Cleaning House and Going Green with Free Cycle

The cleaning house thing seems to be a common American Consumer problem. I received several catalogs in the mail January 1st that were selling storage containers for “stuff.” It’s big business to sell containers. More plastic containers to fill the land fills even faster. Storage units are going up everywhere. Aren’t they just giant containers? Eh gads, third world countries have whole families living in units the size of the giant containers. Isn’t it like renting a house for your “stuff?” I know of homeless people living in these units; wouldn’t it be better to rent them as shelter? (No, caring for others is not as profitable as “stuff.”) It’s one thing to put a few things in storage when moving, it’s another to have volumes of stuff that you don’t want to to relinquish. I know people who have two and three storage units full of “stuff” What’s that all about?

Why do we feel the need for all this stuff? That is material for a whole book on consumerism. I think of the car with the bumper sticker that says: “He who dies with he most toys wins.” Wins what? An older woman’s down the street died and her family rented a commercial dumpster to haul away the “stuff.” She thought it had value and she would leave it to her children. In truth it was just junk to her children because they did not have the emotional value attached to it. I pray: “Dear God, please do let me die with all this stuff.” I would hate relatives to have to spend weeks sorting this insane stuff.” “

Commercialism is about stuff and collecting stuff. Stuff is attached to our identity and our emotions. We are our “stuff” and we become attached to “stuff.” I look at the little black and white formal I wore for my sisters wedding. I have fond memories. I had a really good time in that dress. I keep thinking maybe I will wear it again. But the truth is, I will never fit back in the dress in this life time. It was expensive, I think maybe I could sell it. Maybe my niece will wear it. (Right! Like she wants that the “Madonna” dress fro the 1980’s five years from now, get real! It’s not like we are settlers with one box of stuff that we value traveling far from industry and passing down that one garment the family owns. But, we are still victims of the poverty thinking of the settles and our grandparents who lived in the depression.)

Going green means living in a manner that is more thought provoking. It means that you try to keep Mother Earth in mind when being a consumer. It often involves going with function rather that appearance. Why do you want that new sleek car? Why are you willing to pay that kind of money for it when you old car is running just fine? Appearances! We think others will think more highly of us if we look good. It’s that why every guy who has a middle age crisis buys the red sports car? If it is outdated, we need new stuff so we look younger, hipper or more sophisticated. Why? Because industry pays big bucks to brain wash us into to believing it!

You may not think you are impacted by the media. But that is not possible. If you are surrounded and saturated in an environment, some of it is going to bleed over onto you. You can be immersed in water without getting wet!

So what to do with all the stuff that ends up in landfills. How do we go green and quit cutting down the forests to make more landfills? (I was reading on Roman history and looking at the pictures of the remains in Italy and other places and I am awed by the beauty. But then, I can’t help but wonder what legacy we will leave to the world when they look back 2000 years from now. If Mother Earth survives the next 2000 years. What will the archaeologists say about our society?

So, I’m done with my rant…back to the New Years resolutions: Clean house and go green.

While researching recycling I found a site called Free Cycle. There are 4,217 Free Cycle groups across the globe. It is a grassroots, not-for-profit that is run by local volunteers with the purpose of keeping Mother Earth green. They are Internet groups that list “stuff” on a browser and turns it into little gifts of love. Membership is free.

Groups are moderated and and the lists help connect the donor with the recipient. Say you have a pair or tap shoes, or a baseball glove that you not longer have need for, you can list it. The the person who is in need of a a pair of tap shoes or a baseball glove can find the item on the list and you can arrange them to pick it up, or it your more charitable you can drop it off.

There are groups in most cities. They are not simply a way of getting rid of junk. This is more like sharing your cherished belongings with a larger family. There is always someone in the community that has a desire or a need for something that would might otherwise end up in a landfill. Larger cites often list the area of the city to determine if it is cost feasible to burn the gasoline or bicycle power to pick up the item. It also saves gas for the person who is driving around looking for items they can’t find.

You must first list two items before you can put out a “wish list.” This helps keep items flowing. It also keeps it from just being a “gimme” list. The donor determines which responder gets the item. Some people list who they like the recipient to be. For instance, boxes of food to go to a shelter or large family.

I think the first thing I listed was a box spring and mattress. It still had some use, was given to me in a time of need, and someone who needed a bed benefited (I also didn’t have to hire some one to take it to Goodwill.) I listed it on the groups and had the recipient picked it up outside the garage. I never met that person. I somehow like the anonymity of the thing. Also, they’re is the safety factor of not having to open the door for strangers. I don’t choose to list my phone number for the same reason.

One of the first things I received was two beautiful jackets. It was the first time I actually have met a donor. They lady was all smiles with th pleasure of her gift. I was glad that they were going to help me keep warm on a new job position. But, I was surprised that I received much more that than very valuable jackets. Box up you headaches and give them to someone who just might find pleasure with them. I promise you won’t have a bad day for long!, who was happy for clean her house and give the gifts of love. This was the best gift I have ever received.

It’s not just about the material things. The group produces a sense of community and being part of a bigger family. It’s about giving and receiving gifts of love. I had a large container of marigold seeds, and it would not have been a big deal for the greening issues, but I am sure that the person who received them loved flowers. What a great part of my day! I received a gift of starts on a Christmas Cactus on January 6th: Little Christmas. I was tired after I got off work and went to pick it up. But some of the fun is it being linked a big scavenger hunt finding the location for the special item. I arrived and the starts were in a package labeled with my name… It indeed felt like Christmas! I went home in a better mood, toting my new little babies with me.

I have been cleaning the basement out: I don’t know how things accumulate. I do know that I am not alone. Today I have a bag of very pretty clothes for Alicia, a stereo for Matt and a sewing machine for Lee. Now I feel like Santa clause. That is another gift from Free Cycle. I came from a family of six kids and have always recycled to some extent. But giving things to other charities has not had the blessing of a special sense of community.

I feel like there is a special flow of energy begun. Everything stagnates when it sits to long. So, if you are having a bad day: Free Cycle. Box up you headaches and give them to someone who just might find pleasure with them. I promise you won’t have a bad day for long!