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The Day the World Stops Shopping: How Ending Consumerism Saves the Environment and Ourselves
Consuming less is our best strategy for saving the planet—but can we do it? In this thoughtful and surprisingly optimistic book, journalist J. B. MacKinnon investigates how we may achieve a world without shopping.
We can’t stop shopping. And yet we must. This is the consumer dilemma.
The economy says we must always consume more: even the slightest drop in spending leads to widespread unemployment, bankruptcy, and home foreclosure.
The planet says we consume too much: in America, we burn the earth’s resources at a rate five times faster than it can regenerate. And despite efforts to “green” our consumption—by recycling, increasing energy efficiency, or using solar power—we have yet to see a decline in global carbon emissions.
Addressing this paradox head-on, acclaimed journalist J. B. MacKinnon asks, What would really happen if we simply stopped shopping? Is there a way to reduce our consumption to earth-saving levels without triggering economic collapse? At first this question took him around the world, seeking answers from America’s big-box stores to the hunter-gatherer cultures of Namibia to communities in Ecuador that consume at an exactly sustainable rate. Then the thought experiment came shockingly true: the coronavirus brought shopping to a halt, and MacKinnon’s ideas were tested in real time.
Drawing from experts in fields ranging from climate change to economics, MacKinnon investigates how living with less would change our planet, our society, and ourselves. Along the way, he reveals just how much we stand to gain: An investment in our physical and emotional wellness. The pleasure of caring for our possessions. Closer relationships with our natural world and one another. Imaginative and inspiring, The Day the World Stops Shopping will embolden you to envision another way.
We can’t stop shopping. And yet we must. This is the consumer dilemma.
The economy says we must always consume more: even the slightest drop in spending leads to widespread unemployment, bankruptcy, and home foreclosure.
The planet says we consume too much: in America, we burn the earth’s resources at a rate five times faster than it can regenerate. And despite efforts to “green” our consumption—by recycling, increasing energy efficiency, or using solar power—we have yet to see a decline in global carbon emissions.
Addressing this paradox head-on, acclaimed journalist J. B. MacKinnon asks, What would really happen if we simply stopped shopping? Is there a way to reduce our consumption to earth-saving levels without triggering economic collapse? At first this question took him around the world, seeking answers from America’s big-box stores to the hunter-gatherer cultures of Namibia to communities in Ecuador that consume at an exactly sustainable rate. Then the thought experiment came shockingly true: the coronavirus brought shopping to a halt, and MacKinnon’s ideas were tested in real time.
Drawing from experts in fields ranging from climate change to economics, MacKinnon investigates how living with less would change our planet, our society, and ourselves. Along the way, he reveals just how much we stand to gain: An investment in our physical and emotional wellness. The pleasure of caring for our possessions. Closer relationships with our natural world and one another. Imaginative and inspiring, The Day the World Stops Shopping will embolden you to envision another way.
11 pages, Audiobook
First published May 18, 2021
663 people are currently reading
18987 people want to read
About the author
J.B. MacKinnon
10 books92 followersJ.B. MACKINNON is the author or coauthor of five books of nonfiction. An award-winning journalist, his work has appeared in such publications as the New Yorker, National Geographic, and the Atlantic, as well as the Best American Science and Nature Writing anthologies. He is an adjunct professor of journalism at the University of British Columbia, where he teaches feature writing.
MacKinnon also works in documentaries, most notably as writer for Bear 71, an internationally acclaimed digital interactive that explores the intersection of the wired and wild worlds through the true story of a mother grizzly bear.
He lives in Vancouver, Canada.
MacKinnon also works in documentaries, most notably as writer for Bear 71, an internationally acclaimed digital interactive that explores the intersection of the wired and wild worlds through the true story of a mother grizzly bear.
He lives in Vancouver, Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 784 reviews
August 24, 2021
Damned if we do. Damned if we don't.
I think most of us know that humanity is living beyond our means. Globally, we are consuming the Earth's resources at a rate 1.7 times faster than it can regenerate (Americans at a rate 5 times faster). We desperately need to cut back our consumption but if we do, what happens to the economy?
We saw how the pandemic was detrimental to economies around the world, and that was just from people consuming less for a few months. What would happen if we all (especially in the West) stopped buying so much?
In The Day the World Stops Shopping, author J. B. Mackinnnon embarks on a thought experiment to find out what would happen if the world suddenly cut our consumption by 25%. He looked at cutting back not only our purchases of new gadgets and clothes and too much food, but on our electricity and other uses of fossil fuel as well.
He talked to a number of experts in various fields, from economics to climate change. How would this affect not just the world's economy, but climate change and job availability? Would it affect the rich or the poor the most? Which countries would bear the brunt of the impact?
Would people be happier consuming less? Could our high tech world survive or would we sink back into the Dark Ages?
Mr. Mackinnon explores these and many more questions. I found this book interesting, educational, and insightful.
Those interested in the future of humanity will find much to appreciate in this book. I love all the ways it got me thinking, and I love that it inspired me to continue to consume less and less..... though we are assured that individual actions don't count for much.
It might be a case of damned if we do and damned if we don't.... or it might be that we could begin cutting back some as a whole, even to where we were just a couple years ago, without any or few negative repercussions.
Ultimately, the author is hopeful that we can make changes that would benefit the earth and all its inhabitants and he talks about that as well. I'm more cynical but feel a little more optimistic after reading this book. Even if I hadn't, it would still have been well worth reading.
January 26, 2024
3.5 — interesting, touches on a lot of really cool ideas and topics and things people are doing, but doesn’t imo get down to the core root of consumerism. i think so so much of consumerism-as-culture comes down to capitalist propaganda and it’s also very tied to anti-communist american values etc etc. i have so many thoughts on this that i wish this book had gotten closer to, but it felt very much like its imagination was stifled by capitalism, despite its gentle critiques of it.
another instance of “i’m just too radical to be impressed by this book” / “could’ve been more anti-capitalist” / “enjoyed but…..”
also, thumbs-down for multiple uncritical mentions of israel.
another instance of “i’m just too radical to be impressed by this book” / “could’ve been more anti-capitalist” / “enjoyed but…..”
also, thumbs-down for multiple uncritical mentions of israel.
August 18, 2021
The Day the World Stops Shopping is the perfect union of environmentalism, business, and sociology. It explores the idea of consumerism, tracing back to the roots of monetary invention and societal progress.
This book takes on a controversial issue without the fear of getting down to the dirty parts. Everyone knows that humans are polluting the planet and shopping (and the waste that comes with it) are bad, but it's so hard to make a change. Why is that? Well, the author makes the very astute argument that human progress is predicated on producing goods that improves the quality of life. Production is the epitome of value creation, the driver of business and jobs, and essentially human progress. And production is driven solely by consumer demand, which is shopping.
The covid-19 pandemic provides a perfect observational study in which the world participated to help with gathering data. I liked the fact that the books talks about it: the positive effects on the environment and the negative effects on human lives when things come to a halt.
This book is valuable not simply because it tackles a messy issue, but looks at the enormous drive behind it that is so deeply ingrained in every part of our society. People are for the environment, but their faith falters when the issue borders on their everyday conveniences or their business' bottom line. This book can help you navigate through the noise of what really makes a difference. In the least, it will help you understand why our society is the way it is.
This book takes on a controversial issue without the fear of getting down to the dirty parts. Everyone knows that humans are polluting the planet and shopping (and the waste that comes with it) are bad, but it's so hard to make a change. Why is that? Well, the author makes the very astute argument that human progress is predicated on producing goods that improves the quality of life. Production is the epitome of value creation, the driver of business and jobs, and essentially human progress. And production is driven solely by consumer demand, which is shopping.
The covid-19 pandemic provides a perfect observational study in which the world participated to help with gathering data. I liked the fact that the books talks about it: the positive effects on the environment and the negative effects on human lives when things come to a halt.
This book is valuable not simply because it tackles a messy issue, but looks at the enormous drive behind it that is so deeply ingrained in every part of our society. People are for the environment, but their faith falters when the issue borders on their everyday conveniences or their business' bottom line. This book can help you navigate through the noise of what really makes a difference. In the least, it will help you understand why our society is the way it is.
August 27, 2021
This is one of the most important books I’ve read in a long time. The author does a ‘thought experiment’ where he imagines the world cutting its consumption of goods by 25%, and interviews a number of experts on the expected consequences. In the process he discusses the impact endlessly rising consumption has on the planet.
Its clear, from this book and a few others I’ve read, that climate change, pollution, species extinction, and a host of other approaching catastrophes are really just symptoms of a single activity – overconsumption.
Land is cleared, killing billions of other life forms, to build dams, mines, roads, railways, and other infrastructure to supply energy and raw materials to run factories producing the goods we buy. CO2-belching ships, trains, trucks, and planes supply the materials to the factories and deliver the finished goods to satisfy the insatiable lust of humanity for ever more ‘stuff’.
I think that the underlying problem is that people in affluent countries have yet to come to terms with plenty. We are so rich, have so much of virtually everything that we could possibly want, that we really don’t know what to do with it all. And no matter how much you have, you could always have more.
We’re beginning to see the consequences of our behaviour, climate change, the disappearance of ocean fish, the failure of farms. And our world is fast becoming a smoking slag heap as all the natural life that once surrounded us is killed off. It is no longer the earthly paradise it once was.
We need to wake up, and this book is a good start to get people thinking. We can create a world that we actually enjoy living in. All we have to do is give up a lot of the crap that we didn’t really want in the first place.
Its clear, from this book and a few others I’ve read, that climate change, pollution, species extinction, and a host of other approaching catastrophes are really just symptoms of a single activity – overconsumption.
Land is cleared, killing billions of other life forms, to build dams, mines, roads, railways, and other infrastructure to supply energy and raw materials to run factories producing the goods we buy. CO2-belching ships, trains, trucks, and planes supply the materials to the factories and deliver the finished goods to satisfy the insatiable lust of humanity for ever more ‘stuff’.
I think that the underlying problem is that people in affluent countries have yet to come to terms with plenty. We are so rich, have so much of virtually everything that we could possibly want, that we really don’t know what to do with it all. And no matter how much you have, you could always have more.
We’re beginning to see the consequences of our behaviour, climate change, the disappearance of ocean fish, the failure of farms. And our world is fast becoming a smoking slag heap as all the natural life that once surrounded us is killed off. It is no longer the earthly paradise it once was.
We need to wake up, and this book is a good start to get people thinking. We can create a world that we actually enjoy living in. All we have to do is give up a lot of the crap that we didn’t really want in the first place.
January 15, 2023
A cool concept... what would happen the day and days after the world stop focusing on consumerism. Consumerism seems to be the leading mythos of our age. It's what drives our world, we measure the success of our economy by the growth of our industries, the success of our countries by GDP.
I found a lot of the content here to be a bit more fantasy and a bit irrelevant. There's numerous chapters - like one about whales - that just talk about how much better the world would be.
I think more organizing of the topics would be appreciated. The author covers a lot of ground, but it's hard to reference certain topics when they're spread across different chapters.
There's some great stuff, like a chapter on heating/cooling. How we're so focused on an ideal comfort level, without realizing that living in relation with the natural temperature can be (while less comfortable) more pleasing. There's also no real "perfect" temperature. Here in Canada in the winter I always found it odd that shopping centres crank the heat to above 20. Like, I'm wearing my long johns and sweater because it's freezing cold out. Then I walk inside and I'm sweating to death. I'm the guy that you see wearing a t-shirt in the winter because it's the only way to be comfortable indoors. If we keep the heat closer to the natural temperature, people can choose to wear what makes them comfortable. Plus, dress codes should absolutely allow people to wear shorts+short sleeves in the summer.
I really liked the chapter where we learned about the lives of people who purposely live without purchasing much - or as little as possible. There's stuff about how we know "money doesn't buy happiness" but we're still a bit pissed off when we finally do get a big promotion or windfall and realize, oh yeah that oft-stated quote is kinda true. I needed more of a "How-to" style book.
**
I've been trying to avoid being so consumer minded. It's easy to say that once you've already bought all the crap you need though. Yeah, now more Amazon purchases... and even book purchases (!) are inessential and just a waste of my money and the Earth's resources. That said, my big goal for the year is to just buy groceries (mostly produce+meat, not prepared stuff) and stuff like internet/heating/gas for travel. Essentially just make each non-essential purchase mindfully.
I found a lot of the content here to be a bit more fantasy and a bit irrelevant. There's numerous chapters - like one about whales - that just talk about how much better the world would be.
I think more organizing of the topics would be appreciated. The author covers a lot of ground, but it's hard to reference certain topics when they're spread across different chapters.
There's some great stuff, like a chapter on heating/cooling. How we're so focused on an ideal comfort level, without realizing that living in relation with the natural temperature can be (while less comfortable) more pleasing. There's also no real "perfect" temperature. Here in Canada in the winter I always found it odd that shopping centres crank the heat to above 20. Like, I'm wearing my long johns and sweater because it's freezing cold out. Then I walk inside and I'm sweating to death. I'm the guy that you see wearing a t-shirt in the winter because it's the only way to be comfortable indoors. If we keep the heat closer to the natural temperature, people can choose to wear what makes them comfortable. Plus, dress codes should absolutely allow people to wear shorts+short sleeves in the summer.
I really liked the chapter where we learned about the lives of people who purposely live without purchasing much - or as little as possible. There's stuff about how we know "money doesn't buy happiness" but we're still a bit pissed off when we finally do get a big promotion or windfall and realize, oh yeah that oft-stated quote is kinda true. I needed more of a "How-to" style book.
**
I've been trying to avoid being so consumer minded. It's easy to say that once you've already bought all the crap you need though. Yeah, now more Amazon purchases... and even book purchases (!) are inessential and just a waste of my money and the Earth's resources. That said, my big goal for the year is to just buy groceries (mostly produce+meat, not prepared stuff) and stuff like internet/heating/gas for travel. Essentially just make each non-essential purchase mindfully.
July 23, 2021
4.5
This book has a detoxifying effect. It is thought-provoking and encourages self-reflection to the extent that you will have second thoughts every time you go shopping or turn on the AC. And not necessarily in a stressful way, but from a stance of considering the "enough-ness" of your life, to borrow a phrase J.B. MacKinnon uses.
MacKinnon doesn't pretend to have the answers of our time. Though he shoots off from the premise that our overconsumption is killing our planet, he focuses more on the question of how we ourselves might change if we decide to consume less and consume differently. This book is full of fascinating case studies of our cultures as they relate to the spectrum from overconsumption to sufficiency behavior. MacKinnon asks questions like, what happens to our individual mentalities and collective cultures when we consume too much, or intentionally consume less? What induces us to shop so much? How might we change as societies when we decide to shop less? How will we begin to think differently?
This was not nearly as depressing as you might expect from a book about capitalism and overconsumption. To the contrary, it was refreshing to read about societies in Finland, Japan, South Africa, etc. that already express, or are trending towards sufficiency economies. It is a hopeful and creative exercise to imagine how our capitalist brains could transition away from consumption as a means of self-actualization.
Shopping less on an individual level is not the answer to climate change and inequality, but I think it is a useful and important exercise towards living better and yes, more ethically.
We want "the end of the world as we know it, not the end of the world." Happy Reading!
This book has a detoxifying effect. It is thought-provoking and encourages self-reflection to the extent that you will have second thoughts every time you go shopping or turn on the AC. And not necessarily in a stressful way, but from a stance of considering the "enough-ness" of your life, to borrow a phrase J.B. MacKinnon uses.
MacKinnon doesn't pretend to have the answers of our time. Though he shoots off from the premise that our overconsumption is killing our planet, he focuses more on the question of how we ourselves might change if we decide to consume less and consume differently. This book is full of fascinating case studies of our cultures as they relate to the spectrum from overconsumption to sufficiency behavior. MacKinnon asks questions like, what happens to our individual mentalities and collective cultures when we consume too much, or intentionally consume less? What induces us to shop so much? How might we change as societies when we decide to shop less? How will we begin to think differently?
This was not nearly as depressing as you might expect from a book about capitalism and overconsumption. To the contrary, it was refreshing to read about societies in Finland, Japan, South Africa, etc. that already express, or are trending towards sufficiency economies. It is a hopeful and creative exercise to imagine how our capitalist brains could transition away from consumption as a means of self-actualization.
Shopping less on an individual level is not the answer to climate change and inequality, but I think it is a useful and important exercise towards living better and yes, more ethically.
We want "the end of the world as we know it, not the end of the world." Happy Reading!
July 8, 2022
Best book I've read this year. Highly recommended.
November 16, 2021
This was a well researched and extremely thought-provoking book that was nevertheless lacking in good structure or a logical progression toward a conclusion. I would recommend it purely for the information and perspective it contains, though I caution the reader not to expect brilliant epiphanies or hard solutions.
The general idea is the truism that we (as a society) buy — and later discard — too many things. It’s simply unsustainable. On the other hand, we (almost all of us) live under economic systems that require constant growth in order to avoid collapse. Mackinnon falls short of solutions but certainly gives us something to think about.
(I published a longer review on my website.)
July 5, 2022
5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
THE DAY THE WORLD STOPS SHOPPING by J. B. MacKinnon
I found this book very interesting, exhilarating, inspiring and thought provoking. The author has done his research and the information is up to date.
Living with less would definitely change our planet in ways that would shake us to our foundations, but we just may stand to gain more than we lose. I highly recommend this amazing book.
Here are some of the many quotes that were meaningful to me.
"According to Global Footprint Network, humankind is now consuming 2.7 global hectors per person on average. This is the size of our "ecological footprint," and it is 170 percent larger than the planet can provide for over the long term."
Page 32
"Where Ecuador and many other developing nations shine is in generating happiness at a more sustainable level of consumption. The Happy Planet Index, compiled by the UK-based New Economics Foundation, combines measures of self-reported well-being, life expectancy, inequality and ecological footprint. By those standards, Ecuador was a top-ten nation. Most very highly developed countries don't even make the top twenty, with the United States plummeting to 108th out of 140 measured countries, and Canada sinking to 85th place. In effect, the richest countries have an efficiency problem: they are squandering consumption without transforming much of it into joy."
Page 39
"Both natural and human contributions of carbon dioxide are greatest in the Northern Hemisphere...it's humankind's emissions that drive carbon dioxide accumulation in the atmosphere, wreaking havoc with the climate."
Page 58
"The day the world stops shopping amounts to a deliberate reduction in carbon emissions at a global scale. This is something we have never before accomplished.
...Emissions fall when the world stops shopping. The sharpest drop came during the COVID-19 outbreak, which reduced global emissions by 7 percent for the year."
Page 62
"It's hard to predict how much climate pollution would drop on the day the world stops shopping."
Page 66
"In order to stabilize Earth's temperature, most climate scientists agree, we need to reduce humanity's carbon dioxide emissions to zero."
Page 66
"With four billion of the world's people under full or partial lockdown in April 2020, the global economy downsized enough that we came closer than ever before to being able to power our modern civilization with renewable energy."
Page 67
"...materialistic values are not good for our mental health."
"If what you care about is status and possessions and economic growth, materialism is great. If what you care about is personal, social and ecological well-being, materialism is not so great."
Page 119
'"Kasser had warned me that stopping shopping is a journey that is easier to start than it is to continue. "You might experience some initial well-being benefits from disengaging from consumer culture, but you're going to find that intrinsic values are not all that easy to pursue," he told me. "You may not always have the skills to develop them, succeed at them."
Page 128
"There is a business concept called the "four mores" that could stand as the motto of modern consumer capitalism. Because it sounds greedy and underhanded, however, it's rarely mentioned outside business schools. The four mores are as follows: sell more things, to more people, more often, for more money. To do so is to achieve the ultimate in perpetual profits, sales and growth."
Page 169
"A world without shopping - think of it as a leaner, more efficient consumer culture - might also tilt toward innovation that is more often genuinely useful."
Page 180
"... since a deconsuming world will not be achieved by individuals making the choice to live with less, something else must be tried. A world that stops shopping is not something we will do, but something we have to make."
Page 288
"Technology can reduce the degree to which we need to cut back consumption; reducing consumption narrows the gap technology needs to span. Each buys time for the other, and for us."
Page 292
"The evidence suggests that life in a low consuming society really can be better, with less stress, less work or more meaningful work, and more time for the people and things that matter most. The objects that surround us can be well made or beautiful or both, and stay with us long enough to become vessels for our memories and stories. Perhaps best of all, we can savour the experience of watching our exhausted planet surge back to life: more clear water, more blue skies, more forests, more nightingales, more whales. Many people will see, in the day the world stops shopping, a world they want to live in Others will see a dystopia."
"Suppose we start with a more humble goal: to reduce consumption by 5 percent across the rich world. That would take us back to the lifestyle of a couple years ago, a shift we might hardly feel. Yes everything would begin to change, from our desires to the role of economics to the future of the planetary climate. It might be the end of the world as we know it. It will not be the end of the world."
Page 292
THE DAY THE WORLD STOPS SHOPPING by J. B. MacKinnon
I found this book very interesting, exhilarating, inspiring and thought provoking. The author has done his research and the information is up to date.
Living with less would definitely change our planet in ways that would shake us to our foundations, but we just may stand to gain more than we lose. I highly recommend this amazing book.
Here are some of the many quotes that were meaningful to me.
"According to Global Footprint Network, humankind is now consuming 2.7 global hectors per person on average. This is the size of our "ecological footprint," and it is 170 percent larger than the planet can provide for over the long term."
Page 32
"Where Ecuador and many other developing nations shine is in generating happiness at a more sustainable level of consumption. The Happy Planet Index, compiled by the UK-based New Economics Foundation, combines measures of self-reported well-being, life expectancy, inequality and ecological footprint. By those standards, Ecuador was a top-ten nation. Most very highly developed countries don't even make the top twenty, with the United States plummeting to 108th out of 140 measured countries, and Canada sinking to 85th place. In effect, the richest countries have an efficiency problem: they are squandering consumption without transforming much of it into joy."
Page 39
"Both natural and human contributions of carbon dioxide are greatest in the Northern Hemisphere...it's humankind's emissions that drive carbon dioxide accumulation in the atmosphere, wreaking havoc with the climate."
Page 58
"The day the world stops shopping amounts to a deliberate reduction in carbon emissions at a global scale. This is something we have never before accomplished.
...Emissions fall when the world stops shopping. The sharpest drop came during the COVID-19 outbreak, which reduced global emissions by 7 percent for the year."
Page 62
"It's hard to predict how much climate pollution would drop on the day the world stops shopping."
Page 66
"In order to stabilize Earth's temperature, most climate scientists agree, we need to reduce humanity's carbon dioxide emissions to zero."
Page 66
"With four billion of the world's people under full or partial lockdown in April 2020, the global economy downsized enough that we came closer than ever before to being able to power our modern civilization with renewable energy."
Page 67
"...materialistic values are not good for our mental health."
"If what you care about is status and possessions and economic growth, materialism is great. If what you care about is personal, social and ecological well-being, materialism is not so great."
Page 119
'"Kasser had warned me that stopping shopping is a journey that is easier to start than it is to continue. "You might experience some initial well-being benefits from disengaging from consumer culture, but you're going to find that intrinsic values are not all that easy to pursue," he told me. "You may not always have the skills to develop them, succeed at them."
Page 128
"There is a business concept called the "four mores" that could stand as the motto of modern consumer capitalism. Because it sounds greedy and underhanded, however, it's rarely mentioned outside business schools. The four mores are as follows: sell more things, to more people, more often, for more money. To do so is to achieve the ultimate in perpetual profits, sales and growth."
Page 169
"A world without shopping - think of it as a leaner, more efficient consumer culture - might also tilt toward innovation that is more often genuinely useful."
Page 180
"... since a deconsuming world will not be achieved by individuals making the choice to live with less, something else must be tried. A world that stops shopping is not something we will do, but something we have to make."
Page 288
"Technology can reduce the degree to which we need to cut back consumption; reducing consumption narrows the gap technology needs to span. Each buys time for the other, and for us."
Page 292
"The evidence suggests that life in a low consuming society really can be better, with less stress, less work or more meaningful work, and more time for the people and things that matter most. The objects that surround us can be well made or beautiful or both, and stay with us long enough to become vessels for our memories and stories. Perhaps best of all, we can savour the experience of watching our exhausted planet surge back to life: more clear water, more blue skies, more forests, more nightingales, more whales. Many people will see, in the day the world stops shopping, a world they want to live in Others will see a dystopia."
"Suppose we start with a more humble goal: to reduce consumption by 5 percent across the rich world. That would take us back to the lifestyle of a couple years ago, a shift we might hardly feel. Yes everything would begin to change, from our desires to the role of economics to the future of the planetary climate. It might be the end of the world as we know it. It will not be the end of the world."
Page 292
August 4, 2021
This book is so compelling and easy to read it bumped aside all the fiction I was reading this week. MacKinnon travels the world to look at the way consumerism twines its way through every aspect of our culture, but also examines the effects of the 2020 pandemic on shopping and the natural world. It's a deep dive into the stuff of our world, and also the people who make and sell it. But it's also a deep dive into how we can live life using a whole lot less -- and how our world isn't set up to do that very well.
Unlike a lot of books about the climate and biodiversity disasters, this book will leave you inspired and eager to be a part of a better world.
Unlike a lot of books about the climate and biodiversity disasters, this book will leave you inspired and eager to be a part of a better world.
September 22, 2025
The book explores what would happen if consumption dropped. Sadly, economic growth is centered around consuming more and more — clothes, toys, gadgets and so forth. This to the detriment of our earth and ourselves.
Gross domestic product has many flaws, one of them being not taking environmental destruction into account. I think of Temu and SHEIN and shudder. When you don’t pay, someone else does in terms of terrible working conditions, extremely low wages and pollution.
So I agree with a lot of what the author says. I just don’t think that we should shift to virtual consumption instead, how would that possibly help? No, we must shift from being a consumerist society and focus on other human virtues, such as social connections, instead.
Gross domestic product has many flaws, one of them being not taking environmental destruction into account. I think of Temu and SHEIN and shudder. When you don’t pay, someone else does in terms of terrible working conditions, extremely low wages and pollution.
So I agree with a lot of what the author says. I just don’t think that we should shift to virtual consumption instead, how would that possibly help? No, we must shift from being a consumerist society and focus on other human virtues, such as social connections, instead.
July 18, 2021
This is now one of the three books that really changed the way I see the world.
Before the books, I *knew* consumption was driving climate change, yet I had no understanding about it beyond my personal level (my car pollutes, my kids' plastic toys can't be recycled...). This book not only gave me a better global understanding on how capitalism drives global warming, but also, more positively, a lot of ways to address it *beyond* the personal level so it can have a larger, long lasting effect.
The book also give a insight on ways to live "simple" without feeling like a hermit alone in the wood with no running water. What level of (sustainable) lifestyle can we achieve? How to address the human crave for newness and "cool stuff"? How much a sustainable life will cost? What will we gain? What life might look like with less money and less stuff?
I highly recommend the book for anyone seriously concerned with climate change and the human impact on our planet.
PS: the other books which change my worldviews were Factfulness by Hans Rosling and The Most Good Your Can Do by Peter Singer.
Before the books, I *knew* consumption was driving climate change, yet I had no understanding about it beyond my personal level (my car pollutes, my kids' plastic toys can't be recycled...). This book not only gave me a better global understanding on how capitalism drives global warming, but also, more positively, a lot of ways to address it *beyond* the personal level so it can have a larger, long lasting effect.
The book also give a insight on ways to live "simple" without feeling like a hermit alone in the wood with no running water. What level of (sustainable) lifestyle can we achieve? How to address the human crave for newness and "cool stuff"? How much a sustainable life will cost? What will we gain? What life might look like with less money and less stuff?
I highly recommend the book for anyone seriously concerned with climate change and the human impact on our planet.
PS: the other books which change my worldviews were Factfulness by Hans Rosling and The Most Good Your Can Do by Peter Singer.
January 20, 2022
I have mixed feelings, but I will give it five stars because it was written well, and I learned some fascinating facts about people and cultures around the world.
The first two-thirds had me convinced that cutting back on consumerism (conspicuous and inconspicuous) was going to save us. Then, he started telling me about the rebound effect, which effectively wipes out all the individual good we do. We can do this to ourselves: through moral licensing and justification (we take more trips by airplane because we are vegetarian or drive an electric car); through saving (we invest the money, which then gets spent by corporations in ways that harm the planet); through efficiency (better technology leads us to buy new and more air conditioners, indoor/outdoor heating, TVs, phones); through working less (your employer just spends the money saved elsewhere); through spending on experiences rather than material goods (the person providing the service spends the money you pay them or the infrastructure needed for the experience isn’t green). The ways to avoid rebounding are few. It felt quite discouraging.
Alas, this book held much gloom and few solutions. But it did illustrate that while individually, we may not make a difference, collectively, we may be able to change the world. And we can watch out for ways we may be harming the planet individually through justifying, buy better quality goods made in the greenest way possible and that last, aim to do better, and encourage our governments to add large taxes to things and companies that are contributing to climate change (such as cheap, disposable items made with and then transported to us using fossil fuels).
The first two-thirds had me convinced that cutting back on consumerism (conspicuous and inconspicuous) was going to save us. Then, he started telling me about the rebound effect, which effectively wipes out all the individual good we do. We can do this to ourselves: through moral licensing and justification (we take more trips by airplane because we are vegetarian or drive an electric car); through saving (we invest the money, which then gets spent by corporations in ways that harm the planet); through efficiency (better technology leads us to buy new and more air conditioners, indoor/outdoor heating, TVs, phones); through working less (your employer just spends the money saved elsewhere); through spending on experiences rather than material goods (the person providing the service spends the money you pay them or the infrastructure needed for the experience isn’t green). The ways to avoid rebounding are few. It felt quite discouraging.
Alas, this book held much gloom and few solutions. But it did illustrate that while individually, we may not make a difference, collectively, we may be able to change the world. And we can watch out for ways we may be harming the planet individually through justifying, buy better quality goods made in the greenest way possible and that last, aim to do better, and encourage our governments to add large taxes to things and companies that are contributing to climate change (such as cheap, disposable items made with and then transported to us using fossil fuels).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2024
This is a thought-provoking book about the effects of consumerism on the planet as well as mental health. MacKinnon pulls data from the pandemic, historical phenomena from around the world and real-world corporations to walk through this thought experiment. The thought experiment is the title of the book; What would happen if everyone instantly stopped shopping (for the sake of consumerism and corporate growth)? Would the world, nature, our mental health be better? I might be one of the few people that already practice some of what MacKinnon talks about here, so the book resonated with me. In the end he is realistic and acknowledges that this is a hard sell for most people and the only way to reduce consumerism would be to add the total cost (environmental, social, waste, ect.) into our products. My only criticism is the book bounces around a bit but overall this was a great, fascinating read.
August 24, 2021
my favorite takeaways:
- if we as a society work less, there will be more jobs open to more people. this will result in lower wages, but also less mindless consuming. i am very much a fan of this
- buy fewer but better things.
- reduce, repair, reuse are the new three R’s. Recycling is least important — we need to produce less waste.
- participatory society. i am a huge fan of free community activities and think that EVERY city needs something like Every One Every Day.
overall - honestly this was a bit depressing, but it did drive me to want to work towards living more of a deconsumer lifestyle.
i’d definitely recommend this if you’re teetering with the idea of living more simply and need a push. also be prepared to cry if you’re an animal lover as the whale chapter made me so incredibly sad.
- if we as a society work less, there will be more jobs open to more people. this will result in lower wages, but also less mindless consuming. i am very much a fan of this
- buy fewer but better things.
- reduce, repair, reuse are the new three R’s. Recycling is least important — we need to produce less waste.
- participatory society. i am a huge fan of free community activities and think that EVERY city needs something like Every One Every Day.
overall - honestly this was a bit depressing, but it did drive me to want to work towards living more of a deconsumer lifestyle.
i’d definitely recommend this if you’re teetering with the idea of living more simply and need a push. also be prepared to cry if you’re an animal lover as the whale chapter made me so incredibly sad.
August 25, 2025
Packed with a lot of helpful information and sobering truth about how consumerism is killing our planet and ability to thrive.
It certainly motivated me to look at my own life and think about why I consume the way I do. Consumerism is a considered a necessary pillar to a healthy economy, but MacKinnon points out other systems that don't use GDP as the main marker for economic health, suggesting that it's possible to slow down. Even stopping shopping for one day (Sunday) would have massive benefits for the environment and ecosystems all over the world.
One concept I was especially interested in is the idea of passive consumerism. These are the ways we consume without conscious thought. It's the next episode playing within 5 seconds of the last one ending; it's the AC blasting at temperatures we now deem necessary, but only grew accustomed to over time and with clever marketing.
In 2016, a report from a global consulting firm found that 6 in 10 garments end up in the landfill within the first year of being made. Almost a decade later, and I'm sure that number is much higher. Fast fashion is a huge contributor to the problem. People buy more clothes because they are cheap, the clothes last for a few wears then start to fall apart and end up in the trash. This is an example of planned obsolescence, the concept of items being made with intentionally frail design or a shorter lifespan, so the consumer is forced to buy more sooner.
In 1924, representatives from the worlds leading lighting companies gathered and agreed to shorten the life span of their light bulbs to 1,000 hours, making it one of the earliest examples of planned obsolescence. 1,000 hours may sound like a lot, until you hear about the light bulb that has been on continuously in a California fire station since 1901 and surpassed a million hours in 2015.
Planned obsolescence shows up everywhere. In our clothing, cellphones, cars, appliances, toys, furniture and in the breakneck speed of shifting trends. Ever wonder why some things aren't built to last? It's because of planned obsolescence. We don't actually need a new phone every two years, but companies push people to upgrade their devise both through convincing marketing, and mandatory updates that slow down older models.
Another study I found interesting compared the environmental impact of 4 groups who naturally resist mainstream consumer habits:
Eco-conscious consumers (those who live green lifestyles)
Frugals (those taking pleasure in saving money)
Tightwads (those who hate spending money)
Simplifiers (those who actively choose to consume less)
The results found that the Simplifiers had the most success in reducing their impact, scoring twice as affective as the second place Tightwads. Frugals and Green consumers didn't lessen their impact at all. The researchers concluded that those who live with less, rather than those who live green, should be our role models for living lightly on the earth. This was one of the most inspiring and motivating points from the book for myself. Living simply also sounds a lot more healthy to me in the long run.
Overall, MacKinnon raises some great points. While it's not without flaws, I find it an important topic to think on and one I deeply care about.
3.5
It certainly motivated me to look at my own life and think about why I consume the way I do. Consumerism is a considered a necessary pillar to a healthy economy, but MacKinnon points out other systems that don't use GDP as the main marker for economic health, suggesting that it's possible to slow down. Even stopping shopping for one day (Sunday) would have massive benefits for the environment and ecosystems all over the world.
One concept I was especially interested in is the idea of passive consumerism. These are the ways we consume without conscious thought. It's the next episode playing within 5 seconds of the last one ending; it's the AC blasting at temperatures we now deem necessary, but only grew accustomed to over time and with clever marketing.
In 2016, a report from a global consulting firm found that 6 in 10 garments end up in the landfill within the first year of being made. Almost a decade later, and I'm sure that number is much higher. Fast fashion is a huge contributor to the problem. People buy more clothes because they are cheap, the clothes last for a few wears then start to fall apart and end up in the trash. This is an example of planned obsolescence, the concept of items being made with intentionally frail design or a shorter lifespan, so the consumer is forced to buy more sooner.
In 1924, representatives from the worlds leading lighting companies gathered and agreed to shorten the life span of their light bulbs to 1,000 hours, making it one of the earliest examples of planned obsolescence. 1,000 hours may sound like a lot, until you hear about the light bulb that has been on continuously in a California fire station since 1901 and surpassed a million hours in 2015.
Planned obsolescence shows up everywhere. In our clothing, cellphones, cars, appliances, toys, furniture and in the breakneck speed of shifting trends. Ever wonder why some things aren't built to last? It's because of planned obsolescence. We don't actually need a new phone every two years, but companies push people to upgrade their devise both through convincing marketing, and mandatory updates that slow down older models.
Another study I found interesting compared the environmental impact of 4 groups who naturally resist mainstream consumer habits:
Eco-conscious consumers (those who live green lifestyles)
Frugals (those taking pleasure in saving money)
Tightwads (those who hate spending money)
Simplifiers (those who actively choose to consume less)
The results found that the Simplifiers had the most success in reducing their impact, scoring twice as affective as the second place Tightwads. Frugals and Green consumers didn't lessen their impact at all. The researchers concluded that those who live with less, rather than those who live green, should be our role models for living lightly on the earth. This was one of the most inspiring and motivating points from the book for myself. Living simply also sounds a lot more healthy to me in the long run.
Overall, MacKinnon raises some great points. While it's not without flaws, I find it an important topic to think on and one I deeply care about.
3.5
February 22, 2023
A thought experiment on how the global economy could move to a more sustainable form of consumption. I liked thinking about what deconsumerism would look like across the globe. The connection between consumption and degradation of our planet was illustrated well, while also acknowledging the role of consumption in bringing the world’s poorest people out of poverty. I like the idea of simple, more conscientious living and consuming; quality over quantity, closed loop economies, reduction of waste.
3/5 ⭐️ due to unnecessary fluff and repetition to articulate ideas.
3/5 ⭐️ due to unnecessary fluff and repetition to articulate ideas.
May 28, 2025
In a world with TikTok Shop, Amazon, SHEIN, and influencers- consumption truly rules our lives. So what does it take to solve the consumer dilemma? Can it even be solved? MacKinnon takes on the daunting task of answering that question- and the answer is yes- but it sure won’t be comfortable.
This book is phenomenal. Well researched, easy to read, scientifically backed, and contains real life examples; truly everything I ask for in a nonfiction book. Every chapter absolutely fascinated me. MacKinnon explores the history of consumption, what it’s doing to our planet, what it’s doing to our morals, how we stop consuming so much, and what consuming less would mean for the world. He talks about the good of anti-consumption, and the frustrations and conflict that may arise if humans started consuming considerably less. Being mindful and deliberate in the way we shop, eat, and consume will lead to less stress, less work, and more meaningful lives. But it’s not something that one person can do alone.
This book is phenomenal. Well researched, easy to read, scientifically backed, and contains real life examples; truly everything I ask for in a nonfiction book. Every chapter absolutely fascinated me. MacKinnon explores the history of consumption, what it’s doing to our planet, what it’s doing to our morals, how we stop consuming so much, and what consuming less would mean for the world. He talks about the good of anti-consumption, and the frustrations and conflict that may arise if humans started consuming considerably less. Being mindful and deliberate in the way we shop, eat, and consume will lead to less stress, less work, and more meaningful lives. But it’s not something that one person can do alone.
November 24, 2021
We hear some talk about consumerism, and occasionally even discussions of degrowth, but what would happen if the world suddenly stopped its consumerist binge? The author examines this question from several different angles in an objective way. There are no suggestions as to how we could arrive at this result, just what an end to consumerism would mean. And "ending consumerism" is expressed very modestly. It just means that global consumer spending drops 25 percent.
It's clear that his heart is in the camp of "we really need to stop shopping," but he looks at the problem objectively. There are some downsides to stopping shopping, and other consequences that are not obvious. I hope that this book will further discussion of what the "end of consumerism" really means and how we might adjust to this stop-shopping world. It's clear that this is where we are going; if we don't go there voluntarily, Mother Nature is going to involuntarily yank us in that direction, leaving us to scramble and try to re-orient ourselves.
It's clear that his heart is in the camp of "we really need to stop shopping," but he looks at the problem objectively. There are some downsides to stopping shopping, and other consequences that are not obvious. I hope that this book will further discussion of what the "end of consumerism" really means and how we might adjust to this stop-shopping world. It's clear that this is where we are going; if we don't go there voluntarily, Mother Nature is going to involuntarily yank us in that direction, leaving us to scramble and try to re-orient ourselves.
June 25, 2021
Was ist zu erwarten, wenn wir dem Kapitalismus einen Riegel vorschieben? Was von dem, was wir als Mensch-sein definieren ist abhängig vom Konsum? Dieser fiktiven Frage geht der Autor auf die Spur und visualisiert, wie tief die Strukturen des Kapitalismus unser Dasein beeinflussen aber auch wie stark sie auch die Ressourcen auf der Erde vernichten.
Was passiert eigentlich, wenn nicht mehr Geld den Alltag bestimmt? Wie groß sind die Industrien? Allein die Baumwollproduktion beschäftigt weltweit 125 Millionen Menschen, die vom nicht-kauf von Textilien ihre finanzielle Ressource verlieren würde.
Ein grandioses Buch, dass die Komplexität sehr gut erklärt & auch zeigt was eigentlich Konsum bedeutet und was dazu gehört ohne dass wir wissen, dass es ein Teil vom Konsum ist.
Was passiert eigentlich, wenn nicht mehr Geld den Alltag bestimmt? Wie groß sind die Industrien? Allein die Baumwollproduktion beschäftigt weltweit 125 Millionen Menschen, die vom nicht-kauf von Textilien ihre finanzielle Ressource verlieren würde.
Ein grandioses Buch, dass die Komplexität sehr gut erklärt & auch zeigt was eigentlich Konsum bedeutet und was dazu gehört ohne dass wir wissen, dass es ein Teil vom Konsum ist.
June 1, 2022
A mentor from university often said "Progress is a myth" and I used to mull over that in my mind for hours or days. This book is a great example of exploring that concept in the context of the initial COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 and the months over the year that followed.
December 25, 2023
Excellent excellent. This felt like a truly paradigm shifting book for me and has truly changed the way I evaluate my own consumption and how I relate to our consumer culture. The thought experiment in this book is laid out beautifully. This felt like a very necessary book.
January 27, 2024
This book was incredibly brilliant and thought-provoking. The vast research and interviews that went in to it are truly impressive. I beg everyone to read this.
July 19, 2022
What would happen if the world stopped shopping? If everyone stopped buying shit they don't need: new clothes when they already have a closet full of perfectly serviceable clothing, a new gadget to perform a task that an existing tool already does, a hammer that isn't meant to be used as a tool because it's engraved with the phrase "Thank you for helping me build my life." (Does that last one feel oddly specific? It might be.)
J.B. MacKinnon poses that question as a thought experiment: how would the world change if our insatiable consumerism suddenly stopped? He bases his hypotheses on things that have already happened: how the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic affected the economy, how the halt of ocean traffic in the wake of 9/11 improved the conditions for whales and other sea life, what happens in towns that don't allow non-essential businesses to operate on Sundays, what people might do with all that extra (non-shopping) time on their hands, what life might be like without constantly being bombarded by advertisements.
It's all very interesting stuff. He's partially preaching to the choir in my case, because I generally dislike shopping and already try not to buy shit that I don't need or give people things they don't need (or necessarily want). At the end of the book, MacKinnon essentially softens his call to action, probably because he realizes that asking people to stop shopping cold turkey is unrealistic.
Suppose we start with a more humble goal: to reduce consumption by 5 percent across the rich world. That would take us back to the lifestyle of a couple of years ago, a shift we might hardly feel. Yet everything would begin to change, from our desires to the role of economics to the future of the planetary climate. It might be the end of the world as we know it. It will not be the end of the world.
J.B. MacKinnon poses that question as a thought experiment: how would the world change if our insatiable consumerism suddenly stopped? He bases his hypotheses on things that have already happened: how the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic affected the economy, how the halt of ocean traffic in the wake of 9/11 improved the conditions for whales and other sea life, what happens in towns that don't allow non-essential businesses to operate on Sundays, what people might do with all that extra (non-shopping) time on their hands, what life might be like without constantly being bombarded by advertisements.
It's all very interesting stuff. He's partially preaching to the choir in my case, because I generally dislike shopping and already try not to buy shit that I don't need or give people things they don't need (or necessarily want). At the end of the book, MacKinnon essentially softens his call to action, probably because he realizes that asking people to stop shopping cold turkey is unrealistic.
Suppose we start with a more humble goal: to reduce consumption by 5 percent across the rich world. That would take us back to the lifestyle of a couple of years ago, a shift we might hardly feel. Yet everything would begin to change, from our desires to the role of economics to the future of the planetary climate. It might be the end of the world as we know it. It will not be the end of the world.
September 4, 2021
I can't see myself recommending this book to anyone. It took me a while to finish, and it rambles and is a little depressing.
With that being said, I appreciated the examination of this topic, and I found the information about things being built as disposable with short life cycles and people who are simplifiers interesting.
Interesting Things:
People who are simplifiers have more time. "The stereotype of the free and easy simple life is to some degree an illusion: it's not that they only do peaceful things, but that they have room in their lives to do them...Since intrinsically oriented activities meet psychological needs better than materialism does, simplifiers often increase the amount of time they spend on them by cutting back even their consumption of social media, TV or recorded music" (244).
"In 2008, political scientist Robert E. Goodin and his colleagues found that, by working only enough to live just above the poverty line and keeping household chores to a basic standard of social accountability, people in the rich world could enjoy abundant free time. Most choose instead to work toward second homes, renovations, more clothes, furniture in the latest style, the newest gadgets, adventure travel - and dream of the day, forever postponed, when technology finally liberates them from daily toil" (278).
