Green Options » freecycle

Sustainability Spending with Frugality Rules

John Ivanko — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 23:13:32 +0000

Okay. So, the shopping spree may be over. It’s hard to pick up a newspaper or listen to a TV station that doesn’t have a story about it. Meanwhile, advertisers keep putting things on sale to get us spending again. However, millions of Americans are waking up with a debt-hangover and have adopted a new mantra: living within our means. For the sustainability of our planet, let’s hope it lasts.

Whether its because of the recession, high energy prices, an awareness of the trash building up in our landfills or oceans, or because we’re without a job or forced to go on regular “furcations” (furlow based, unpaid vacations) — the equivalent of a pay demotion — many Americans are adopting a Fruglity is Freedom lifestyle that remarkably similar to a sustainable lifestyle. It’s beginning to change what we value and how we place value on values.

Here’s a few of the Frugality Rules:

• Paying off credit debt and possibly cutting up credit cards (after paying them off)

Once upon a time, most Americans never had credit cards — even one. Those who did, had a fixed interest rate. But a lot has changed, with plastic being the method of preference for millions of Americans, most of whom have more than one credit card. All the cards these days have variable rates and all sorts of fees, too. So, when the Fed comes around to raise interest rates to head off inflation, get ready to pay more for what you bought on credit.

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19 Free (Green) Tools for Small Businesses

Jennifer Kaplan — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:05:46 +0000

Another post inspired by a HARO request. This time it was an ask for low or no-cost tools used by small businesses. I did a quick search for the word “free” in my book and realized there are dozens. Here are my 19 favorites:

Free energy-efficiency information, resources, and technical advice—ENERGY STAR for Small Business provides free information, resources, and technical advice on hundreds of cost-savings practices. Includes a downloadable copy of the free ENERGY STAR for Small Business Guide, “Putting Energy into Profits” and information about ENERGY STAR–labeled products.
Free recycling and conservation signs—You can customize, download, and print free recycling and conservation signs at recyclereminders.com.
Free control of your IT—If you run a network, software from companies like LocalCooling.com allows the settings on computers to be controlled centrally so you can automatically turn those babies off when no one is using them.
Free Green IT for Dummies—HP sponsors a free, downloadable, condensed, limited edition of the Green IT for Dummies guide.
Free recycling bins—The Coca-Cola/NRC Recycling Bin Grant Program provides recycling bins to selected grant recipients for the collection of beverage container recyclables in public settings.
Free rideshare widget for websites— at GooseNetworks.com.
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Getting What You Need on the Cheap!

Jamie Ervin — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:28:15 +0000

I’m all about a bargain. With a large family, we really focus on getting the longest life possible out of items and sourcing new to us items whenever possible.

So, I’ve become a HUGE fan of:

Freecycle. Seriously, folks. You sign up, get email updates with freebies being given away in your area and you offer up the extras in your closets. I gave away a sewing machine that was in need of TLC and an old wooden play structure. I’ve found clothes for the kids and baby equipment. The only money involved is the cost of driving to pick the items up. Awesome.

Craigslist. While this isn’t a great place to find freebies (though they do have a free section), it is a wonderful resource for new to you furniture, auto needs, tools, and kids items. I’ve sold bags of clothes for $20 a pop and purchased a couch for $150. Yay.

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Don’t be a Grinch: Keep Christmas Leftovers from Getting Dumped

Robin Shreeves — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:09:36 +0000

Que the voice of Boris Karloff…

It was quarter past dawn…
All the Whos, still a-bed,
All the Whos, still a-snooze
When he packed up his sled,
Packed it up with their presents! The ribbons! The wrappings!
The tags! And the tinsel! The trimmings! The trappings!

When the Grinch stole Christmas, he not only stole the presents, he stole all the things that accompany Christmas that end up as waste. He stole the ribbons, the wrappings, the tags, the tinsel, the trimmings, the trappings plus the Christmas trees and the food for the feast.

And what was the Grinch going to do with all that stuff he really didn’t want?

Three thousand feet up! Up the side of Mt. Crumpit,
He rode with his load to the tiptop to dump it!

Pretty much the same thing most of us have done in the past with all our Christmas leftovers, right? We dumped them. Not off the side of Mt. Crumpit, but in the trash.

This year, when we’ve got things leftover from Christmas, let’s be responsible with their disposal.

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Reducing Your Recycling: Part 2

Robin Shreeves — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 04:05:44 +0000

On Tuesday, I wrote about the dip in demand for recyclable materials. Recyclables are piling up in warehouses, and as long as the economy continues to head in the direction it’s heading, demand probably won’t increase. It’s a problem. What’s the solution?

I’m not sure what the solution is in the grand scheme of things, but I know that I can contribute to a small part of the solution. I can step up the reduce and reuse part of reduce, reuse, recycle. If I produce less recyclables, and you produce less recyclables, it will help. It might not solve the entire problem, but it will help.

