There’s nuance to the exact origins of Black Friday, which became the official day to shop for deals sometime in the 1950s and is now known as a day for unbridled aggression and excess. Even the pandemic didn’t slow the lust for deals, only boosting the popularity of
Cyber Monday as a day when people could search for deals from phones and laptops while malls were still shuttered. Inevitably, the focus on scoring bargains leads to people buying more than Christmas presents for loved ones, splurging on impulse buys they don’t actually need, and causing waste that takes its toll on the environment.
Enter “Green Friday,” the eco-friendly alternative. Or is it? The common understanding is that Green Friday traces back to “Buy Nothing Day,” an alternative started in Canada in the 1990s. While Buy Nothing Day explicitly opposes consumption, Green Friday can take a softer approach of urging people to shop more sustainably by buying vintage or creating a budget—but still to shop. (A nonzero number of articles about Green Friday end with links to the eco-friendly online shops the website wants to promote.)
In the Bay Area, the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) offers a chance to observe a greener Friday, while also buying nothing. On Friday, Nov. 29, the park district will waive all fees for park entrance, parking, dogs, horses, boat launching and fishing. This includes the entrance fee to Ardenwood Historical Farm in Fremont. Just a few streets away, Coyote Hills offers a drop-in Green Friday hike starting at 10:30am. See an activity list at: www.ebparks.org/we-celebrate/green-friday.
Dave Mason, Public Information Supervisor for the park district, shares, “Wherever you live in the East Bay, an East Bay Regional Park is close by, brimming with wonder and discovery. The Park District encourages the public to spend quality time outdoors on Green Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Green Friday is a great opportunity for people to visit their Regional Parks and explore the benefits of nature with family and friends.”
Another answer to the consumerism of Black Friday is Giving Tuesday, observed Dec. 3 in 2024. This is a day to donate to nonprofits and worthy causes. Those who reel back spending a bit on the previous Friday will certainly have more to give away when the weekend is over.
