Freecycling

One of the more unique liberatarian blogs out there that I've been reading lately is The Hairy Liberartian, operated by Nick Wright. He mentioned today that his wife has a blog as well, so I checked it out. I'm glad I did because of this post, which introduced me to the freecycling movement.

According to the freecycle site, there are 2,861 communities that have freecycle groups with well over a million total members. This grassroots idea is based on the age old concept of give and take. As the site explains:

When you want to find a new home for something -- whether it's a chair, a fax machine, piano, or an old door -- you simply send an e-mail offering it to members of your Freecycle group.

Or, maybe you're looking to acquire something yourself. Simply respond to a member's offer, and you just might get it. After that, it's up to the giver to decide who receives the gift and to set up a pickup time for passing on the treasure.

One main rule: Everything posted must be free, legal, and appropriate for all ages.

Non-profit organizations also benefit from The Freecycle Network. Post the item or items you want to give away and a local organization can help you get it to someone in need.

Now of course there are people who may wish to sell things they no longer want, and there is nothing wrong with that. Extra cash always comes in handy and is sometimes needed. However, there are plenty of people who simply throw things away without even considering more conventional routes of redistribution such as having yard sales or donating things to thrift stores or other charities.

This sounds like a really good idea to me!