HAPPY ANNIVERSARY — TO US! Earlier this week (on...

About

Your daily source of inspiration for creative reuse and mindful consumption.

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We welcome your tips, suggestions, and feedback. Contact: unconsumption@gmail.com

[Background on, & press coverage of, Unconsumption can be found here and here.]

Consumption is a word used to describe acts of acquisition – generally, the acquisition of things, in exchange for money.

Unconsumption is a word used to describe everything that happens after an act of acquisition.

Unconsumption is an invisible badge.

Unconsumption means the accomplishment of properly recycling your old cellphone, rather than the guilt of letting it sit in a drawer.

Unconsumption means the thrill of finding a new use for something that you were about to throw away.

Unconsumption means the pleasure of using a service like Freecycle (or Craigslist, Goodwill, or Salvation Army) to find a new home for the functioning DVD player you just replaced, rather than throwing it in the garbage.

Unconsumption means enjoying the things you own to the fullest – not just at the moment of acquisition.

Unconsumption means the pleasure of using a pair of sneakers until they are truly worn out – as opposed to the nagging feeling of defeat when they simply go out of style.

Unconsumption means feeling good about the simple act of turning off the lights when you leave the room.

Unconsumption is not about the rejection of things, or the demonization of things. It’s not a bunch of rules.

Unconsumption is an idea, a set of behaviors, a way of thinking about consumption itself from a new perspective.

Unconsumption is free.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Founder & Editor: Rob Walker, journalist, Savannah, GA

Editorial & Community Manager: Molly Block, marketing and business development geek, Houston, TX

Brian W. Jones, designer & writer, Göteborg, Sweden

Kashvi Kumar, Environmental Studies and Economics major at New York University

Deirdre Nelson, ever threading artist, Glasgow, Scotland

Lee Sachs, writer, user experience consultant, filmmaker, New York, NY

Shanna Trenholm, writer. catalyst. force of nature. San Diego, CA

* * *

Alumnus & Unconsumption logo creator: Clifton Burt, graphic designer, Portland, OR

You are so invited to join in the Unconsumption wiki. Do it!

Further information about Unconsumption can be found here.

9:15 am - Thu, Jan 19, 2012: 46 notes

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY — TO US!

Earlier this week (on January 16, to be precise) this Tumblr marked its third anniversary. Pretty exciting in and of itself, but super-exciting because things have picked up so sharply around here of late, particularly in the past year or so.

Three years ago we were a small band of volunteers sharing links that promoted mindful consumer behavior and creative reuse. Actually we’re still a (slightly different) small band of volunteers doing the same thing. BUT, we’ve also introduced our reuse/remix-friendly logo by Clifton Burt, we’ve launched our ongoing Uncollection project, we’re in the news, and we’re adding, conservatively, a thousand followers a month.

That’s thanks mostly to YOU, the Unconsumption reader! So THANKS again for the likes, the reblogs, the tips, the encouragement. Makes us think perhaps we’re onto something here…

And of course Unconsumption isn’t just a Tumblr thing anymore. Find us on Facebook, on Twitter, on Pinterest, even on Instagram (where we’re @unconsumption). Oh, and of course the blog also has an RSS feed you can subscribe to here.

So thanks again to all, and let’s keep in touch, eh?