BTS NRC Text 6 Buy Nothing

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The Independent Tuesday, 23 November 2010 Consumers told to buy 'new improved Nothing' on November 27 As part of international Buy Nothing Day, a new social media campaign is spoofing consumerism and encouraging people to buy the new product "Nothing TM." The campaign is orchestrated by not-for-profit organization Do The Green Thing. The international environmental organization claims to have members in 207 countries and runs a number of campaigns encouraging people make small but environmentally beneficial changes to their lives and the lives of others. Part of the organization's philosophy is that consumers should buy less and re-use what they already have, summed up as "stick with what you have got" by a spokesperson for the organization. Following on from last year's spoof campaign, this year Do The Green Thing is encouraging consumers to buy its new product - "New Nothing TM ," advertised as "new and improved nothing." Consumers can log on to amazero.com and purchase New Nothing TM for a price of €0.00. Following the transaction, shoppers will receive a receipt certifying that they have bought "nothing." This campaign is part of the wider anti-consumerist celebrations which occur on Buy Nothing Day (BND). This international day of protest typically occurs after so called '"Black Friday" in the US, the day after Thanksgiving that unofficially marks the start of the holiday season. This year's international Buy Nothing Day occurs on Saturday, November 27. Several Facebook groups and events have also been set up to mark the international day of protest against consumerism including Buy Nothing Day, which as of November 23 has 25,726 members. The event can also be followed on twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/buynothingday . To buy Nothing see: http://www.dothegreenthing.com/amazero For more information about Buy Nothing Day see: http://www.buynothingday.org The video for the New Nothing campaign is available here .

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Buy Nothing Day
LESSON PLAN Level: Grades 7 to 12 About the Author: Matthew Johnson, Director of Education, MediaSmarts Buy Nothing Day Overview In this lesson Buy Nothing Day is used as a jumping-off point to look at the role of consumerism in our lives and culture. Students learn the definition of consumerism and consider its benefits and drawbacks; as well as where and how they receive consumerist messages. Students list their own recent purchases and consider how many were needed as opposed to wanted. They are then introduced to Buy Nothing Day and discuss its purpose and merits. Finally, students imagine that Buy Nothing Day is a holiday on par with Christmas and plan either a pageant or television program to celebrate the event. Note: the Consumerism Diary activity is distributed to students the day before this class. Learning Outcomes Students will: • Define and debate the pros and cons of consumerism • Survey consumerist messages in their lives • Analyze their own purchases • Plan a pageant or television program Preparation and Materials Read and photocopy the following handouts: • Buy Nothing Day • What I Buy • Consumerism Diary If you would like more background on Buy Nothing Day, read the backgrounder at http://www.buynothingday.co.uk/? page_id=2. www.mediasmarts.ca 1 © 2012 MediaSmarts Buy Nothing Day ● Lesson Plan ● Grades 7 – 12 Procedure For all students: The day before, distribute the handout Consumerism Diary and ask students to fill it out for this class. What is consumerism? Write the word consumerism on the board and ask students if they know or can guess what it means.
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