I read a story today about a group of 50 people or so who have vowed to buy nothing but food, underwear, and medicine in 2006 because they want to save the world. According to the group (who is based in San Fran, big surprise!), first market consumerism is destroying the world, and recycling does not go far enough. I see several problems with this. One, I feel like I have plenty of underwear, and barring disaster, I don't expect to need to buy anymore this year. Seems like they could do as well as me, right? Two, food packaging seems to me to be one of the biggest wastes of trees on Earth (well that and the Federal Reserve Bank, where we probably used a forest of trees everyday, and the mortgage industry). If they were really hard core, they'd mvoe to a rural area and grow their own food. Just living in a city uses up a lot of resources. They may decide to only use public transportation, but that uses plenty of fossil fuels also. And I see they've already made compromises. One couple needed a new shower curtain and weren't allowed to buy one, so someone else "found" them one. So if you stocked up a year's supply of crap like shower curtains before 2006 started, then it's ok?

And my biggest problem with this? It's an empty, meaningless gesture. I believe very strongly that science will take care of most of these problems in the next 50 years or so, or we will have blown ourselves back to the stone age. These people will feel pretty silly not buying a new TV when nanobots can utterly destroy any waste products inherent in such devices.

Ha! One person said they almost bought a $300 pair of shoes, but resisted because it was against the rules. I'm sorry, but anyone that has a hard time resisting $300 shoes has far greater problems than their underwear. Another lady is excited because she has more money to buy cherries for her martinis. Hmmm... Alcoholism or a new TV? I'm gonna pick the new TV. And someone bragged about buying a Razor scooter for $15 at a thrift shop. I wasn't aware that Razor scooters could be eaten or worn as underwear.

It's just neo-Luddism. Look, I'm not stupid, I see nothing wrong with using a bit more effort to reduce pollution, but I'm so very excited about the day when I can give all these environmentalists and Luddites the finger because science has solved the pollution and energy problems. And it WILL happen, definitely within my generation's lifespan.