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SAN FRANCISCO: Group's rejection of consumerism is catching on
San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 12/27/6 | Carolyn Jones

Posted on 12/27/2006 7:56:23 AM PST by SmithL

3,000 people attempt to get by without buying new things -

For Shawn Rosenmoss, the deal-breaker was a drill bit.

John Perry's worst temptation was a plumber's snake for his clogged drain.

Sarah Pelmas and Matt Eddy succumbed to the siren song of new white paint.

But aside from the occasional hardware crises, the Compact -- an ever-growing group who have vowed not to buy anything new except food, medicine and underwear -- is going strong on its first anniversary.

The Compact originated in December 2005 at a San Francisco dinner party, where guests decided to take recycling one step further and go for a year without new purchases. Consumerism, they said, is destroying the world and most of us already own far more than we need.

They called themselves the Compact as a semi-joking reference to the solemn commitment of the Mayflower pilgrims, but the concept is being taken quite seriously and has quickly spread.

They've been featured in newspapers across the United States and Europe and on the "Today" show, "Good Morning America," "CBS Evening News," TV news in China and Poland, and countless shock-jock radio programs. They were offered book contracts and at least two TV reality shows, all of which they turned down because it seemed contrary to the Compact principles.

Almost 3,000 people from six continents have joined the Compact group on Yahoo, and chapters have sprung up around the globe from Alabama to New Zealand.

"It's been staggering," said Compact co-founder John Perry, who works in communications at a Silicon Valley technology company. "We never set out to start a movement or be holier-than-thou models of righteous behavior, but it's been very gratifying to see the impact."

There's also been a mild backlash.

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; US: California
KEYWORDS: moreforme; norkposeurs; oldhippies; preowneddeoderant; pretendnorks; recycletoiletpaper; sf; soapschmoap; stench; thecompact; usedshampoo
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To: HereInTheHeartland
I don't have a problem with this. They are not asking for a govt handout, they are probably saving money a greater rate than normal, they aren't asking other people to pay their bills.....

Neither do I. People buy faaaaar more crap than we need.

21 posted on 12/27/2006 8:12:26 AM PST by gdani (Save the cheerleader, save the world)
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To: sageb1

It sounds to me like they have just discovered the old adage of "being cheap" which is normally a virtue.....


22 posted on 12/27/2006 8:12:31 AM PST by HereInTheHeartland (Never bring a knife to a gun fight, or a Democrat to do serious work...)
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To: Hydroshock
CA - The Trail Mix State, a land of fruits, flakes, and nuts.

If you can't tell the difference between San Francisco and the rest of California, then you're the nut.

23 posted on 12/27/2006 8:12:32 AM PST by ElkGroveDan (When toilet paper is a luxury, you have achieved communism.)
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To: Hydroshock

I'm not in the "Compact", but I find myself doing a lot of what these people do.

Used Lawnmower
Used Snowblower
Used Boat
My wife likes to buy vintage clothing on eBay.
I hardly ever buy a new book, rather, I visit used books stores or use ebay/Amazon Used Dealers
We LOVE to go to Garage Sales in the Spring...Even better? Estate sales.
AND...I pay for everything in CASH. If the only way I can afford it is through a credit card or loan (except for my house)...I can't afford it.


24 posted on 12/27/2006 8:14:32 AM PST by Portnoy (Fahrenheit 451...Today's Temperature is hotter than you think...)
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To: Uncledave

You know I don't buy too much new stuff myself (outside of electronics). In fact I pulled a cast iron frying pan out from under my mother's house last month and reseasoned it instead of buying a new frying pan. But then again I always called not wasting money being a conservative.


25 posted on 12/27/2006 8:14:48 AM PST by J_Baird
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To: discostu

Same here. I'm a tightwad from way back and a huge fan of yard sales, thrift stores, and abandoned things by the side of the road. I have been known to darn socks and hem second-hand jeans by hand, draw and paint my own pictures to hang on the wall, strip old furniture, and gladly take whatever my friends don't want anymore.


26 posted on 12/27/2006 8:16:12 AM PST by A_perfect_lady
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To: ElkGroveDan

27 posted on 12/27/2006 8:16:34 AM PST by Jeff Gordon (History convinces me that bad government results from too much government. - Thomas Jefferson)
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To: J_Baird

I was just thinking of my statement, these looney liberals have discovered a conservative value and they want to brand it as hip and lefty... thats funny.


