Black Friday is a blight for the environment. Why not do something different, like buy nothing or go on a pleasant outing with family or friends, suggests Nick Meynen. Black Friday is that day of the year when marketeers, primarily in America but also increasingly in Europe, can finally sit back, relax and get high on watching the buying spree unfold.

In addition to the iconic stampede of shoppers associated with American Black Friday, this bizarre human experiment has led to people shooting others for access to cheap toys, shoppers pepper spraying their way to discounted products. According to the Black Friday Death Count, the current tally is 12 deaths and 117 injuries resulting from Black Friday since 2006. That’s before the 2019 edition has even started.

Although this shopping madness has spread across the Atlantic, many shops in Europe are trying to distance themselves a bit from the black day for the climate that Black Friday boils down to. Some organise White Friday, pledging to donate to good causes if you buy from them that day. Others even go for Green Friday, pledging to plant trees. But they all still try to sell more stuff.

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