With that being said, I appreciated the examination of this topic, and I found the information about things being built as disposable with short life cycles and people who are simplifiers interesting.
Interesting Things:
People who are simplifiers have more time. "The stereotype of the free and easy simple life is to some degree an illusion: it's not that they only do peaceful things, but that they have room in their lives to do them...Since intrinsically oriented activities meet psychological needs better than materialism does, simplifiers often increase the amount of time they spend on them by cutting back even their consumption of social media, TV or recorded music" (244).
"In 2008, political scientist Robert E. Goodin and his colleagues found that, by working only enough to live just above the poverty line and keeping household chores to a basic standard of social accountability, people in the rich world could enjoy abundant free time. Most choose instead to work toward second homes, renovations, more clothes, furniture in the latest style, the newest gadgets, adventure travel - and dream of the day, forever postponed, when technology finally liberates them from daily toil" (278).
June 28, 2021
An engaging read and solid presentation on the necessity, but difficulty, of an economy and society that stops shopping. Standing up to the test of time, it seems, the voluntary simplifiers are the guides towards a post-consumer (and, therefore, post-capitalist) society.
"The groups were environmentally conscious consumers, who try to live green lifestyles; frugals, who take pleasure in saving money; tightwads, who hate spending money; and voluntary simplifiers, who actively choose to consume less. The simplifiers had far and away the most success at reducing their impact. In fact, they were nearly twice as effective as the second-place group, the tightwads. Frugals didn’t lessen their impact at all, and neither did green consumers—reflecting, at a personal scale, the broader failure of green consumption to make a difference across recent decades. The authors of the study concluded that perhaps people who live with less, rather than those who live green, should be our role models for living more lightly on the earth."
"The groups were environmentally conscious consumers, who try to live green lifestyles; frugals, who take pleasure in saving money; tightwads, who hate spending money; and voluntary simplifiers, who actively choose to consume less. The simplifiers had far and away the most success at reducing their impact. In fact, they were nearly twice as effective as the second-place group, the tightwads. Frugals didn’t lessen their impact at all, and neither did green consumers—reflecting, at a personal scale, the broader failure of green consumption to make a difference across recent decades. The authors of the study concluded that perhaps people who live with less, rather than those who live green, should be our role models for living more lightly on the earth."
January 17, 2024
Disappointing (2.5). I'm not sure why I anticipated more from this book, perhaps from the positive reviews. This book would've worked better as a collection of blog posts. It lacked cohesion and never fully dove in to any one topic. MacKinnon dances around difficult questions (What happens to workers in the Global South when we reduce consumption? MacKinnon acknowledges they lose their jobs...and that's all. Why do we consume the way we do? Inequality, duh. How can reducing consumption happen at a collective level? MacKinnon states that we cannot do this individually–he encourages us to be creative) while offering snippets of facts and fantasies. MacKinnon edges the point: he discusses spreading the wealth, creating a society founded on interpersonal connections, and rejecting green consumerism while failing to link the ideas or discuss how we can achieve this. The title hints at this cop-out– by only discussing the day the world stops shopping, MacKinnon can avoid anything deeper.
July 28, 2025
I went into this book already convinced that we consume too much, so I wasn't looking to be persuaded of that. What I wanted was a clearer picture of how we could reduce consumerism without hurting people—especially those who are less economically secure.
The book explains the environmental and social benefits of a world with less shopping, but it didn’t delve as deeply as I wanted into the economic mechanics. The author says it’s possible, but the reasoning was anecdotal or illustrative, rather than actionable or detailed. That said, I listened to the audiobook, so I may have missed it.
It’s a great starting point for rethinking consumption so three big stars for that.
The book explains the environmental and social benefits of a world with less shopping, but it didn’t delve as deeply as I wanted into the economic mechanics. The author says it’s possible, but the reasoning was anecdotal or illustrative, rather than actionable or detailed. That said, I listened to the audiobook, so I may have missed it.
It’s a great starting point for rethinking consumption so three big stars for that.
June 17, 2021
Otroligt intressant läsning! Nu tycker jag att det är samhället som bär yttersta ansvaret för klimatet, men på individnivå tycker jag att denna var mycket relevant. Rekommenderar!
April 10, 2025
One night in October, while deep into a journey on an edible, I wrote the following note:
"Our collective humanity has been reduced to people who buy things."
My dad always said, when it came to material possessions, "Few but fine." I, however, spent my 20s writing a blog about shopping. I have been starkly aware of our consumption since the pandemic, and how little we actually need. I buy almost nothing now, and everything I do buy is almost entirely secondhand. I use the library exclusively, make my own oat milk, haven't shopped on Amazon in like 10 years (the only thing you're buying from Amazon is dopamine!), and when I do have to buy something new (underwear, for example) I find the most ethical option available. I recognize that I am in a financial position to have this privilege, but that's kind of the point! Anyone, at any income level, can do with fewer, finer things. Capitalism has been lying to us for decades.
So this book was preaching to the choir, and I wish this was required reading for everyone else. Spoiler: and every purchase from Temu or H&M or the newest iPhone or literally anywhere else is destroying the planet. We need to become conscious consumers, nonconsumers, deconsumers, and MacKinnon lays out exactly how to go about that, while balancing the more global concerns (the moment we stop shopping the entire economy collapses. That, frankly, is none of my business). I loved all the people he interviewed for this book, and envied their ability to disconnect so thoroughly from the consumer lifestyle.
"Our collective humanity has been reduced to people who buy things."
My dad always said, when it came to material possessions, "Few but fine." I, however, spent my 20s writing a blog about shopping. I have been starkly aware of our consumption since the pandemic, and how little we actually need. I buy almost nothing now, and everything I do buy is almost entirely secondhand. I use the library exclusively, make my own oat milk, haven't shopped on Amazon in like 10 years (the only thing you're buying from Amazon is dopamine!), and when I do have to buy something new (underwear, for example) I find the most ethical option available. I recognize that I am in a financial position to have this privilege, but that's kind of the point! Anyone, at any income level, can do with fewer, finer things. Capitalism has been lying to us for decades.
So this book was preaching to the choir, and I wish this was required reading for everyone else. Spoiler: and every purchase from Temu or H&M or the newest iPhone or literally anywhere else is destroying the planet. We need to become conscious consumers, nonconsumers, deconsumers, and MacKinnon lays out exactly how to go about that, while balancing the more global concerns (the moment we stop shopping the entire economy collapses. That, frankly, is none of my business). I loved all the people he interviewed for this book, and envied their ability to disconnect so thoroughly from the consumer lifestyle.
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