Buy Nothing Project

The Buy Nothing Project is a global network of community-based groups, founded in the United States in 2013, that encourages giving (or recycling) of consumer goods and services (called "gifts of self"[2]) in preference to conventional commerce. The stated aim of the Buy Nothing Project is to "set[ting] the scarcity model of our cash economy aside in favor of creatively and collaboratively sharing the abundance around us".[1] It began as a Facebook campaign and has built up local groups in the US and other countries, claiming over 4,000 volunteers.[1][3]

Buy Nothing Project
MottoGive. Share. Build community.[1]
Formation6 July 2013 (2013-07-06)[1]
TypeSocial experiment
PurposeRecycling, building community, waste reduction
Region served
30 countries[1]
Membership
> 500,000 [1]
Co-Founder
Rebecca Rockefeller [1]
Co-Founder
Liesl Clark[1]
Volunteers
4000 [1]
Websitewww.buynothingproject.org

Global and local impact

On a local level, each Buy Nothing Project group may contribute significantly to local waste prevention and waste reduction efforts,[4] but the actual impact of local Buy Nothing Project groups has not been measured or surveyed.

Organization and goals

The Buy Nothing Project encourages local communities to focus on improving the community in which they live[5] and keep groups small and local to minimise distance travelled to pick up items.[6] There is no overt criticism of consumerism, but the project's goals include saving money and reducing waste. The projects' co-founders, Rebecca Rockefeller and Liesl Clark, say that it is not just recycling: it is a way to fuel the gift economy and build community.

The Buy Nothing groups are all managed using a single set of rules, aiming to achieve uniformity worldwide.

Membership is restricted to persons of legal age as prescribed by the laws of each group's geographic location.

See also

References
  1. "About - Buy Nothing Project". buynothingproject.org. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  2. Walker, Quoron. "'Buy Nothing Project' Pays In Camaraderie". Hartford Courant. Hartford Courant. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  3. Jeff Brady (May 24, 2018). "Facebook Project Wants You To 'Buy Nothing' And Ask For What You Need". National Public Radio. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  4. "'Giving feels good': social media project gets Lamma residents sharing". South China Morning Post. 2018-09-29. Retrieved 2019-03-07.(subscription required)
  5. Wahlquist, Calla (3 January 2021). "Inside the hyper-local world of Facebook's 'buy nothing' groups". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  6. Bolt, Annalise. "Buy Nothing". Nine News Perth. Nine News Perth. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
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