SAN FRANCISCO: Group's rejection of consumerism is catching on

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 12/27/6 | Carolyn Jones

[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.

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

Let's do the math:

37,000,000 Californians give or take a few million
minus3,000 (rounding up, including the whole Compact cluster)

---

36 million + consumers for better or worse...

I think California's economy is robust enough to survive this little underground economy.

As to our surviving too many more years of Liberals, that's another matter....

[RobRoy]

>>Consumerism, they said, is destroying the world and most of us already own far more than we need. <<

With the last part I strongly agree. Want proof? The most damning evidence is the proliferation of self storage units. It is the most ridiculous thing I ever saw. Yes, there should be some need for it - the husband kicked out during a divorce; the couple moving or waiting for a house to be completed. But for crying out loud. Do we really need one on every corner?

[sdillard]

I see these people around all the time here in the Bay Area. They're usually the old hippies in old Volvos with "Impeach Bush" and "911 was a coverup" bumperstickers.

The real salt of the earth.

[DouglasKC]

From the article:

But Perry has not veered once from the Compact rules. His bathroom sink has been plugged for months, and it'll stay that way until he finds a drain snake at Thrift Town.

Someone should tell the guy that he can rent drain snakes.

[RobRoy]

I hate to say it but I think they are on to something. Yes, they are over the top but they do have a point. Since we dumped tv in 1997 one of the side benefits was we were weened of a "consumerism" virus we didn't even know we had. We were the proverbial frogs being boiled alive that jumped out, and only then realized what had been happening.

Consumerism really is a serious malady our culture has contracted. It has it's good side (jobs) but it's downside is the way the engine that drives it (tv) must manipulate us with our most base instincts.

It is really sleazy.

[RobRoy]

>>I see these people around all the time here in the Bay Area. They're usually the old hippies in old Volvos with "Impeach Bush" and "911 was a coverup" bumperstickers. <<

Yeah, there is the problem. It is like a religion to them as opposed to a simple stewardship issue.

We spent $500 on Christmas. We have six kids and three grand kids. It was simply the responsible thing to do. My sister and her husband, who are worth almost a billion, did the same thing.

[COUNTrecount]

an ever-growing group who have vowed not to buy anything new except food, medicine and underwear

If they trade underwear they can save even more.

[Billthedrill]

San Francisco discovers thrift. If they do include underwear, San Francisco discovers bachelorhood.

[mr_hammer]

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

That's what I thought? I buy all my tools and such at garage sales. You can actually pick up high quality tools and what not for a fraction of what you would spend at your local Junk-Mart. Today's manufactured goods don't hold a candle to what is being passed off as commercial grade equipment, computers and techy stuff not with standing.

Hell, went to an estate sale where they were selling the wood work out of the home. I bought 3 pickup truck loads of the most beautiful 4" wide door moldings for $75.00

[sappy]

All i saw was "san francisco" and "plumbers snake". LOL

[winner3000]

(It hope this does "catch on." It will drive down the prices for the normal people who continue to buy these things.)

It will also drive the economy down the tube throwing a whole lot of people out of work. I wonder where these "Compact" people work. I hope people start boycotting their businesses, or not buying any of their stuff new.

[buffyt]

We are currently living in Southern California, for the 4th time, husband is a Dow chemical engineer and they are doing design work at Technip in Claremont Ca. For a chemical plant to be built in Muscat Oman. But I used to want to move here permanently, not anymore. Along with the crazy people the TRAFFIC is HORRIBLE! Makes Houston look like a sleepy little town compared to LA and the traffic 24/7 on the crowded freeways. Of course we do have Jim Robinson and other GREAT FREEPERS out here in Calif. But we have so many crazy people and way too much traffic. I am glad this is only a temp. stay here again. We are about 45 miles east of LA so housing isn't very expensive out here, especially compared to Austin Texas and parts of Houston like Piney Point and River Oaks. Homes are a lot cheaper here than the nice parts of Houston and Austin. But It is way to overcrowded here.

[Paradox]

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

Count me in as well. I call it "being cheap". There are net communities (FreeCycle, FreeSource, and probably others), where people routinely give away items. We give and take from there all the time.

[Buck W.]

"Consumerism, they said, is destroying the world..."
It also leads to the employment of most of the world.

[FlingWingFlyer]

There aren't not enough of these bozos to make a dent in anything. This "catching on" crap was just something for the "media" to do on a slow news day.

[buffyt]

Sounds like me. I stopped all magazine subscriptions several years ago. I also stopped newspaper subs. My husband will walk across the street and get a paper on Sunday if he wants to. It is so nice not having to deal with all that waste paper mess. The magazines were so full of ads, and the news I can get online for free.

I still want to re-do my kitchen soon. It is 20 years old and NEEDS it. But I am not stressed out about it or rushing into it. I drive an older car and as long as it runs well and it is clean that is FINE with me.

[Burlem]

If the "Compact" chooses to not buy anything for a year, that is up to them. Most likely they have all they need anyway. I bet their bank accounts are growing with the money saved.

It is a bit snobbish to assume all of California is like San Francisco and for that matter Berkeley (across the Bay)

There are other areas of California with clear thinking folks who do not subscribe to extreme liberalism on any front.
The concept of not buying anything for a year may be a bit over the top but when you think about it, most of us do buy more than we can use.

[tertiary01]

Seriously... are they any different from some of the Amish/ Mennonite practices. (Oh I guess one has to buy a NEW buggy whip).

[tertiary01]

Thriftiness USED to be considered a virtue.

[gdani]

Thriftiness USED to be considered a virtue.

The behavior described in this article is far more appealing than watching idiots trample each other at 6 a.m the day after Thanksgiving to buy over-priced junk they don't need.