We change the world, one gift at time

by Annalisa Audino

We have already spoken about original initiatives to limit the waste production and to transform the objects that can be still used. There is a new further movement that is called Freecycle: diffused since 2003, the project aims all over the world to reduce the environmental impact of the things that we use. The slogan of the adherents (represented in this sympathetic nervous system video) is "to change the world, one gift at a time" and it is spread through a network composed from almost 5000 groups and over 8 million shed partners in 85 countries of the world. Born in Arizona (USA), it is entirely a no-profit movement of people that exchange and free recycle objects: the principle that animates the Freecyclers is both ethical and environmental because it wants to maintain out of the dumps all still "good" and reusableobjects. Thanks to the movement today they succeed in making circular 500 tons of objects that could be thrown in the dumps instead.

«Our success - the responsible of the movement explains - depends on its same simplicity. It is important however immediately to understand the objective and the functionality of it: Freecycle is not a place in which stuff is found free or in which can be thrown of everything. It is a net to find this of which need is had and in which to make things available still entire that don't serve us anymore. It is fundamental also the attitude of whom participates therefore, that must have understand well the message of the movement. In a certain sense we also inspire in the adherent ones the sense of the generosity of spirit, toward the people and toward the environment».

Being Freecyclers is easy: to participate in the official movement needs the enrollment in the local mailings list and publishing announces of the objects you want to give or to exchange; to do it in a home version you need to create a chain with your own friends to use the objects that you don't use anymore! And it’s also possible to practice the Freecycle in various Italian cities as Rome, Milan, Bologna, Lecce and a lot of others. There is also a group in Turin: it deals with a base devoted to all those people who prefer in the city "to recycle" an object rather than to throw it away. The affiliates must respect a basic rule: all the objects described in the messages published on the website are free offered. The affiliates can send messages for objects of every kind, as a chair, a piano or an old door.

What are you waiting for? We have a lot of objects forgotten in the closets that wait only to be used. Their moment has arrived!