Monday, April 15: Consumption, trash and recycling
- No Impact Freecycle Extravaganza, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the atrium of the Havener Center. The freecycle is a no-money “yardsale.” The public is welcome to donate any household items they no longer use and take home any donated items they find interesting. No cash changes hands and leftover items will be donated to a local resale shop.
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Martini glasses. Magazines. A futon. Styrofoam packing blocks. These are just a few of the items I’ve Freecycled over the years. And boy was I relieved to discover that Freecycle was already established in Des Moines, since I had been a long-time Freecycler in the SF Bay Area. What is Freecycle? Well, I’ve had a few people ask me that. Especially when they see me leaving items in bags on my doorstep.
557306_10151082410412993_391868685_nFreecycle was started ten years ago by Deron Beal in Arizona. You can read the whole story here, but in summary, it’s a network group of folks who sign up to post items that they would either like to give away or they’re in search of. I’ve been on various Freecycle networks for years. It’s yet another way to keep stuff out of landfill, share with and help others in your local community, and meet some interesting people to boot.
Back in San Francisco, I had a number of friends who were also in the same Freecycle network. We play the game of “okay, what’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen on Freeycle” because as you can imagine, there are some rather interesting posts. For me, I think the all-time weirdest item I saw “offered” (posts start as either “offered” or “wanted”) was empty dog food containers. And no doubt, someone took them. And I’ve seen some interesting “wants” too, like when I was a member of the Oakland, CA Freeycle group, and someone wanted a diamond ring. Well, why not.
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So, we finally got rid of the futon. It was broken, but I posted a full disclosure notice on the Charlottesville-Albemarle Freecycle list.
Futon, mission style frame wih mattress & coverAfter a few email exchanges and phone calls to arrange pick up between snow showers, a woman and her dad borrowed a truck to come get the futon; let’s call them Helen and James.
We showed Helen and James where the futon frame needs repair.
“I’m a carpenter by trade. This will be no problem,” said James.
Rick had already told me the frame could be repaired for under $10, so any guilt I had about passing on broken stuff, even for free, was really evaporating.
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Four years ago, Mandy Moore of Chesterton saw someone was giving away a turkey on the Freecycle website.
Out of curiosity, she contacted the giver and discovered 50 people wanted the holiday staple. Sensing an unfilled need in her community, Moore put together seven meals and put that up on Freecycle.
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I even sold some items on Craigslist. Then there were some other items that weren’t really sellable in my opinion. A few odds and ends. I decided to list them on freecycle. Freecycle is a site in which you offer items that you don’t want to others for free. Its based on the premise of recycling and keeping things out of the landfill.
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I often struggle to balance our family budget. This daunting task becomes increasingly harder with the rising cost of gas, utilities, and food. On top of this, my daughter hit a growth spurt and her jeans are capris.
I recently encountered a group in Louisville that makes your budgeting a little easier by offering free products. FreeCycle is a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Louisville has an online group. The Louisville chapter was founded in 2004 and currently has 14,689 members. Here individuals and list the product they are offering or items that want. Other members respond to this post saying they either want it or have it to give.
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Some things have remained free, or already paid for, through the years. Just check out the good stuff at your local public library. And if you want to give or receive all kinds of free stuff — unwanted lamps, children’s bikes, appliances — join The Freecycle Network in your area, via freecycle.org.
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We all have things lying around the house we are looking to get rid, so if you don’t want it, post it.
That’s the theory behind a website called Freecycle.org. It’s a non-profit site.
Post something you don’t want to help someone else, because you never know when you might need that little bit of extra help.
“You can see anywhere from baby formula to baby bottles to furniture for your house,” Jymel Jackson said.
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The ReClaimer is certainly not alone in this mindset. Today’s ReClaimer Blog will put a spotlight on The Freecycle Network(TM).
A concept that was launched in one city in the United States (US) has since grown to international and global scope. In May of 2003, Freecycle founder Deron Beal organized an online email group of contacts representing a group of non-profit organizations in Tucson, Arizona. The online contact network was necessary to streamline and make highly efficient a previously time-consuming process of offering unwanted or donated items to multiple organizations in the Tucson area. Originally fostered by the organization RISE, which at the time provided recycling services to downtown Tucson businesses, The Freecycling Network (TM) grew into a online network that now spans the globe and has incorporated the efforts of individuals and groups in 85 countries.
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Summit Freecycle, a Yahoo group, is a shining example of how giftivism is a win-win for all. Since 2004 it has linked those in Summit with items and services to give and those who can make use of them. Though I’ve only been a member for a short time, it has demonstrated repeatedly to me that gift-giving works. To find out more, run an Internet search on “summit freecycle.” For info on money-less economies, see David Graeber’s book “Debt: The First 5000 Years.”
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