There’s an interesting article in the latest edition of the College Times called Free for All: For groups popping up around the country, buying new stuff is out. Trading among friends is in.

The author interviews a woman named Kristin Hyde who has organized a yahoo group called “nonewstuffseattle.” They are inspired to try to buy nothing new except for food and necessities (like health and safety). They want to reduce their consumption of goods.

What a fabulous idea. I really liked the motivation of the people involved and the way they use community to motivate them to live more simply and more thoughtfully.

The article linked to a “Freecycle” group in order to help reduce consumption of new goods. Interestingly enough, freecycle was started in Tucson to reduce waste and the need for landfills.