Compacters
Frosty
Wal-Mart and maxing out their credit cards at Nordstrom, a small Bay
Area group has declared it will do just the opposite.
About 50 teachers, engineers, executives and other professionals in the
Bay Area have made a vow to not buy anything new in 2006 -- except
food, health and safety items and underwear.
"We're people for whom recycling is no longer enough," said one of the
members of the fledgling movement, John Perry, who works in marketing
at a high-tech company. "We're trying to get off the first-market
consumerism grid, because consumer culture is destroying the world."
They call themselves the Compact. They have a blog, a Yahoo group and
monthly meetings to reaffirm their commitment to the rule, which is to
never buy anything new. "I didn't buy a pair of shoes today," said
Compacter Shawn Rosenmoss, an engineer and a San Francisco resident of
the Bernal Heights neighborhood. "They were basically a $300 pair of
clodhoppers. But they were really nice and really comfortable, and I
haven't bought new shoes for a while. But I didn't buy them. That's a
big part of the Compact -- we show that we're not powerless over our
purchasing."
Compacters can get as much as they want from thrift shops, Craigslist,
freecycle.org, eBay and flea markets, as long as the items are
secondhand. And when they're in doubt, they turn to their fellow
Compacters for guidance.
"We had a little crisis when Matt and Sarah had to replace their shower
curtain liner and we said no," said Perry, who lives in Bernal Heights.
"But we put the word out and someone found one for them. It's like the
Amish -- we help each other out. We raise a barn every week."
The Compact started two years ago when Perry and a group of his
friends, who were tired of devoting so much of their time and money on
items they don't need, vowed to go six months without buying anything
new.
American consumerism, they say, has led to global environmental and
socioeconomic crises, and the only way to reverse it is to stop buying
into it.
The Compact -- named after the revolutionary credo of the Mayflower
pilgrims -- proved immensely popular and quickly increased its
membership.
Then one couple remodeled their house and couldn't find used drywall.
After that, "it all started to unravel," Perry said.
But after a breather, the group decided to recommit and try to expand
its membership.
Kate Boyd, a drama teacher at Lick-Wilmerding High School in San
Francisco, said she enjoys the extra time, money and perspective that a
consumer-free life brings.
"It's just a relief to get away from the pressure to always have new
clothes, gadgets and other things we don't need," she said. "And I find
that I have more money to spend on the dried cherries for my
Manhattans."
The Compact is part of the larger trend of consumers beginning to
"tread gently on our planet," said Peter Sealey, adjunct professor of
marketing at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.
"It sounds marvelous. It's a wonderful example for all of us," said
Sealey, a former chief of marketing at Coca-Cola and Columbia Pictures.
"It's a crystal-clear statement about what can be done to get us away
from being a disposable society."
The boom in green building, Oakland's recent crackdown on fast-food
litter and the surge in biofuel-powered cars are all part of the
movement toward more responsible consumerism, he said.
Northern California is often at the forefront of environmental and
social trends, and the Compact is likely to garner a devoted following,
he said.
"Will the Compact ever become mainstream? I don't think so, but it's an
excellent way to bring attention to the reality that we need to be more
gentle with our resources."
One especially appealing aspect of the Compact is its social component,
members say. Fellow Compacters offer advice, moral support, help
locating needed items and partners for thrift-store runs.
One couple, Matt Eddy and Sarah Pelmas, met through the Compact and got
married six months ago.
But the main advantage of being in a group is "you can brag to
someone," said Boyd.
Perry agreed.
"After a while you get this bravado. You want to brag more and more,"
he said. "I found a Razor scooter for $15 at Thrift Town. That was
great, but it doesn't top the free sewing machine I got on Craigslist.
The stakes just keep getting higher."
Perry, who said he loves to shop, went into withdrawal the first few
weeks of entering the Compact. For many people, shopping is a
recreational and social activity that almost transcends consumerism.
Boyd described it as an urge to "line the nest."
"But after a few weeks the buzzing in your head subsides," Perry said.
"Although if I continue to shop crazily at thrift stores, is that any
better?"
He thought about it for a moment.
"I think it is."
For more information
Here are some Web links to the Compact: