Whole Life Times: Don’t Bag It, Barter It

May 2005 | Co-op America’s Living Green

Don’t Bag It, Barter It

Dear Co-op America,
I have some office equipment I’d like to get rid of, but I’d rather trade for something my workplace needs than try to sell it. Any ideas? —Willing to barter

With the advent of cyberspace, it’s easier than ever before to barter unwanted home or office goods. Post your barter on Craig’s List (www.craigslist.org) for LA, and someone near you will likely take you up on your exchange. There are even barter sites just for businesses: Alliance Barter (www.alliancebarter.com), Barter Business Unlimited (www.bbu.com) and Barter Advantage (www.barteradvantage.com) help businesses exchange everything from airline tickets to printing services.

If you end up with items you can’t barter away, you can always donate them. Goodwill Industries (www.goodwill.org) has outlets across the US, and even accepts computers and monitors. You can also get your items to local nonprofits by advertising them on donation sites like ExcessAccess.com and Throwplace.com, which match your donations with nonprofits in need. The nonprofit arranges for the pickup. (Note: ExcessAccess charges a small registration fee for donors to help with maintenance costs. Throwplace is free, though they charge businesses a small amount for taking items.)

Dear Co-op America,
I’m about to graduate as a high school social studies teacher. Do you know of resources to help teach “living green” to young people? —Ms. Brown in Deerfield, IL

Co-op America’s Guide to Ending Sweatshops teaches about the problems with our global economic system and how our purchases and actions can help workers around the world. And our National Green Pages™ directory of socially and environmentally responsible businesses can introduce students to the power of buying green. We have many other resources, including our quarterly magazine and bi-monthly newsletter that teachers can use to teach students about the power of working for a green future. We offer teachers discounts on Co-op America memberships and bulk copies of our publications, as well as free K–12 “WoodWise” lesson plans on saving forests. Here are some other resources:

• Educators for Social Responsibility (617.492.1764, www.esrnational.org) is a national nonprofit that aims to make teaching social responsibility a core practice in K-12 education.

• Green Teacher (416.960.1244, www.greenteacher.com) magazine is filled with practical ideas from successful green educators for teaching global and environmental awareness.

• New Society Publishers (800. 567.6772, www.newsociety.com) offers an array of books on teaching conflict resolution and nonviolence.

• Rethinking Schools (414.964.9646, www.rethinkingschools.org) is a quarterly publication written by and for teachers, parents and students. Articles range from lesson ideas on environmental and social issues to discussions of educational policy and equity to stories of thoughtful teachers in action.

• YES! magazine (206.842.0216, www.futurenet.org) offers teacher resources related to its work to advance real-world solutions to social and environmental challenges.

Living Green is brought to you by Co-op America, a national nonprofit that provides green living, purchasing and investing tips and resources. To join Co-op America and get a free copy of the National Green Pages™ directory of green businesses, call 800.58-GREEN, www.coopamerica.org. E-mail questions to [click to e-mail].

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