Consumers Anonymous

Create a Consumers Anonymous Group

If We can Change Ourselves, We can Change the World

“Our small group … came together in an effort to generate practical ideas to preserve the natural world and that special part of ourselves which it embodies. Relentlessly we worked through numerous suggestions to reduce over-consumption, only to arrive at the unsettling conclusion time and again that the voice of the media--the soap box of the rich and powerful--would drown out our quiet pleas for sanity.
In an act of self-defense we turned to our only remaining hope—self-empowerment . We started a list of actions we could take in our own lives to make a positive change… Our shared commitment gave us strength.
We knew that if we could change ourselves, we could change everything.”

Avery McComb, co-founder

Create your group by taking these four steps:

MAKE THE PLEDGE.
MEET WITH OTHERS.
CREATE YOUR OWN 12 STEP PROGRAMS.
BUILD A COMMUNITY OF SUPPORT.

MAKE THE PLEDGE: Become a conscientious objector to the social and ecological desolation resulting from unsustainable consumption! Our purpose is to promote innovative alternatives to the consumer habit and to offer mutual support and encouragement among people seeking better ways to live with the Earth. It starts with you. Make a conscious pledge to move toward your own liberation and to offer encouragement and support to others.

MEET WITH OTHERS: Spread the word that you want to start a Consumers Anonymous group. Talk to friends, associates, teachers, students, leaders and members of organizations at your school or in your community that are likely to share your concerns. Find others who want to participate. Decide when and where to meet, then announce the first meeting in the community or campus newspaper. Come to this first meeting well prepared. After introductions, share examples of 12 step programs (see below). Talk together about the meaning and importance of taking steps like this. Decide together how often and where to meet. Brainstorm activities and topics for future discussions. Set up a group e-mail account (free ones are available through Yahoo, Hotmail, others). Meetings should be fun, encouraging, inclusive, and supportive of the on-going project of kicking the consumer habit.

CREATE PROGRAMS TO HELP YOU FREE YOURSELVES: Begin to free yourself by taking steps to live differently, and support others who are taking similar steps. These steps are practical. Recognizing that consumerism is a kind of addiction fed by a multi-billion dollar advertising industry, we suggest that each member create a 12-step approach, listing 12 steps they can take to become more conscious consumers. You can find some good examples of Consumers Anonymous members’ twelve steps to a better and more ecologically and socially responsible life here:

http://springcreek.oregonstate.edu/consumersanonymous/TwelveStep.html

Allow for members to be at different stages in the development and pursuit of a personal program. Help each other sustain efforts and solve problems (mutual aid). Make it fun. Meet regularly!

BUILD A COMMUNITY OF SUPPORT: Kicking the consumer habit is an on-going project that requires patience, good humor, a willingness to learn, and a wider community of support. What skills and resources do people in your group have to share – who can teach those interested how to sew, how to repair bicycles, how to plant a garden? Look for people in the broader community who might share skills with your group, and who might be interested in participating in mutual projects such as barter fairs. Your group may be interested in education and outreach efforts – for example, you might want to organize a speakers bureau to talk to others in schools, communities of faith, or workplaces. But remember, the main focus should be to help ourselves and each other move toward fulfilling our own personal twelve step programs.

CONTACT INFO: Interact with other groups. Share experiences and insights.
We will be posting contact info for Consumers Anonymous groups as we receive this information; check back here for developments. Please add your group by sending contact info, web page addresses (if any), geographical location (so others in your area can find you), perhaps a line or two of description, and any questions or suggestions, to: Spring.creek@oregonstate.edu

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