Cutting Back on E-Consumerism

PC World's Grant Gross joins activist online group
By Caroline Zimmerman,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 17, 2007 12:10 PM CST
Cutting Back on E-Consumerism
The Compact aims to get consumers to reduce and reuse before they recycle.    (Shutterstock)

While many Americans spend big bucks online, some are using the Internet to tone down their consumerism. PC World's Grant Gross has joined a national group called the Compact, which encourages members to swear off buying new stuff whenever possible and stick to local products. It's a step "beyond recycling," according to the group's popular blog.

New undies are kosher, but Gross buys all his appliances secondhand off eBay. It may be a big corporation, but it plays host to a swarm of "mom 'n pop stores" that the Compact supports. But when it comes to electric guitars, Gross finds it hard to stick to his guns: "there's this brand-new Taylor electric guitar that looks really, really cool," he writes. (More recycling stories.)

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