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One man's (or liberated woman's) trash is another man's (or liberated woman's) treasure. Organizing an end-of-the-year donation event keeps gently used items out of landfills, saving space and transportation costs. At the same time it creates the opportunity for a different person to enjoy a new object that isn't didn't come fresh from the manufacturer.

How to organize an end-of-the-year donation event

The easiest way to organize an end-of-the-year donation is to follow the lead of other schools that have successfully turned trash into treasure (and there are many). So turn to ecological-minded institutes like the University of California, Berkeley, Baltimore's Goucher College, as well as the schools discussed below as examples. You can enlist the help of organizations (see Find it! section below), or go it alone (see Swarthmore College below as a model).

Bates College: Lewiston, ME

In June 2006, Bates College's Clean Sweep Event raised over $9,500 that was eventually donated to local nonprofit organizations. More than 100 volunteers from the benefiting parties helped run the event. Donated items included appliances, clothes, shoes, furniture, and books. About 88 percent of the salvaged goods were sold, 11 percent were donated directly to charitable organizations, leaving a meager 1 percent of items to enter the waste stream.[1]

Swarthmore College: Swarthmore, PA

Swarthmore College held a recent Trash to Treasure sale on its campus, collecting gently used household items such as furniture, appliances (mini fridges were in high demand), kitchenware, as well as plenty of clothing. In the summer of 2007, the school raised over $12,000 for organizations in the community. Student volunteers were instrumental in pulling the event together.[2] The event was planned and organized without the help of outside organizations.

Juliana Macri, one of the instigators of Swathmore's Trash to Treasure sale has sage advice when it comes to holding such an event. She recommends charging shoppers a "preview charge" of $5 for early admission, contacting local media to spread the word, and considering expenses such as food and beverages for volunteers, garbage bags and other supplies, advertising costs, and equipment/truck rentals. It may seem like a lot of responsibility and grunt work but most importantly, Macri encourages you to (gasp!) have fun.

Cornell University: Ithaca, NY

Founded in 2003, the Cornell University chapter of Dump & Run (see Find it! for more information) helped divert 40,000 pounds of reusable items from landfills during its first two sale events.[3] In 2006 and 2007 the sale raised upward of $30,000 from about 7,500 shoppers. A large majority of this money was donated to local organizations based on the number of volunteer hours they contributed. In 2007, the event took the work and collaboration of 220 volunteers, contributing a total of 1,828 hours of work.[4] Students donate anything from nonperishable foods to microwaves and refrigerators. Cornell's Dump & Run even arranges to pick up donation items for students who live off campus or who otherwise don't have access to a drop bin.

Find it! Donation services

Although many-a-donation-event has been started from scratch by ambitious student groups, the below services offer helping hands whether you're aiming for a large-scale event or simply placing donation boxes around campus. After all, you do need to study at some point, right?

Organizing an end-of-the-year donation event helps you go green because...

• You help to keep tons of would-be trash out of landfills.
• Proceeds can be donated to a local environmental (or otherwise) nonprofit.

The average American college student may be well-educated, but also produces 640 pounds of solid waste each year. However, this amount tends to spike toward the end of the semester, around April and May. According to a 1993 study conducted by Tufts University, as much as 50 tons more waste was registered at the end of the academic year than the average 180 tons throughout the year.[5] A significant amount of cash can be generated through these sales, which can then go to supporting a community organization or cause. In its 2007 sale, Penn State raised over $49,000 to be donated to the Centre County United Way.[6] Keep the goods—and the good vibes—circulating!

External links

• The Green Guide - What Happens to Donated Clothes?
• Dump & Run, Inc. - Links Provides an assortment of useful links about campus greening initiatives.
• Carleton College - Acting in the Community Together: Lighten Up
• Sustainable Bowdoin - The Success of Bowdoin's Annual "Dump and Run"