Neighborhood Swap
A toolkit for Community collaboration
Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association
Rebecca Harnik
DRAFT -- Neighborhood Swap: A Toolkit for Community Collaboration
Published by:
Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association
1200 W. 26th St, Suite 127,
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55405
October 2012
Funding for this project was provided by Hennepin County through Community
POWER: Partners on Waste Education and Reduction
About the Author: Rebecca Harnik was hired as Environmental Coordinator at
LHENA to implement the Community POWER grant. A graduate of Macalester
College, Rebecca previously worked at the nonprofit Eureka Recycling, supporting
composting and Zero Waste initiatives at restaurants, events, and the Mill City
Farmers Market. Subsequently, as Program Coordinator at the local nonprofit
Gardening Matters, she worked to develop the Compostadores, a bike-powered
initiative to strengthen community garden sustainability. Rebecca received her
Master Recycler/Composter certification in 2012, helping to organize a pilot Fix-It
Clinic in Hennepin County for community members to teach and learn skills for
fixing broken items.
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DRAFT -- Neighborhood Swap: A Toolkit for Community Collaboration
Table of Contents
Background: .....................................................4
Executive Summary: ..............................................5
Background: Why Swap? ...........................................6
LHENA’s Swap Outreach ...........................................8
How LHENA’s Neighborhood Swap Unfolded: ........................11
What Attendees brought .......................................13
Planning for A Swap .............................................1
Taking it further: Broadening the conversation .................16
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DRAFT -- Neighborhood Swap: A Toolkit for Community Collaboration
Background:
The Neighborhood Swap was funded by the Rethink Recycling Grant for
Community POWER (Partners on Waste Education and Reduction) in 2011-2012.
Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association – known as LHENA – received the grant
to promote recycling and composting activities in Lowry Hill East, also known as
The Wedge Neighborhood, through environmentally-focused workshops, events,
newspaper articles, and outreach throughout the year. While LHENA examined
these issues, The Neighborhood Swap emerged as a concept to reduce waste
generated in the late spring – historically noted as a time when Spring Cleaning and
move-out time for renters produce a great deal of waste. While other
neighborhoods have done Clean Sweeps or Green Sweeps to promote recycling, this
particular event was geared towards sharing and reusing items before they need to
be recycled.
This toolkit is a guide for other neighborhoods or community groups to
replicate our work in their own unique contexts.
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DRAFT -- Neighborhood Swap: A Toolkit for Community Collaboration
Executive Summary:
Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association’s first-ever Neighborhood Swap took
place on the weekend of May 19th in local Mueller Park, from 10 am to 4 pm. The
entire Wedge neighborhood (the neighborhood served by Lowry Hill East
Neighborhood Association) community was invited; whether attendees wanted to
get rid of items they no longer used, to simply browse, or to take home “new” items
to use as their own.
The Swap drew nearly 100 community members on May 19th, despite the 90+
degree heat. The second day of the swap had to be canceled, due to poor weather,
and leftover items were delivered to Salvation Army. Over 1,200 lbs of donations
were swapped or donated, eliminating a significant quantity of waste from the
landfill, and enabling community members to offer new life to local resources and
reconsider items that may have formerly been considered “trash”.
A banner created for The Swap in Mueller Park
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DRAFT -- Neighborhood Swap: A Toolkit for Community Collaboration
Background: Why Swap?
Have you ever been on a college campus around move-out time? It’s a dumpster
diver’s wildest dream, and an anti-materialist’s most horrendous nightmare. May is
a month with a lot of perfectly good stuff left on the curb or in the dumpsters as
residents move, feeling frenzied and burdened by their own belongings. For some, a
Neighborhood Swap is an opportunity for residents to get rid of their stuff without
throwing it away and creating waste. And for others, it’s a great opportunity to save
money and get a great deal on useful new possessions.
“New,” in the used sense.
Beyond our view
The implications of swapping:
it’s not just about saving money
For every one trash bin of
stuff we throw out,
seventy trash bins of
material are created in
the mining, processing,
packaging and shipping
processes upstream.
In recent decades, the swap movement has
experienced resurgence amid those frustrated by the
materials economy. Many are recognizing the
detrimental impacts of affluenza – affluence +
influenza, known as the “highly contagious epidemic”
of overload, debt and waste resulting from
consumerism – and swapping has come forth as a way
to preempt cycles of buying, obsolescence and
disposal. Online sites such as Craigslist and Twin
Cities Free Cycle have emerged as successful outlets
for sharing and bartering.
