Conscious Choice Seattle: Out with the Old

May 2005 | Living Green

Out with the Old—and Donated

By Co-op America

Dear Co-op America,
I have some old office equipment I’d like to get rid of, but I’d rather trade for something else my workplace needs than try to sell it. Any ideas?
—Willing to barter in NYC

With the advent of cyberspace, it’s easier than ever before to barter away your unwanted home or office goods. The popular bartering website Craig’s List (www.craigslist.org) serves several U.S. cities, including New York. Post your barter on the Craig’s List for your city and someone near you will likely take you up on your exchange. There are even a few barter sites just for businesses: Alliance Barter (www.alliancebarter.com), Barter Business Unlimited (www.bbu.com) and Barter Advantage (www.barteradvantage.com) help businesses exchange everything from airline tickets to printing services.

If you end up with items you can’t barter away, you can always donate them. Goodwill Industries (www.goodwill.org) has outlets across the country, of course.

You can also get your items to local nonprofits by advertising them on donation sites like ExcessAccess.com and Throwplace.com. Both sites match your donations with nonprofits in your area in need of your unwanted items.

The nonprofit arranges for the pickup and you’re left clear of clutter, while your stuff helps a good cause rather than being added to a landfill. (Note: ExcessAccess charges a small registration fee for donors to help with maintenance costs. Throwplace is free, though they charge businesses a small amount for taking items, also to help with maintenance costs.) If you can’t find new homes for your old things, be sure to recycle them.

Dear Co-op America,
I’m about to graduate as a high school social studies teacher. Do you know of any resources to help teach “living green” to young people?
—Ms. Brown in Deerfield, Ill.

We do! Many teachers use Co-op America’s “Guide to Ending Sweatshops” to teach students about the problems with our global economic system and how our purchases and actions can help workers around the world. They bring our National Green Pages™ directory of socially and environmentally responsible businesses into the classroom to introduce students to the power of buying green.

We have many other resources, including our quarterly magazine and bimonthly newsletter, that teachers can use to teach students about the power of working for the green future. We offer teachers discounts on Co-op America memberships and bulk copies of our publications, as well as free K-12 “WoodWise” lesson plans on saving forests. Here are some other resources you might find useful:

• Educators for Social Responsibility (617/492-1764, www.esrnational.org) is a national nonprofit that aims to make teaching social responsibility a core practice in K-12 education.

• Green Teacher (416/960-1244, www.greenteacher.com) magazine is filled with practical ideas for teaching global and environmental awareness from successful green educators.

• New Society Publishers (800/567-6772, www.newsociety.com) offers an array of books on teaching conflict resolution and nonviolence to young people and adults.

• Rethinking Schools (414/964-9646, www.rethinkingschools.org) is a quarterly publication written by and for teachers, parents and students. Articles range from lesson ideas on environmental and social issues to discussions of educational policy and equity to stories of thoughtful teachers in action.

• YES! Magazine (206/842-0216, www.futurenet.org) offers teacher resources related to its work to advance real-world solutions to social and environmental challenges.

Living Green is brought to you by Co-op America, a national nonprofit that provides green living, purchasing, and investing tips and resources. To join Co-op America and get a free copy of the National Green Pages™ directory of green businesses, call 800/58-GREEN or visit www.coopamerica.org.

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