Here’s what I plan to do:

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Your Trash Just Doesn’t Disappear, Stupid! (Or How to Make Sure Useful Things Stay out of Landfills)

Robin Shreeves — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:17:13 +0000

Please forgive my rudeness. If I heard my children speak to someone that way, there’d be some serious lecturing going on. But you’ll understand when I relay the conversation I heard between two young moms the other day at a restaurant.

Mom #1 “My garage was so jam packed with boxes of things. I didn’t even know what was in half of them. I finally go so tired of it all I just took them all out to the curb.”

Mom #2 “Isn’t it such a great feeling when the trash men just make it all disappear?”

Mom#1 “Yes, ‘poof’ and it’s all gone.”

To which I wanted to scream over to their table “Your trash just doesn’t disappear, stupid!” But I didn’t because I was raised better than that. And my son was with me. And I’m fairly gutless in situations like that. But I was screaming it in my head.

What an absolute waste. What still perfectly useful items were in those boxes that the trash men hauled away to be burried in a landfill. There’s no way of knowing, but I do know this one thing. There were many ways she could have easily found new homes for the still useful things in those boxes.

As I see it, when you’ve got something that is still useful but you aren’t using it anymore, there are three responsible ways to get rid of it. None of them involve putting it out at the curb for the fairy trash men to waive their wands and make it disappear.

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We Have a New Mattress–How Do I Recycle The Old Mattress?

Sarah Pressman Lovinger — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:24:38 +0000

My husband and I are quite pleased with our brand-new king size mattress. It’s firm, yet comfy, and because we also indulged in some new down pillows, we are sleeping much better these days. But what should we do with the old mattress? I know the mattress delivery company removes it, but I am sure that they just send it to a landfill. I would like to dispose of our old mattress in a more eco-friendly way.

In looking for green suggestions on how to handle the old mattress, I googled ‘mattress recycle’. Nothing really useful came of my web search, however. Health department laws prohibit donating the mattress to the Salvation Army or another charitable organization, and I could not find a local mattress recycling company. I could try a local freecycle group, but the health department restrictions would probably come into play again. So we have a nice, new mattress, and we just don’t know how to handle the old mattress in an environmentally-responsible way.

I invite you, dear reader, to weigh in on this one: what’s the best way to dispose of an old mattress?

Photo from my personal collection.

Don’t Just Recycle, Freecycle Network(TM) it!

Govind Singh — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 04:49:11 +0000

A year after having first noticed the green ‘cyber’wave, months after informing the world about Global Internet giants going green and weeks after being appointed as the new Moderator of the Delhi Freecycle Network(TM) group, the green ‘cyber’wave just got stronger. And Yahoo! has taken the lead. Starting Earth Day, it is not just spreading the message, “Free is good - Give stuff, get stuff. Do good for the environment” through its green pages, but is also working to achieve the same.

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Upcycle!

Juliet Ames — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:27:14 +0000

My new favorite word is “upcycle. “A German chemist Michael Braungart and architect William McDonough coined the term in their 2002 book, ‘Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.’ To upcycle simply means to use waste products to make useful things.

Upcycling is what Tsia Carson, one of the brains behind SuperNaturale, is all about. In case you have not seen it yet, SuperNaturale is a fantastic site dedicated to all things DIY with an online magazine, bulletin boards and blogs. Carson’s book ‘Craftivity: 40 Projects for the DIY Lifestyle,‘ is based on her website and features 40 projects to turn your trash into treasure. As Anda from Etsy Storque says, “After only a few pages, you should be itching to visit a local thrift store, the back of your closet, or the dumpster behind your apartment for interesting (and free) supplies.”

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Five Simple Steps for Going Green in College

Kelli Best-Oliver — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 13:09:56 +0000

The college years are an exciting transitional time for young people. Many are off on their own for the first time, and they’re faced with responsibility for their own actions and their own well-being. For some teens, college is the first time they experience autonomy, and the variety of choices they’re faced with can be overwhelming, and the pressure of making green choices might just be too much to handle. There are, however, five simple choices they can make in their transition into adulthood that can easily lessen their footprint while in college.

