unconsumption

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

Tips & suggestions: unconsumption@gmail.com

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 or Goodwill) to find a new home for the functioning VCR 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:

Tom Hosford, college student & Murketing Organization intern, Long Island, NY

Andrew Whitelaw, branding/design strategist, Chicago, IL

Steve Chaney, industrial designer, Portland, OR

Kate Bingaman-Burt, artist and educator, Portland, OR

Amy Shaw, writer and curator, Brooklyn, NY

Brian W. Jones, designer & writer, Hale County, AL

Rob Walker, journalist, Savannah, GA





[This project is a spinoff of the book Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are, by Rob Walker.]

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