As interest in conscious consumption and the gift economy continues to grow, the approach to holiday shopping is also shifting. A pedestrian carries a Louis Vuitton shopping bag on Dec. 22.JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images
As the pull of the holiday shopping season competes with the consequences of overconsumption on landfills and waterways, people such as Nigel Dadswell are turning to Buy Nothing groups to gift to neighbours the stuff they don’t need and also to acquire stuff they do.
Buy Nothing communities, often formed through Facebook, encourage members to post their unwanted items for free, allowing other members to pick them up at no cost. A search for “buy nothing” on Facebook returns more than 50 results for the Metro Vancouver area alone. The groups are organized by neighbourhood, meaning someone can likely find goods for free within walking distance.
Mr. Dadswell, 33, said he started using his local Buy Nothing group to declutter.
But he soon found it useful for acquiring new items, not only for his household, but for gifts. He said he recognizes second-hand gifts may not be for everyone. But he added: “I feel like there are people in our life that don’t mind or share the same values around lowering our consumption.”
Recent posts in the Buy Nothing group for downtown Vancouver include everything from Christmas decorations and kitchen appliances to shoes, furniture, baby supplies and winter coats. Most items are gently used, but many new items get posted as well.
When friends were looking for a baby bouncer ahead of their baby shower and Mr. Dadswell saw one listed on his neighbourhood Buy Nothing group, he jumped at the opportunity to gift it to them.
“We did ask them if they were okay with getting something that was upcycled or regifted, and they were 100 per cent for it,” he said.
UBC PhD candidate Neha Sharma-Mascarenhas, 41, studies repair and reuse within a zero-waste and circular-economy context. She notes that decades of marketing have driven the surge of holiday consumerism.
Buy Nothing groups can help shift that narrative, she said.
There is a need to “tell people that there’s a way to continue to enjoy holidays by not creating a large amount of waste or a lot of other unsustainable practices that are now part and parcel of holiday celebrations.”
The chief executive and co-founder of the Buy Nothing Project, Liesl Clark, 58, says she started the group with friend Rebecca Rockefeller as a social experiment. Their single community Facebook group, launched in Bainbridge Island, Wash., in 2013, quickly ballooned, and there are now about 80,000 Buy Nothing communities across Facebook.
According to the Buy Nothing website, more than 11 million people are part of the movement worldwide, and 1.3 million people have downloaded the Buy Nothing app.
Ms. Clark said that the groups foster community and promote a more circular economy, encouraging neighbours to meet to exchange goods, decrease consumption and throw less away, all while saving money.
Individuals can also message the organization to start their own community group. Buy Nothing will assist with setup, and the volunteer will serve as the group’s administrator.
As interest in conscious consumption and the gift economy continues to grow, Ms. Clark thinks that the approach to holiday shopping is also shifting.
“People are really changing their thinking, they’re changing their mindset with regards to going out and buying new gifts, because, in fact, there are plenty of folks who really would prefer you not give them something that you bought new,” she said.
For people looking to Buy Nothing groups to source holiday gifts this year, Ms. Clark has a tip.
“I always encourage people, go ahead and ask. Give your neighbours a chance to give to you.”