28 posted on 12/27/2006 8:17:46 AM PST by J_Baird
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To: A_perfect_lady

I'm not energetic enough for all that self repair stuff, but I do still buy most of my books used (Friends of the Library, paperbacks as low as a quarter, go to a few of those and the prices in a normal bookstore become downright shocking). I have no problem with people chosing to save money or reducing their stuff addiction, but I don't like the ones like these hippies that have to pat themselves on the back for it. And of course it's not just a leftist thing, go onto any FR thread about a movie and I garuantee within the first 20 comments will be somebody proudly proclaiming they haven't been to a movie in years.


29 posted on 12/27/2006 8:23:16 AM PST by discostu (we're two of a kind, silence and I)
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To: SmithL
These folks probably haven't realized it yet, but they should all be strong proponents of the Fair Tax as it is not charged on used goods.
30 posted on 12/27/2006 8:25:21 AM PST by upchuck (How to win the WOT? Simple: set our rules of engagement to at least match those of our enemy.)
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To: SmithL
... group who have vowed not to buy anything new except food, medicine and underwear....

Just wondering ...

31 posted on 12/27/2006 8:25:35 AM PST by catpuppy
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To: bert
The key to wealth is timing. I'm going to start buying up all the Flea Market crap I can find and export it to California.

Do they teach you how to read in that backward little state of yours? This is about SAN FRANCISCO. San Francisco has been a bastion of hippy kooks for forty years. There is nothing new here. California is the size of FOUR Tennessee's with a socially varied society -- outside of Los Angeles and San Francisco the vast, vast majority of it is conservative, normal Americans. Normal Americans who enjoy fantastic weather year-round and make far more on average than you and your neighbors.

You would fall on your knees and give thanks after a very short time if you were to suddenly find yourself living in California. Thousands of other Tennesseans have been doing so for decades.

32 posted on 12/27/2006 8:25:59 AM PST by ElkGroveDan (When toilet paper is a luxury, you have achieved communism.)
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To: ElkGroveDan

The end is nigh...... love it while you can


33 posted on 12/27/2006 8:28:19 AM PST by bert (K.E. N.P. .... you'll run the bill up kid!....)
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To: discostu

Here's my chance to brag: when I'm on a mission to do something for cheap, friends and neighbors stand around in amazement, beer in hand, and watch me go. Last month, I tore out the yucky old carpet in my bedroom with my bare hands, rolled it up and dragged it down the stairs (I live in the 2nd floor) and out to the dumpster, grappled it in, then charged back up the stairs where I spent the next three days scrubbing the paint off the hardwood floors using only a green scrubby and Ajax. (I did have to buy the paint and polyurethane at Home Depot). I redid the floors, painted the walls, touched up the trim, and in one week had a totally new bedroom. My neighbor came over, looked around, and said quite seriously "Are you on meth?"


34 posted on 12/27/2006 8:29:10 AM PST by A_perfect_lady
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To: gdani

No problem here either. I had cut way back on buying new stuff already, feeling like I was drowning in things. I gave up my magazine subscriptions because of the material allure and decided my living room was just fine and I couldn't afford a new kitchen and would live with the old one.

My particular temptations are books and the garden - now 99+% of the books come from the library and plants come from divisions or trade. I wear jeans; when they all get holes in the knee I get "new" ones from eBay for 20% of the store price.

You can get very self-righteous about being non-consumerist, and obnoxiously public about it, but there's nothing wrong with it in itself.

Mrs VS


35 posted on 12/27/2006 8:30:16 AM PST by VeritatisSplendor
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To: ElkGroveDan

Ive been to Tennessee and to California. I have to say for the most part Tennessee is nicer at least the people are and as for the weather it is nice to have a bit of it and it never gets down right cold like it did when I lived in that hellhole called New York. I also remember its a bit cold in San Francisco. Tax wise Tennessee beats california hands down.


36 posted on 12/27/2006 8:34:26 AM PST by J_Baird
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To: SmithL; All

Interesting article and comments bump!

Freedom or the beginning of another collective?


37 posted on 12/27/2006 8:35:57 AM PST by PGalt
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To: bert

Is that you, Mr. Haney?


LOL



(as in, from the old TV show Green Acres)


38 posted on 12/27/2006 8:35:59 AM PST by The Spirit Of Allegiance (Public Employees: Honor Your Oaths! Defend the Constitution from Enemies--Foreign and Domestic!)
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To: A_perfect_lady

That's way too much work. But awesome for you, meanwhile I probably spent that day playing video games, I'm very lazy.


39 posted on 12/27/2006 8:40:24 AM PST by discostu (we're two of a kind, silence and I)
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To: ElkGroveDan

Oh joy. The daily California Bashing Thread. A plethora of brilliance. You can almost hear the beer burps as they scratch their back hair with a fork.....


40 posted on 12/27/2006 8:40:50 AM PST by Hi Heels (Don't you wish you could turn up the intelligence on the TV?)
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