In an effort to promote zero-waste alternatives to shopping, Weber State University’s Sustainability Team hosted a two-day thrifting event in the Shepherd Union on Jan. 14 and 15 open to all.
On the first day of the event, participants walked up to Ballroom A to donate any materials listed on the flier, which were then placed into boxes, tables or coat racks by the event organizers. The following day was an open-house event where anyone could enter and walk out with any donated items at no cost.
“It’s progressively gotten bigger,” Allison Brown, Zero Waste Sustainability coordinator, said. “Last year was pretty big. We ended up getting over 2000 pounds of donations and at the end, after the pickup day, after people came and took stuff, we only had 300-some pounds left over that we took to Savers.”
This year, participants ended up donating 2,729 pounds of used items, surpassing last year’s thrift swap by nearly 730 pounds.
Many participants donated items for reasons of organization and convenience and to reduce the amount of waste ending up in the landfill.
“I think it just makes it easier for people because if something is easy, then they’re more likely to do it,” Ariel Olson, a donator, said. “You don’t have to go anywhere else — just come to work with all your stuff. Makes it simple.”
Although the desire to stay organized was a large reason for donating, it wasn’t the only one.
“I’d rather bring it here and someone continue to get use out of it than me just throwing it in my dumpster,” Sara Triplett, a donator, said.
The thrift swap helps students financially while giving individuals the opportunity to connect.
“We have some trouble being a commuter campus with building culture and getting people involved,” WSU student Willow Zerkle said. “So events like this that are easy to get to, easy to be involved in and easy to meet people are massive.”
Zerkle isn’t the only student who shares these feelings.
“It’s a nice free thing. It brings people together,” WSU student Aaron Roome said. “You could reuse these different clothes and give other students the opportunity to find things that they like and use them for a longer amount of time — extend their lifetime if you will.”
Donations to this event had a wide range of used items including books, decor, sports gear and various forms of clothing.
“I know that there’s a lot of folks on campus who need certain resources but can’t always get them,” Brown said. “Some people may need kitchen-wear. Some people might not have a warm enough jacket for the winter.”
Along with thrifting for books and clothing, participating in events like thrift swaps also opens up the opportunity to earn a Green Badge. The Green Badge Program offers students, faculty and staff the chance to earn badges through efforts of living sustainably.
“Especially for students, if they earn three badges, it’s considered a high-impact educational experience, so they can get credit on their transcripts,” Sustainability Engagement Coordinator Analeah Vaughn said.
The Sustainability Team plans to host more events and projects in the future, including a free plant-powered food-tasting event in the Shepherd Union.