the compact

Today, I both created humananimal and pledged to join the Compact, a sort of boycott of consumerism started by a San Francisco activist group of the same name. Here are the goals of the Compact:

1. to go beyond recycling in trying to counteract the negative global environmental and socioeconomic impacts of U.S. consumer culture, to resist global corporatism, and to support local businesses, farms, etc. -- a step, we hope, inherits the revolutionary impulse of the Mayflower Compact
2. to reduce clutter and waste in our homes (as in trash Compact-er)
3. to simplify our lives (as in Calm-pact)

Here are the rules:

1. First principle - don't buy new products of any kind (from stores, web sites, etc.)
2. Second principle - borrow or buy used.

A few exceptions - using the "fair and reasonable person" standard -- i.e., you'll know in your heart when you're rationalizing a violation:

• food, drink, and necessary medicine (no elective treatments like Viagra or Botox)
• necessary cleaning products, but not equipment (don't go out and buy the Dyson Animal, for example).
• socks and underwear (utilitarian--non-couture or ornamental)
• pajamas for the children
• Utilitarian services (plumbers, electricians, auto mechanics, veterinarians, dog/house-sitters, fire/paramedics, dry cleaners, house cleaners, etc.) -- Support local and encourage used parts (rebuilt transmission, salvaged headlight unit, etc.)
• Recreational services (massage, etc.) & local artisanal items - Good sources for gifts, but should not be over-indulged in for personal gratification
• Charitable contributions (Seva, Heifer, and the like) - an even better source for gifts
• Plants and cut flowers - Whenever possible, cultivate from free cuttings or seeds. Ok in extreme moderation (yo, incoming oxy) when purchased from local businesses (i.e., not the Target Garden Shop)--and again, within reason
• Art supplies - First line of attack: SCRAP. When absolutely necessary (for the professionals and talented amateurs in the group), from local businesses
• Magazines, newspapers, Netflix - renewals only, no new subscriptions. Even better to consume online
• Video rentals and downloadable music files (non-material) -- freely shared and legal, please

And here is the pledge:

In light of the destructive effects of personal greed, we pledge to curb our purchases, cease frivolous buying, and choose to simplify our lives. Excepting only those things needed for work and the health and safety of our families, we pledge not to buy new. Further more, we will actively seek to pass on possessions we no longer want to those who are in need. In doing so, we hope to educate both friends and family about the corrosive effects of being in a constant state of want, nurture in ourselves the uplifting state of giving, thus reducing the load on the environment and creating a more sensible path for our lives. For these reasons, we join the Compact.

All of the information here about the Compact I've gotten from the Compact's blog.

I begin the Compact today, April 15^th, 2008 and am excited to see how it turns out and how it will change my perspective. Already I came to the realization how important and useful everything I own really is. Imagine a world where we can no longer produce the enormous amounts of consumer goods that we do today—all that’s left is what you have and what you can buy used. Pretty good preparation for the future in my opinion.