Dunedin Buy Nothing Day coordinator, Michael Tritt has pronounced the day's events a success. A giant, eight metre long banner reading "Buy Nothing Day. Save The Planet" was dropped above Dunedin's Meridian Mall at midday, while activists distributed pamphlets on the streets below.

Meridian security asked the pamphleteers to leave the entrance to the mall by only a few minutes after beginning to distribute material. The banner, however, was not discovered and removed until an hour after it had been unfurled. During this time it had been spotted by scores of onlookers as they walked down George St. Activists continued to distribute Buy Nothing Day information to pedestrians for some time after the banner had been removed.

"We achieved our goal, which was to get people thinking about the environmental cost of consumerism," Dunedin Buy Nothing Day co-ordinator, Michael Tritt said. "It is unacceptable that 20% of the world's population consumes 80% of its natural resources, but people are often unaware of this fact," he said.

"By creating awareness of this iniquitous situation, we hope that people will begin to question whether their own consumption levels need to be so high, and change their habits accordingly," Mr Tritt said.

Mr Tritt explained that the banner drop was a complex operation, requiring a ladder and a pair of overalls (acting as a disguise) to access the unfurling point.

Contact Michael Tritt on (03) 4776972

More information on Buy Nothing Day is available at: www.adbusters.org www.buynothingday.co.uk

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