How to Host an Eco-Friendly Abundance Swap

Eco-friendly is in! Whether you call it recycling, or re-gifting, hosting an abundance swap is an excellent way to promote reusing quality goods while keeping things out of the landfill. As an added benefit, you just might walk away with an incredible find.

What is an Abundance Swap?
Here in Ashland Oregon, we might take for granted that most people would know what this is, but since it is just catching on throughout the rest of the United States and Canada, let me offer a basic definition. An abundance swap is a gathering where people bring their "no longer wanted, but in good condition" items and you swap for someone else's "stuff". The idea behind this is that we all have so much "stuff" and rather than buying into the idea that we need to "buy more stuff", we can simply share and trade what we no longer use with our friends and neighbors.

Ashland's Abundance Swap is held in early December and it is such a great way to get Christmas gifts without cash outlay, but they can be held any time of the year. My sister has started one in Northern California on a monthly basis between a group of friends who exchange clothing and books.

And the rules are?
Our December swap is held in a large room (the old Ashland Armory). People entering the swap are given color coded name tags (we use three colors and each family is asked to take the same color). After getting a name tag, we ask participants to enter the room where there are long tables set up. Swappers are asked to arrange their gifts on the table of their choice. When the swap begins, an announcer goes to the front of the room and explains how everything works. Rules are kept to a minimum, but these are some highlights:

1. The announcer will randomly choose a color. Anyone with that color name tag will have about 5-10 minutes to walk around the room and choose one item from any of the tables. When it gets close to that ending time, the announcer will yell out "two more minutes", or whatever it happens to be. Following that first color, the announcer picks the next and so on, so that everyone has a chance to get one item of their choice from the room. Participants who are not the "chosen" color, are asked to stand near their stuff, so that they can answer questions and/or tell something about the items they brought.

2. People are allowed to choose whatever else they like and feel they can use or give away to someone else.

3. Anything that is left over at the end of the swap (if anything) is donated to charity.

Sometimes it is hard to people to accept the idea that they might be bringing something "worth" a lot more money than something someone else brings. The real meaning of an abundance swap is that it is okay to let things go.

Books? Ski's? Bikes? Children's Toys and Clothing?
Your abundance swap can be big or small and can be specialized to suit yout interests or needs. You could host an "outdoor sports swap", a "book swap", a "kids only" swap. What do you have an abundance of?

The Ashland Abundance Swap is something we cherish. The sense of community it brings is an invaluable resource. We hope that other places will copy this idea and use what they like from it.