Buy Nothing

The concept of buying nothing seems so unrealistic, but the popularity of the Buy Nothing movement is growing. It started as a social experiment in 2013 by two friends on Bainbridge Island, WA. Since it's inception it has become a worldwide social movement with groups in 44 countries. The premise is local groups form gift economies that parallel and complement cash economies. People join with different motives, to save money, consume less and/or get rid of things in a more positive way that are cluttering their lives. Some Buy Nothing groups evolve to be supportive communities that give back in support and connections well beyond the free items group members may give away or receive within the community. I am not on Facebook and up to this point the Buy Nothing groups have been managed by volunteers under the Facebook umbrella. I am excited to learn that the founders are in the Beta stage of a BuyNothing app. One of the test site groups is in Alexandria and I have signed up to be a Beta user. Here is a link to find out more about the Buy Nothing movement and to get on the waitlist for the app. My spring newsletter featured a short article on Earth Day and offered ideas for recycling common items. The Buy Nothing effort sure ties in to one of the core tenants of protecting our earth - reducing. I look forward to finding out more about this movement and sorting out how to get involved.