OLYMPIA –– When I first heard about the Buy Nothing Project, my boss was telling me how she parted out her crockpot for free to people who came and picked it up off her porch. She just posted a picture in a Facebook group, and the broken crockpot found a new home.
The concept was foreign and odd, and strangely appealing.
“So,” I asked her, “You can just get rid of junk and someone will take it from your house?”
The short answer is yes. The long answer is something much bigger. The Buy Nothing Project is a grassroots effort that encourages you to “give where you live.”
Using Facebook as the platform, each of the groups has a specific set of boundaries, determined by landmark areas, transportation patterns, and population density, as well as other factors. In order to join a group, you must physically reside within the designated boundaries of that group.
Since the day I learned about the crockpot, I have given, asked, received, laughed, connected, and more, all with neighbors who live within a few miles.
The Buy Nothing Project has an interesting background with roots right here in Washington. It began in 2013, when two friends on Bainbridge Island created a hyper-local giving economy. Since its inception, Buy Nothing has become a worldwide social movement, with groups in 30 nations. An excerpt from their website states that local groups are meant to form gift-base economies, making items and services complementary and on the same economic footing as local cash economies.
“Whether people join because they’d like to quickly get rid of things that are cluttering their lives, or simply to save money by getting things for free, they quickly discover that our groups are not just another free recycling platform,” the website states. “A gift economy’s real wealth is the people involved and the web of connections that forms to support them.”
In Thurston County, the Buy Nothing buzz keeps growing. What started as a group that serviced Olympia has evolved into 14 separate hyper-local groups in just a few short years. The one in my neighborhood has over 600 members. Jessicarae Nuñez, who was one of the original Olympia volunteer admins, and now participates as an active member, shares some of her thoughts on the groups.
“My favorite takeaway is how the Buy Nothing Project shows you how our community is filled with abundance,” she said. “I also appreciate that gifting can be creative and is not need-based. Everyone in it is just as worthy of receiving a gift as the next person. With this said, this group has provided for me when I was in need, and also allowed me a way to give back to my community and neighbors when I’ve had more than enough.”
Buy Nothing Project rules are simple: Post anything you’d like to give away, lend, or share amongst neighbors. Ask for anything you’d like to receive for free or borrow. Keep it legal. No hate speech. No buying or selling, no trades or bartering, it is strictly a gift economy.
So many incredible connections and helpful exchanges have occurred in just my short time in my group. My fast-growing teens have gotten summer clothes, I’ve given bicycles and art supplies. And it’s incredible to witness the kindness that happens daily.
In fact, the giving goes beyond items. It can be services (nutrition consultation, anyone?) to furry family members — Nunez got her puppy from Buy Nothing. And in one local case, social connections were made that allowed the facilitation of a legal adoption.
Tonya Abear has been a volunteer administrator with the Buy Nothing Project since 2014, and has witnessed amazing exchanges over the years, including the adoption of a baby boy, who is now two years old. “He is our little Buy Nothing baby and we have loved watching him grow,” she said.
Interested in volunteering or starting a group in your own neighborhood?
Tonya recommends contacting local and regional administrators for advice and research.
“Being a volunteer admin can be very time consuming and can also tug at your heartstrings on many levels,” she said. “It is a very rewarding experience at the end of the day and is worth every minute you put it into it.”
And her advice for anyone reading this?
“If you are not familiar with your local Buy Nothing Project group, stop doing what you are doing and go look them up now,” she said. “You won't regret it.”
To start a Buy Nothing group, go to http://buynothingproject.org/start-a-group/.
To learn more learn more about the Buy Nothing Project: http://buynothingproject.org/ or go to the Buy Nothing Project on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuyNothingProject/
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