation that they have something to open on the Big Day. Meanwhile, I feel snubbed if someone else’s gift isn’t perfect and then guilty about returning it or never using it. So many emotions …
Genuine giving and receiving takes communication. Not everyone enjoys physical gifts. It’s awkward to tell someone that you don’t prefer what they buy you, year after year. Instead, we say, “I don’t need more stuff.” Or, “Your presence is my gift.” Or, “I’d love to receive chocolate or edibles.” Or, you mimic how they gift, even though it brings you no joy. It’s easier to be swept away by the tide of consumption than to undertake those difficult conversations.
So the stuff keeps coming. And we keep giving stuff.
What’s a gift?
We are an intelligent and creative species. We are poets and painters. We are gardeners and birders. We are mechanics and cooks. We have so much to give that isn’t “stuff.”
We are born with an urge toward reciprocity. I enjoy doing things for others, or giving “acts of service,” and feel a connection when others do the same for me. We can find ways to participate in the spirit of gift-giving without infinitely tapping the dwindling resources of our Earth.
For those awkward relationships, a way to spark change might be to say, “I’m concerned about the impact of consumption on our planet, and I’d like to explore new ways of gift-giving and receiving. Would you be open to that?”
The concept of consuming less while giving more is not new. But it’s my wish for the holidays.
You can’t listen to the Thanksgiving Address without feeling wealthy. And while expressing gratitude seems innocent enough, it is a revolutionary idea. In a consumer society, contentment is a radical proposition. Recognizing abundance rather than scarcity undermines an economy that thrives by creating unmet desires. Gratitude cultivates an ethic of fullness, but the economy needs emptiness. The Thanksgiving Address reminds you that you already have everything you need.
— Robin Wall Kimmerer, “Braiding Sweetgrass.” The Thanksgiving Address is a Haudenosaunee (Iroqois Confederacy) tradition recited when opening and closing gatherings by giving thanks to each part of creation. The address is recited year-round.
Giving Tuesday raises billions each year
As an antidote to all the spending of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we’ve embraced a massive charity movement in Giving Tuesday, which is December 3. Did you know this movement raised $3.1 billion for nonprofits in 2023? It was launched in 2012 by a small New York City nonprofit and is now celebrated in at least 95 countries. In America, 35 million people participated in this day of generosity last year. And it’s not just about dollars. Of those, 20 percent donated items, while 11 percent volunteered.
However, environmental nonprofits receive just 2 percent of these donations.
If you’d like to help change that, search for a cause on Charity Navigator’s website, which rates charities on their transparency, spending and effectiveness. I personally support The Nature Conservancy, which was behind many of the ballot initiatives I mentioned in “Millions of voters say ‘yes’ to billions for conservation and climate.”
As for Heifer International, where my daughter sent her three dollars, it receives four out of four stars from Charity Navigator. However, Jane Goodall recently came out against such charities, since the world doesn’t need more methane-emitting livestock. She pushed instead for supporting plant-based solutions like seed banks, regenerative agriculture or smart irrigation — all wonderful suggestions, though she failed to name specific charities 🤷🏻♀️. For instance, Soil Health Institute is highly rated.
Hopeful headlines
From Forbes: Regenerative Agriculture Is Moving Forward
While there is no “one size fits all” definition of “Regenerative Agriculture”, there are unifying principles for managing farms and pastures as living ecosystems, and agreement that their resilience depends on biodiversity and nutrient circularity. A central goal for most regenerative systems is to improve “soil health” - the vitality of the complex biological systems in the soil (fungi, bacteria, earthworms, beneficial insects and nematodes...).
If you’d like a green non-profit to support this holiday season, perhaps the Ward 8 Woods Conservancy is a great pick. From FastCompany: Everyone dumps their trash in this D.C. forest. One nonprofit wants to clean it up
There are three main issues that plague the ward’s urban forests, says Nathan Harrington, founder of Ward 8 Woods: destruction of trees by invasive vines and lack of maintenance, illegal dumping, and deforestation by developers. It’s work, Harrington says, that the National Parks Service and the D.C. government should be doing. …
Research shows that trees and access to green space reduce stress, promote a healthy lifestyle, result in better school performance, and help with faster recovery from illness. Violent crime goes down when the tree canopy goes up, says Earl Eutsler, associate director of the Urban Forestry Division of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT). Trees clean the air, filter water, and offer flood mitigation; they’re “lifesaving infrastructure,” says Hussain.
From
, a deep dive on the ecosystem services provided by wild bison: “You Can't Preserve Grasslands Without Wild Bison.” What strikes me about this piece is how it illustrates that a native species, especially a keystone species, is often the best thing for its ecosystem, because it can do things that no other species can. For instance, cows are not cold-hardy, and so they can’t clear snow paths for other animals in winter. In this instance, bison are the right animal for the job.From
, “The Sun Within” looks at fusion as a future source of energy. I usually focus on solutions that are already working to save our planet. I’d run out of space too quickly if I listed every neat idea, invention or investment that promised to save the world but hasn’t yet produced results. But, this one is worth a readover.The tantalizing promise of fusion is that, if mastered, it will provide “endless energy” with none of the downsides of today’s energy options.
Thanks to
for this great news from the Monterey Herald. When considering seafood choices, please follow the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch recommendations. Your choices can make a huge difference for our oceans!Pacific bluefin tuna swim toward sustainability
International cooperation is reeling the world’s most valuable fish back from the shores of extinction.
The population of Pacific bluefin tuna ascended 1,000% between 2014 and 2022, scientists learned at a conference in June. They did not expect to reach this milestone until 2034.
“This is one of the biggest moments in sustainable seafood history,” says Matt Beaudin, executive chef at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
About Earth Hope:
Earth Hope is a solutions-based journalism project that highlights environmental success stories from around the globe, because hope is the foundation of progress. I’m Amanda Royal, a former newspaper reporter and current eco-news junkie. Read more about this project and what inspired it.
Thanks for being here.🙏🏻
Any readers in the southern hemisphere? Do you feel the same urges?
Spot on as always .. I think you've nailed the observation that consumerism (and perhaps therefore 'scarcity', and competition...) is learned, while empathy (and perhaps therefore cooperation and gratitude) is our natural inclination toward others in the world. I really admire how you pair your essays with actionable suggestions and some motivating examples of good news.
Lovely, timely reporting, Amanda. It often feels like we’re hardwired to buy,buy,buy. Your reminder that consumerism is a relatively recent development is helpful.