For the past few years we’ve participated in the Buy Nothing Project. BNP is an network of local facebook groups that “offer people a way to give and receive, share, lend, and express gratitude through a worldwide network of hyper-local gift economies in which the true wealth is the web of connections formed between people who are real-life neighbors.”
In the last few months I have, among other things,:
- borrowed a weed whacker
- lent out a suitcase
- given kids’ pajamas
- received a fitbit charger
- received a laundry basket
- received a kids workbench with tools
- given cat food
- received some rubber stamps
- received an awesome toy construction crane
- given some sweaters
- received some toddler clothes
- given a shower caddy
- received a coffee table
- given hot peppers from our CSA
Every now and then there’s a wildly popular item given away, like a roomba, which will have 50+ people interested in it. The giver chooses the recipient in any way they choose, ranging from their response to a funny question or just randomly.
Sometimes things are picked up from a porch without contact, but often there is a little bit of conversation, which is a pleasant way to meet people. Our group has 1600 people, but a lot of activity if from a small set of people and so even online you get to know a bit about each other.
The groups really are hyper local, so we’re in a different group now than we were in our apartment downtown. Not all groups are as successful as ours is. In the south downtown group, people complained that most activity was from people moving out and needing to unload a bunch of stuff at once, which didn’t build community from people that were sticking around. There were also a couple of homeless people participating and while the project doesn’t elevate needing something over wanting it, it changed the tenor of the group. On the flip side, I’ve heard that in some wealthier neighborhoods, no one is interested in the gives. I like that in our group people accept small things like meals when someone cooked too much, or food that needs to be used while someone goes on vacation.
I like that it’s easier to get rid of things I don’t need when I’m giving them to someone, rather than just giving to goodwill. The opportunity to lend and borrow is also great. Lastly, there has been some really touching generosity and gratitude, like the person who offered her airbnb space for people with family visiting for the holidays, or the person who wanted to treat a single mom to a back-to-school shopping trip, or the person who had surgery while estranged from family and was enormously grateful for the support of the group.
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