Here’s a fun and provocative line of thought for a...

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

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[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

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

* * *

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

Further information about Unconsumption can be found here.

9:57 am - Sat, Oct 27, 2012: 50 notes

Here’s a fun and provocative line of thought for a Saturday:

How often does the kind gesture of sharing your umbrella with a companion end with the two of you awkwardly out of step, drenched instead of dry? Belgian designer Quentin de Coster sought to remedy this by creating a two handled or “BRANCH” umbrella for a sharing twosome. By taking second hand umbrellas and replacing them with a handle of his own design printed by the 3-D company Materialise, de Coster breathes new life into the mundane old umbrella.

De Coster originally created the BRANCH umbrella for the auction “Second Hand, Second Life” put on by the Belgian non-profit Les Petits Riens/Spullenhulp. His communal umbrella is both an invitation to share, but it also encourages you to walk in stride with your partner, and “to be less individualistic and take time,” he says.

More here: The Umbrella Built for Two: A Playful Rethinking of a Mundane Object | Design on GOOD