Next Friday, I’ll be observing my annual post-Thanksgiving tradition — by buying nothing.

Buy Nothing Day‘s the greenest way to celebrate Black Friday, a day generally marked by over-hyped holiday shopping sales. But thanks to the cool people at Adbusters who came up with the campaign, Black Friday’s been redefined for many as Buy Nothing Day — a 24-hour fast from consumer culture.

Last year, Adbusters called for a “Wildcat General Strike” — a “Ramadan-like fast” from pretty much all consumption — including electricity! As a blogger with deadlines, that was tough for me.

But this year, Adbusters is pushing for a “Carnivalesque Rebellion Week” from Nov. 22 to Nov. 28 — which encourages people to “live without dead time for a week.” From Adbusters’ website:

Think of it as an adventure, as therapy – a week of pieing and pranks, of talking back at your profs and speaking truth to power. Some of us will put up posters in our schools and neighborhoods and just break our daily routines for a week. Others will chant, spark mayhem in big box stores and provoke mass cognitive dissonance. Others still will engage in the most visceral kind of civil disobedience.

If that description seems rather vague and difficult to understand for you, don’t despair — your fellow non-consumerists are likely already planning a more concretely defined event or few in your area. Check the Buy Nothing Day MeetUp page to see what’s happening near you. In L.A. plans are in the nascent stages — so weigh in on what you’d like to do!

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