Household items, furniture, and miscellaneous (sporting gear, etc.): Big Brother Big Sister, Epilepsy Foundation and Salvation Army will all pick up by appointment. Consider donating your item to someone else who may really appreciate it via Freecycle.org, Craigslist.org, Throwplace.com or Freepeats.org (baby, kid and maternity items).
You could join a local Freecycle group online. “It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills,” according to www.freecycle.org. There are about 5 million members around the world and active New Hampshire groups. There are rules and etiquette to abide by, but basically once you are approved to join the group, you can send out e-mails about items you have to offer. The concept is kind of like putting things on the side of the road with a sign that says “free,” but it’s more organized and the stuff won’t get rained on.
In the name of Gok Wan how did I find myself starkers on the South Downs posing for a naked sculpture? The event was advertised on my local Freecycle Cafe group and posed an opportunity to meet my naked tree-hugging friends and put a face - and the rest - to a name. It was quickly out in the open that they were naturists so for them this was a fun day out, whereas I wasn’t feeling too great about letting my hang-ups hang down. Sensing this, one woman lifted me three feet clear in the air telling me “you can do it!” while bemused cyclists and dog walkers, happening to pass through, tried to figure out what we doing, which was posing with around 300 others for a TV show on body image. I’d happily meet these freecyclers again, one of which gave the term a new meaning, describing how he cycles naked - painted as a zebra.
● Good for mom, good for Mother Nature: You have no job and you’re broke, so give to mom and Mother Nature for free. Check out freecycle.org — a Web site that hosts various community groups who are trading, giving and getting stuff instead of filling landfills with it — all for free. (Utica has 2,207 active members.)
Buy second-hand Reusing products in their manufactured form rather than reconstituting them by recycling conserves material and energy, as well as the labour and cultural value that went into making them. From stores like Goodwill and Value Village to the freecycle.org network, which has over 3000 members in Edmonton, to that dumpster behind the store for the truly committed, turning one person’s trash into another’s treasure is easy
Derry people are using a new internet site to get rid of their unwanted items and pass them on to others for free.
Foyle freecycle, part of the yahoo.com group is open to people in the North West including Strabane, Derry, Limavady and Dungiven.
Already the site has been hugely successful with local people swapping everything from used carpets, bedroom furniture, freezers and even wood to burn in fireplaces.
www.freecycle.org Poor man’s eBay which allows members to exchange items for free. Operates as a series of local groups who share one mission: to cut down on waste by finding a good home for their cast-offs.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans generated about 250 million tons of garbage in 2006. While more than 30 percent of trash is recycled, most of it still ends up in landfills. But reusing items can be as simple as joining an e-mail list.
The Colorado Springs Freecycle Group is one of more than 4,300 around the world. It’s a way for people to get things they need, or give away what they no longer want, and give a little back in return.
One man’s trash is another’s treasure. Over 1,000 people in the Grand Junction area are trying to keep items out of landfills.
They started a website called “Grand Junction FreeCycle.” It’s a site that allows users to post items they no longer need but don’t want to throw away. When members like what they see, they can request the item and get it for free.
The Huron Valley Green Team would like to thank all of the individuals, families, businesses and organizations that came together to make the second annual Huron Valley Earth Day Festival a success. More than 1,500 people attended this year’s festival, which hosted more than 50 vendors promoting green practices, all-ages workshops, activities, 7 musical acts and dozens of giveaways. More than 1,000 White Pine (Michigan’s State Tree) seedlings were distributed and our programs were printed on plantable paper that bloom wild flowers.
Hundreds of people made green pledges for 2008, saying they would recycle more or use energy efficient light bulbs. Others said they would stop using plastic bags. Still others committed to using less energy and unplugging computers, appliances and electronics when not in use. Some pledged to eat more local and organic foods while others pledged to eat less meat and more green.
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