with intention

"For 24 hours, millions of people around the world do not participate -- in the doomsday economy, the marketing mind-games, and the frantic consumer-binge that's become our culture. We pause. We make a small choice not to shop. We shrink our footprint and gain some calm. Together we say: enough is enough. And we help build this movement to rethink our unsustainable course."... :: Adbuster's Buy Nothing Day


DAY OF ACTIONS
Of course, Nov 25th is when it all really happens, when planning turns to celebration and we hit streets and malls the world over with our creative antics and protest. Each year, people dream up -- and act out -- some amazing schemes. Many play with icons of the consumer landscape; jam the spectacle and routine of daily life; confront corporations like Wal-Mart and Nike. There are thousands of actions to choose from. Here we've profiled three of our favorites:

1. The Credit Card Cut Up
This one's easy. You plant yourselves outside a local shopper's paradise with a full-service debt-help booth. A table, maybe a pamphlet and a solid pair of scissors is all you'll need. "Sir, excuse me, that's a lot of stuff you have there. Did you charge it? I used to charge lots of things, 'till I discovered the perfect way to break out of the debt trap. Can I offer you a snip?" It's amazing, lots of folks are actually game. Note: helps if you have a couple of friends with fake cards break the ice. Or cut up your own if you've got them!

2. Zombie Walk
Theatrics your thing? Put together a team of zombies -- oatmeal masks, ragged clothes, deformities -- and head to the mall. There's nothing like lurching through throngs of consumers, glassy-eyed and mindless, screaming about the living dead all around you.

3. Whirl-Mart
Picture a team of jammers in lab coats, quietly pushing empty shopping carts up and down Wal-Mart aisles. Fun enough; definitely Zen. Or, take it to the next level. Fill the carts with junk and buy it all. "On buy nothing day?" you ask. Yes. Did you know that Wal-Mart has a guaranteed return policy? Get your refund and start again. And again. And again. The line-ups can get a bit long, but hey, it's a great opportunity to talk with shoppers. Caution: Walmart Associates lose their smiles under stress.