‘Buy Nothing’ Groups Growing in Grand Junction

Have you heard about the new groups in town?

You may not have realized this - and I certainly didn't - but Grand Junction currently has three Buy Nothing groups. The first logical question that comes to mind is  'what in the world is a Buy Nothing group?'

According to the Grand Valley Zero Waste Facebook page, Buy Nothing is an international movement with the purpose of "connecting neighborhoods by no-strings-attached gifting." The premise of the movement is to ask your neighbors before you buy something new. Maybe someone in the neighborhood has exactly what you're looking for and all it's doing is lying on the floor of someone's garage or shed.

When you are getting rid of stuff, you can post pictures of it in hopes that someone will want it or need it. The idea isn't to make money but to provide a service that helps people save money, reduces landfill waste, reduces packaging from new items, and builds community. If you need something, you just post it on the Facebook page and people can respond if they can help.

The concept seems new, but it's not dramatically different than another tool we have in a place called "garage sales." The only difference is garage sales are generally "for-profit" operations, though, in all honesty, after my most recent garage sale I've adopted the philosophy that the trouble of the yard sale is not worth the few dollars I might make. In fact, we ended up giving away most of the stuff we had for sale and I felt good about that.

When it comes to "gifting" unwanted items it could be food, personal care items, furniture, tools, electronics, clothes - and pretty much anything else you can think of. The idea is to give, receive, borrow, share, and live generously. In other words, it's about being a good neighborhood, but it creates a forum for the exchange of goods in a neutral and safe setting. It doesn't hurt to ask if something is available, and it's also possible you might get the chance to help someone out in a big way.

There are currently three Buy Nothing groups in Grand Junction. All you have to do is find the one that is closest to your neighborhood and ask to join the Facebook group. You may even want to start your own group.

If you'd like more information about the Buy Nothing project, you can visit their website. Each group is independently managed by local volunteers.

The Buy Nothing project isn't going to be everybody's cup of tea, which is perfectly fine. But, a lot of people can be helped by it and gives some folks a chance to be a blessing to others. The good Lord knows we could sure use a little more kindness in our world today.