Walk. Almost all college campuses are designed to be walker-friendly. This might be the easiest time to get rid of your car. However, if being completely car-free isn’t an option, park it and leave it. Campus parking is notoriously frustrating, and keeping your car parked in a lot is a lot easier than futilely circling said lot. Use your feet, a bike, or campus transportation to get from your dorm to class to the library. If your school is in a larger city, most public transit systems offer student discounts on monthly, semester-long, or yearly passes.
Eat greener. Dining halls have come a long way. Now, they’re catering to student demands, and the variety of food choices is endless. Choosing a diet based in whole-grains, fruits and vegetables, and lean proteins from plants sources, such as beans and nuts, will not only reduce your carbon footprint, but will help fight off the dreaded freshman 15. Many dining halls are getting with the program and offering a wider-variety of meat-free entrees, and partnering with local farms to offer organic and local produce. If yours doesn’t, take advantage of those student dining surveys to express a preference for local, organic, and fair-trade food choices.
Choose green cleaning products. Hopefully, most college kids helped out around the house at home, but those same kids probably didn’t have a lot of input as to the cleaning products they used. When cleaning in their dorms, whether it be the bathroom, their room, or their laundry, choosing biodegradable cleaning products keeps petroleum use to a minimum and minimizes toxins in their environment. Check out products from Mrs. Meyer’s, Method, Seventh Generation, or make your own.
Recycle. With the push in the higher-ed community to go green, recycling may be more convenient on college campuses than it is in the general community. "Trash rooms" in dorms, where students dispose of their garbage, almost always have recycling bins for cardboard, plastic, glass, cans, and paper. Furnishing a dorm room with two separate receptacles, one for trash and one for recyclables, makes disposal a breeze.
Reuse. College students are notorious for tossing away perfectly good stuff. Ever driven by dorms and off-campus housing at the end of the semester? You’ll find furniture, lamps, and appliances that students just don’t want to move. Consider used items when looking for college gear. Check out Gigoit, Craigslist, or Freecycle for free-to-dirt-cheap dorm room essentials. Conversely, use those same networking sites if you absolutely, positively, have to get rid of your old futon. Keeping functional items in use by someone keeps them out of the landfill. The same goes for clothes. One of my favorite thrift spots is located near a college where seemingly-affluent young women sell their perfectly good jeans–at a fraction of what it would cost me retail.

Students make big changes when they take the step from high school to college. That makes this transition the perfect time to take small steps for a greener life.

Save the Books

Philip Proefrock — Wed, 30 May 2007 15:15:35 +0000

Photo Credit: Kansas City StarA bookstore in Kansas City has a huge glut of books in its warehouse. There are books that have gone unsold for more than a decade. Copies of books that had huge print runs, but now no one wants. Books that are decades old. Books that are in foreign languages. And, unfortunately for the store's owner, books that are not selling.

The owner has decided that the best way of dealing with this problem is to burn the books. So he loaded up a cauldron in front of his store and burned a pile of books in what he saw as a protest against what he sees as, "society's diminishing support for the printed word." But this isn't necessary at all, there are a number of online services that facilitate the exchange of books (as well as a range of other things). One of these, Paperback Swap, has begun an online petition to save the books and is offering to collect all the books from the store's warehouse, and then distribute them to people for free on a road trip from Kansas City to the company's hometown of Atlanta. This seems to be a much greener way of dealing with the glut.

There are a number of services on the web that connect people who want to exchange books. In addition to Paperback Swap, there are also sites like BookMooch and BookCrossing. There are also services like LaLa and SwapaCD (a sister site to Paperback Swap) that allow for the exchange of CDs.

And, of course, there are local level exchanges for all manner of things, such as Freecycle (and other local variants) and Craigslist which help find new homes for furniture, computers, childrens' toys, and all kinds of other things. Rebecca wrote an earlier Tip-o'the-Day about local swap events.

Personally, I've been using LaLa and Bookmooch for several months, and I'm generally happy with both. I've also recently joined Paperback Swap and SwapaCD. I've been glad to find other people who have wanted to get things that I've had cluttering the house and even happier to get some things that I've wanted. I still have a copy of Hunt for Red October that may stay sitting on my shelf for some time. But I've been able to exchange over 100 books (sent and received) so far. And that's far better than burning them.

Tip o’ the Day: Free Swap Party!

Rebecca Carter — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 14:01:04 +0000

You want to get friends together for a party, but you want an original theme. You also are in the middle of spring cleaning and want to get rid of a bunch of stuff that is junk to you, but still is in great condition. Have we got the perfect idea for you! Start planning a free swap among your friends, neighbors, or community.

Here's how you'll do it:

Figure out where you'll hold this swap. It could be your living room, garage or yard. Maybe you'll want a bit of a bigger space and decide to do it at a church or meeting space of some kind.

Make the rules. We suggest the following: Items must be clean and in working condition. No furniture or gigantic items. Label items that others might not know what it is for.

Invite people. Make sure to explain that everything will be given & taken for free. One person's trash is another's treasure! Also explain that this swap will reduce waste, save precious resources & ease the burden on our landfills by allowing usable but unwanted goods to find a new owner.

Organize the items. On the day of the event, you'll want to have several sections set up for people to leave their items. One table may be for small appliances, another for shirts, a section for shoes, toys, etc.

Have fun! Enjoy yourself and have fun looking through the piles of stuff…you just may find that "thing" you've been meaning to buy. Now you have it for free!

Donate remaining items. At the end of your event, you might wind up with some items that no one wants. If it's a large event, you may want to arrange in advance for a Goodwill or other donation organization truck to come for a pick up. Otherwise, you may want to drop off the items yourself.

Freecycle in New York has now held several FreeMeets to this effect. One of which was recently featured on Current TV. Swaporamarama is also a cool event similar to this, but that is purely for clothes & fashion accessories.

Rebecca says: Let us know how your swap goes if you choose to do one! We're planning on holding one during our Earth Day celebration, EarthFest. I've already got some good stuff ready to donate!