[email protected]

I understand that the issue is overconsumption. I, too, shop sales, that
is good budgeting. It is important to me, however, to try to keep a global
perspective; to understand that with our one income and seemingly limited
resources our family is very well off relative to the majority of the people
on the planet. The United States contains 4% of the world's population and
consumes over 20% of the resources used in the world on an annual basis.
Jimmy Carter estimated at one point that one American uses the same resources
as 30 people in India.
It is important to me also to show my kids that we are rich in a global
context. One very good book is "Material World, A Global Family Portrait" by
Peter Menzel which shows average families in 30 countries around the world.
My kids love to look at it. We do our best to live and buy in a frugal way.
We buy as much as possible second hand and when we buy new stuff, especially
clothing, we pray for whoever made it, not knowing whether it was a child or
an adult working in slave conditions.
John, thank you for your protest, I hope it added to awareness of these
global issues, if only on this list:>) -Amalia-

John O. Andersen

Amalia,

Thanks for the understanding post.

The idea is to make Buy Nothing Day an occasion when we "turn off the
economy for a day and talk about it." That's the point really.

With time I think the idea will catch on in a big way; especially as more
people become aware of the extent to which corporations are pulling the
strings.

John Andersen
Uncoventional Ideas: A Collection of Short Essays Which Question Mainstream
Values
http://www.unconventionalideas.com




----- Original Message -----
From: <adarl52357@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, November 26, 2000 10:04 AM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] Buy Nothing Day is not meant to be an
attack on shop...


> I understand that the issue is overconsumption. I, too, shop sales,
that
> is good budgeting. It is important to me, however, to try to keep a global
> perspective; to understand that with our one income and seemingly limited
> resources our family is very well off relative to the majority of the
people
> on the planet. The United States contains 4% of the world's population and
> consumes over 20% of the resources used in the world on an annual basis.
> Jimmy Carter estimated at one point that one American uses the same
resources
> as 30 people in India.
> It is important to me also to show my kids that we are rich in a
global
> context. One very good book is "Material World, A Global Family Portrait"
by
> Peter Menzel which shows average families in 30 countries around the
world.
> My kids love to look at it. We do our best to live and buy in a frugal
way.
> We buy as much as possible second hand and when we buy new stuff,
especially
> clothing, we pray for whoever made it, not knowing whether it was a child
or
> an adult working in slave conditions.
> John, thank you for your protest, I hope it added to awareness of
these
> global issues, if only on this list:>) -Amalia-
>
>
> eGroups Sponsor
>
>
> Message boards, timely articles, a free newsletter and more!
> Check it all out at: http://www.unschooling.com
>
> Addresses:
> Post message: [email protected]
> Unsubscribe: [email protected]
> List owner: [email protected]
> List settings page: http://www.egroups.com/group/Unschooling-dotcom
>
>
>