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A bright red toaster appeared in my house recently, a new purchase. I have no problem with the new toaster – it’s the old one that irks me. It’s going to waste, like lots of your stuff. Collectively, there are millions (billions?) of great items out there, cluttering our homes, that others would love to own.
Wouldn’t it be cool if we could magically shift ownership of all this stuff, in one weekend, all over America, with close to zero effort, at no cost?
Cool happens all over America (and beyond) on May 15, 2010. It’s called Give Your Stuff Away Day and it will work (almost) like magic, as long as you help promote the idea and follow procedures about acceptable / prohibited items.
Here are the details – on May 15, we bring to our curbs, items of value we no longer want. No trash, no recyclables, no illegal or dangerous items, no food, drugs, chemicals, or weapons of any kind. Just safe, solid, valuable items we would like to donate to others. At the same time, millions of people will be driving, riding, or walking around picking up free items. Instantly, the world’s largest giveaway – very cool.
You’ll feel good because you uncluttered a bit and helped a neighbor. Others will be happy obtaining some free items. Landfills will shrink a bit and the economy will spark up a tiny bit.
It’s not really magic – there will be a bit of a mess in some neighborhoods for awhile. And in the short run, refuse hauling expenses will increase (but will shrink in the long run). We’ll also experience some additional traffic. Think of Christmas – a wonderful time of year, but messy.
Speaking of special days, Give Your Stuff Away Day is similar to Halloween. Lots of people participating in small ways to help lots of others. Many logistics to manage in a small amount of time, but because we’re all aware of it, and because we recognize its value, it goes off without a hitch.
Give Your Stuff Away Day is not a government program. Let’s keep it citizen-based, and let the government solve bigger problems.
But let’s also be responsible by:
• informing our local municipalities of our intent to participate
• asking local governments for a waiver to ordinances that might prohibit this activity
• placing at our curbs only items that others could use
• retrieving items not picked up within a couple of days
Want to help?
• Forward this email to family and friends
• Write a small article or letter to the editor
• Contact your local government and let them know you want to participate
• Help sponsor Give Your Stuff Away Day
Have fun on May 15th, and stop by if you need a toaster.
Mike