Independent Online Edition > Science & Technology
50 great ideas for the 21st century
Google, satellite navigation, Equitrade, screw-top wine… these inventions and concepts will change our lives forever. But what inspires their creators? To introduce our round-up of 50 great ideas for the 21st century, Stephen Bayley examines the history and theory of how sparks of genius are formed

43. The Freecycle Network

Like a sort of hippy eBay, www.freecycle.org takes that auction house’s notion that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and simply removes the auction bit from the equation. TFN (The Freecycle Network) is a global set of city and town-specific online noticeboards, each one offering unwanted items for free. No money ever changes hands, and it’s up to the giver to decide who receives the gift and set a time for the “winner” to collect their booty. There’s only one rule: that everything posted must be free, legal and appropriate for all ages. A further feelgood factor comes from an option to give unwanted stuff to a non-profit organisation - hence the “free cycle of giving”. TFN was started in May 2003 in Arizona to promote waste reduction and reduce landfills. Today, it comprises over 2.5million members in 3,700 groups all over the world - there are 326 groups in the UK alone. Long may it run. JD