Black Friday and a Greener Future

Mountain Dew Christmas Tree

The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’ One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger – but recognize the opportunity.

-John F. Kennedy

Am I the only one rolling my eyes at the constant barrage of news stories about all the holiday shopping we are supposed to be doing? During this economic crisis that we are still weathering, I have been feeling simultaneously guilty and irritated at these stories. Guilty, because I know that in order to stimulate the economy, holiday retail sales are an important factor in how well the recovery is going. I’m irritated because I can’t afford to buy all the items I normally would this year.

One good bi-product of buying less is that it gives us an opportunity to have a lower carbon footprint. All it takes is a little creativity. For instance, make your own wrapping paper. According to the Sierra Club, if every family wrapped three gifts with paper bags, old maps, phone book pages, or kid’s drawings, we would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields. I have never understood the point of buying wrapping paper to just throw it away. This year I’m just saying no.

I have also been putting more thought into the gifts that I am going to buy. I am trying to buy something for each person that is small and that they will have for many years. This has led me to vintage, thrift, and antique stores in search of items that are well made and unique.

All of this has got me to thinking about the bigger picture. The one story I’m not hearing much about. If this economic meltdown has taught us anything, we have to create another market besides the current one of cheaply creating disposable objects and then basing how well society is doing by how quickly we consume said objects. This philosophy that has been picking up speed since the industrial revolution is no longer sustainable; environmentally or financially. It’s just not. So, what are we going to replace this insatiable consumerism with? My answer would be ideas and action. Create a society that buys and sells education, research, and achievement. Thankfully, I’m not in charge so I don’t have to work out the details of that plan. Do you have any ideas for a new, sustainable marketplace, detailed or otherwise?