The sun is shining. The birds are chirping... and I am running around inside the house, with a bandana in my hair circa 1950, listening to CBC and cleaning like a mad woman!
What is it about Spring that makes us want to freshen up our homes and get rid of all of our clutter? Dunno, but perhaps going outside would be a smarter in.
Here is my question for you: Do you Freecycle?
Here is the history of what Freecycle is, and how it was started (borrowed from the freecycle website):
On May 1st, 2003, Deron Beal sent out the first e-mail announcing The Freecycle Network™ to about 30 or 40 friends and a handful of nonprofits in Tucson, Arizona. At the time Deron founded The Freecycle Network, he worked with a small nonprofit organization, RISE, which provides recycling services to downtown businesses and transitional employment to Tucsonans in need.
As the team recycled, rather than watching perfectly good items being thrown away, they found themselves calling or driving around to see if various local nonprofits could use them. Thinking there had to be an easier way, Beal set up that first Freecycle e-mail group in a way that permitted everyone in Tucson to give and to get. Freecycle was off and running.
The Freecycle concept has since spread to over 85 countries, where there are thousands of local groups representing millions of of members -- people helping people and 'changing the world one gift at a time.' As a result, we are currently keeping over 500 tons a day out of landfills! This amounts to five times the height of Mt. Everest in the past year alone, when stacked in garbage trucks!
By giving freely with no strings attached, members of The Freecycle Network help instill a sense of generosity of spirit as they strengthen local community ties and promote environmental sustainability and reuse. People from all walks of life have joined together to turn trash into treasure.
So there is the gist. Freecycle is a wonderful thing. It does take a bit more effort than say, throwing your stuff into a bag and dumping it at the second hand store, but it also has great rewards. I have met some interesting people, and have also been able to request very particular items with a pretty good success rate.
The Coastal Discovery Centre in Main a Dieu has even gone so far as to set up a "Freecyle Room", which is essentially like a free store.
If you are interested in joining Freecycle, or starting a room of your own, here is the link:
http://www.freecycle.org/
What is it about Spring that makes us want to freshen up our homes and get rid of all of our clutter? Dunno, but perhaps going outside would be a smarter in.
Here is my question for you: Do you Freecycle?
Here is the history of what Freecycle is, and how it was started (borrowed from the freecycle website):
On May 1st, 2003, Deron Beal sent out the first e-mail announcing The Freecycle Network™ to about 30 or 40 friends and a handful of nonprofits in Tucson, Arizona. At the time Deron founded The Freecycle Network, he worked with a small nonprofit organization, RISE, which provides recycling services to downtown businesses and transitional employment to Tucsonans in need.
As the team recycled, rather than watching perfectly good items being thrown away, they found themselves calling or driving around to see if various local nonprofits could use them. Thinking there had to be an easier way, Beal set up that first Freecycle e-mail group in a way that permitted everyone in Tucson to give and to get. Freecycle was off and running.
The Freecycle concept has since spread to over 85 countries, where there are thousands of local groups representing millions of of members -- people helping people and 'changing the world one gift at a time.' As a result, we are currently keeping over 500 tons a day out of landfills! This amounts to five times the height of Mt. Everest in the past year alone, when stacked in garbage trucks!
By giving freely with no strings attached, members of The Freecycle Network help instill a sense of generosity of spirit as they strengthen local community ties and promote environmental sustainability and reuse. People from all walks of life have joined together to turn trash into treasure.
So there is the gist. Freecycle is a wonderful thing. It does take a bit more effort than say, throwing your stuff into a bag and dumping it at the second hand store, but it also has great rewards. I have met some interesting people, and have also been able to request very particular items with a pretty good success rate.
The Coastal Discovery Centre in Main a Dieu has even gone so far as to set up a "Freecyle Room", which is essentially like a free store.
If you are interested in joining Freecycle, or starting a room of your own, here is the link:
http://www.freecycle.org/
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