Try Freecycle: If you’ve never Freecycled, well, you must. It’s basically like Craigslist, except everything is free (the only other difference is that donations are delivered, you generally have to pick up whatever you want). Over 5,000 cities have Freecycle groups, so chances are there’s one in your area, and parents are always unloading barely used toys, clothes, books, and more. Score!
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Pawn off unwanted gifts online. Craigslist and Freecycle.org are two great places to unload junk. As Freecycle’s site says, “it’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills.” If it’s a heap of stupid gift cards you’re looking to ditch, learn how to turn them into cash so you can buy things people actually want.
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MOSES LAKE – If your budget is tighter than usual or you are looking to help with the environment, there is an option with Grant County Freecycle.
The Yahoo! web group is geared toward anyone from the resident looking rid themselves of that somewhat battered but still comfy couch, to the new parent searching out gently worn baby clothes boxed up in someone else’s basement.
The concept is simple. People sign up to receive messages about items up for grabs or to post their own unwanted stuff. Group members communicate directly with each other via email, and make arrangements for pickup or delivery when they see something they like.
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THE Welly Road Gets the Boot In project is looking for your old boots to recycle into cute planters.
Neighbours, businesses and local organisations are being encouraged to join in with the project, on Wellington Road in Oxton, Wirral.
The planters will be created by the community from Wellington boots donated to the Green Community Shop and Centre and requests on Freecycle.
Each house will be offered the opportunity to plant a pair of wellies to display on their property.
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Case Manager Jessica Lemenager made a quilt out of used shirts from the veterans and donated fabric from Freecycle. Veterans and officials signed the quilt that was given to the couple.
“They have done so much for this organization,” she said. “They are really great people.”
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Don’t limit your sights to thrift shops. From your pediatrician’s office to local police and fire departments, there are plenty of other groups that could benefit from your child’s unwanted toys. Contact local churches, libraries, grade schools, day care centers, children’s hospitals and foster care programs—or post an ad on the website of The Freecycle Network (www.freecycle.org), a green grass-roots collective that acts as a digital curbside. Members list items they wish to part with, but with one catch: It must be free, and it must be local.
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That sentiment is what’s fueled inspiration for others who have overwhelmingly responded to a post Pare listed on Freecycle.org saying she wished to adopt a family this Christmas. She had dozens of responses from families needing help and even requests on behalf of others, she said.
She expected some response from families affected by Hurricane Irene in August, but she found that there were also a lot of people who unexpectedly found themselves unemployed recently, too.
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El sofá en el que está sentado Deron Beal lo consiguió gratis, después de donar su propia cama de soltero. El intercambio se produjo hace ocho años, cuando 30 amigos de Tucson (Arizona) decidieron crear un grupo de trueque en Yahoo. La voz del “quiero y ofrezco” se ha propagado desde entonces como un generoso virus: los miembros Freecycle superan ya los 9 millones, distribuidos por 5.000 grupos y en 75 países.
“Todo el mundo tiene algo que ofrecer y algo que necesita”, sostiene Beal, el padre del ‘freeciclaje’. “En estos tiempos que corren, ¿qué mejor regalo podemos hacer a nuestra comunidad y al planeta que donar lo que nos sobra y evitar que acabe en un vertedero?”.
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Freecycle.com: Free, local online ads to unload what you don’t need at no charge to the receiver. Get what you need for free by going to the website and searching for your item.
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A growing trend
Nationwide, there are 103 transition initiatives in 31 states, according to Transition United States, and there are nearly 400 initiatives in 13 languages across the world.
The Northfield group is now planning a community gathering to launch the service and have subscribers meet face to face as they introduce the potential benefits to the community.
The buzz is already building—not surprising for a community known for its volunteer culture, its penchant for recycling as evidenced by online Northfield Freecycle users, its Clothes Closet and Used-a-Bit shops, and loose trade of talents via community bulletin boards.
“I see it as a way we can build community, where people can give and receive outside of the money system,” says Jenny Gamer, owner of Pivotal Point Oriental Medicine, who is already signed on to the service. “It’s a real win for people with more time than money—the un- or underemployed
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