America’s obsession with disposable consumer products is harming the environment and cluttering our lives. Everyday we buy things we do not need and go home to a house full of stuff we do not use. At the end of 2005 a small group of San Francisco made a New Year’s resolution to go a whole year without buying any new products. The group called itself The Compact.
The Compact has promised to buy no new products. Instead, they will borrow, barter and buy used products deemed necessary. There are some exceptions including food, drink, medicine, socks, underwear and utilitarian services. Members of The Compact, however, are strongly encouraged to buy local products and support local artisans and charities when making purchases.
The Compact features a group on Yahoo!, a website forum and blog where members ask questions, share ways to avoid buying new products and discuss environmental issues. The group currently has over 1000 members and anyone is welcome to join. It is a great resource, even for non-compact members, for information on sustainable living practices.
None of the members of The Compact are high school students, but members promote the ideology of wise consumer spending and environmental awareness.
Dave Mata, one of the original Compact members, strongly believes teenagers should cut down on their spending. “So many [teenagers] get caught up in the idea of keeping up with the trends, and being just like [their] friends that they often forget the impact of what they are doing,” Mata said. “It sounds trite to say, but teenagers now are the over-consumers of tomorrow, and we live on a planet with finite resources. If teens don’t get educated about the potential impact of their actions, all we can do is wait for what could be a very bad time.”
Group Goals- To go beyond recycling in trying to counteract the negative global environmental and socioeconomic impacts of disposable consumer culture and to support local businesses, farms, etc.—a step that, we hope, inherits the revolutionary impulse of the Mayflower Compact.
- To reduce clutter and waste in our homes (as in trash Compact-er).
- To simplify our lives (as in Calm-pact)
Yahoo! Group website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thecompact
Online blog: http://sfcompact.blogspot.com
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