Almost Famous Vuttinun Soontornkajit is Officer of Mobilization and Public Relations at the Sathirakoses-Nagapradipa Foundation. His latest campaign is for No Shopping Week: a call for people to stop buying anything but essentials for a week.

BK: How did you choose this job?

Vuttinun Soontornkajit: I’ve been interested in charity and social issues since I was in university. With the No Shopping campaign, We Change assigned me to help with media relations. I like We Change; they are a small group who try to make social changes with the concept “I change myself every day.” They want changes to come from individuals and to come bit by bit. Personally, I also believe that society can change but it has to begin with us individuals.

BK: What’s the goal of No Shopping Week?

VS: Our goal is to invite 999 people—more would be great—to join our program to not buy or buy less for a week, from January 28 to February 2. On the opening day, we will have a sharing market where people trade goods without the use of money. It can be a thing that you have never used since you bought it or something you don’t use anymore. Or you can bring a good and donate it at our donation center and it will go to charity organizations.

BK: How did you guys come up with the idea?

VS: It began with the Adbusters website which has a No Shopping campaign that lastss only one day on Christmas Eve. But in Thailand, we always shop a lot. So we decided it should be a week.

BK: So how do we participate?

VS: We will provide No Shopping handbooks, stickers and pins. The handbook suggests diff erent ways to stop shopping. Many people might not be able to do stop shopping entirely. But some people can reduce their consumption. If you buy a bottle of green tea every day, during that week, you might stop doing so. Or if you go to 7-Eleven every day, you might set yourself the goal of not going for a week. We ask people to stop buying in their own way, in a way that is convenient to them.

BK: How do you know if we’re really cutting back?

VS: The principle of We Change, Sathirakoses-Nagapradipa and other social organizations is to believe in promises and trust. We think that if you join us, you will do it. It’s OK if you don’t, and just want to join as some kind of starting point for yourself. It shows that you have social conscience and you want to see some changes. At least, we hope that people might think more before they pay for anything. It might help reverse the consumerist society we are in now.

BK: Do you like shopping?

VS: Not much. I’m a guy and, you know, guys don’t like shopping that much.

BK: What is your pledge?

VS: I won’t spend any money on anything but food and transporation. And if I can, I’ll buy less food, too; it’s a way to be on a diet.

BK: Do you believe that this can change society?

VS: It might not change our whole society. But I believe that a change can happen from a small group of people. It won’t be much, but one thing we expect is that some people might see that we can be happy even when we don’t buy things. We don’t have to buy happiness.
Saransri Prawatpattanakul