Closest Closet….So this is like Freecycle? Uh, no.
Oh man! Not again. Really? Again? No. We aren’t Freecycle, although there are some similarities, we are very different. I hear this question quite a bit, so I thought I’d take a minute in a half or ten, to explain how Closest Closet is different.
First and foremost, I love Freecycle. I’m a member, and I have been for years. I think Freecycle will continue to exist, and I wouldn’t dream of wishing them gone. I’m a lover, not a hater. And when I say I’m a lover…well, that’s a story for a different post. This is the quickie version (I like quickies and longer versions, but for this post, I’m feeling a quickie coming on) of how Freecycle works. Members utilize Yahoo group’s email system to post to and be alerted by members when items are available for free within that geographic group. Freecycle in one sentence, now THAT is a quickie.
Closest Closet is similar to Freecycle in that we recycle unwanted items for free with other members, however recycling is only a small part of what we do. We aren’t limited to recycling unwanted items. We are a one stop shop for much more than that. And if Freecycling is all you want to do, then that’s where you need to be. Not everyone is meant to be a Closest Closet member, because Closest Closet members commit to things that other free services don’t require.
At Closest Closet, we each participate in this online community by making a commitment to a green, local, cooperative lifestyle. We aren’t hopping on a green bandwagon, we are here to live a green LIFESTYLE. We don’t just recycle, we share things too. For instance, why should 40 people in one neighborhood ALL have to own a lobster pot? Or a copy of the same book? Why do we need to leave these things sitting, unused? So, we don’t.
Closest Closet works by requiring that each of us participate in the community. We each SHARE ten things. And we get to pick what they are. If you don’t want to share that expensive video camera, then by all means, DON’T! But there are surely 10 things that you can share….books, toys, movies, baking supplies, party supplies….those things that you don’t use all the time, that’s all.
We can also skillshare as part of our ten things. I know a lot about maternity (I’m a Labor and Delivery Nurse by trade), so there are certain things that I don’t mind helping my neighbors with, like a colicky baby, or swaddling, or babysitting. You might know how to knit or sew. You might be a carpenter or a web developer (oh, by the way, if you area web developer interested in sharing some of your very developy skills….send me an email). Surely there’s things you’d be able to do once a month for a skillshare.
At Closest Closet, there’s no excuses. We ALL give, so we can ALL receive. It’s pretty simple. No points. No money. No barters. No swaps. No nothing. Just share your ten, and ask for what you need, when you need it. It’s about reputation, not cash. It’s about getting back to basics and living in a community of people who all PARTICIPATE in that community.
So, if you want to recycle, there’s plenty of places for you to do that, and I hope you do. But if you want to make a commitment to using less by sharing more, Closest Closet is where you need to be.