--The Story of Stuff Project
A successful swap can have a major impact. In 2008, in Southeast Minneapolis, The
Southeast Como Improvement Association organized a Move-in/Move-out (MIMO)
event that was replicated subsequently for 3 years, geared primarily towards
students at the University of Minnesota. SECIA’S annual event in total diverted
26,000 lbs of household waste back into usage. Many of SECIA’s planning and
outreach techniques were utilized by LHENA in our event’s planning
Swapping:
1. Prevents waste
2. Saves money for community members
3. Reduces use of landfills and incineration
4. Conserves natural resources and energy
5. Promotes community activities
6. Educates neighbors and builds dialogue
around waste reduction and sustainability
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DRAFT -- Neighborhood Swap: A Toolkit for Community Collaboration
Flier for the LHENA Neighborhood Swap – passed out to residents and businesses in the
Uptown area of Minneapolis.
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DRAFT -- Neighborhood Swap: A Toolkit for Community Collaboration
LHENA’s Swap Outreach
Ensuring that participants have a strong understanding of the swap is critical to the
success of the event, and maximizing outreach before the event is an important way
to do so.
LHENA flyered a 2-3 block radius of Mueller park, where the event was hosted, to
build as much support as possible from neighbors, and to encourage participants to
bring items ahead of time and prepare their donations before Saturday. Neighbors
were supportive of the event – though contact info was listed, no neighbors voiced
concerns. Approximately 15 businesses in the neighborhood also received fliers to
display.
Accepted items:
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Tables, chairs (wood, plastic, other non-upholstered)
Bookshelves, storage shelves and cabinets
Desks and office chairs
Bed frames/ headboards
Small dressers
Containers
Lamps
Board Games
Futon frames (no futons allowed)
Bicycles & usable bicycle parts/tools
Shovels, yard/garden/mechanical tools
Paintings
Mirrors
Knick-knacks in good condition
Dishes, plates, silverware, and other kitchen items
Books, CDs, DVDs – as approved by volunteers
Small electronic appliances in working condition
o microwaves
o can openers
o toaster ovens
o etc.
Clean clothing in good condition
Other small household items
Other reusable items/materials – as approved by swap
volunteers
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DRAFT -- Neighborhood Swap: A Toolkit for Community Collaboration
Non-accepted items:
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Items over 200lbs (reduces risk of moving injuries)
Couches
Upholstered chairs, pillows
Mattresses, box springs, bedding
Child seats, cribs, stuffed animals, etc.
Garbage
Household hazardous waste
o tires
o paint
o batteries
o chemicals
o fertilizer
o etc.
 Broken appliances
 Large appliances
o washer
o dryers
o refrigerators
o freezers
o stoves
o etc.
 Broken lights / light bulbs / CFL's
 Rusted or unusable bicycle parts
 Rusted or bent bicycle frames
 Rusted or unusable tools or rusted household items
 Broken mirrors / glass
 Rotten and/or other foul-smelling items
PLEASE NOTE: Computers and other electronics NOT accepted
Accepting materials:
LHENA created an extensive master list of acceptable materials to ensure that
attendees were well-informed about swappable items ahead of time, and that
volunteers would be able to enforce proper donations. Broken electronics were not
permitted for the event – The City of Minneapolis strongly discouraged accepting
electronics because of the fear of being deluged in materials, as happened at an
event in Bloomington last year. Electronics are only acceptable if a city truck is
hired to go to individual households to pick up the electronics (costs $96/hr)
because it can be more tightly regulated. Electronics presented a challenge to
volunteers about acceptability because it is very difficult to know the working order
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DRAFT -- Neighborhood Swap: A Toolkit for Community Collaboration
of electronics. Ultimately, volunteers stopped accepting electronics because of these
concerns.
Exceptions were made for “unacceptable” donations in which neighbors promised
to take back their items if nobody else took them (only happened twice – once with
an old sink, and once with a motorized weed-whacker – both neighbors eventually
had to take back the items).
Above: Swaps are important
for sharing resources – this
sign at a Community
Supported Agriculture drop-off
point in Minneapolis allowed
members of a vegetable
subscription box to trade their
favorite veggies for their notso-favorites.
Left: The Wedge Newspaper
disseminates information
through coverage and event
promotion to over 5,000
readers in the neighborhood.
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DRAFT -- Neighborhood Swap: A Toolkit for Community Collaboration
How LHENA’s Neighborhood Swap Unfolded:
The LHENA Neighborhood Swap was held in Mueller Park, which is owned by the
Minneapolis Parks board, for a two-day weekend in late-May. Because the Wedge
neighborhood consists of 85% rental units, many of whom are students, we found
that the end of May is a good time for the neighborhood. (The Wedge has historically
seen a great deal of waste come forth from move-outs as items are tossed on the
curb, from students and other renters.)
LHENA decided to test the Swap over one weekend, with pickups available Friday,
and swapping taking place on Saturday and Sunday. Unfortunately, our event was
rained out on Sunday, so the event only lasted one full day. LHENA donated all
leftovers to the Salvation Army. This partnership was organized ahead of time, and
a drop-off was coordinated so that they could be the planned recipients of the
Neighborhood Swap.
Mueller Park, a centrally located site in our neighborhood, is our largest
neighborhood green space, and has strong visibility on Bryant Ave, a bike boulevard.
Though we considered an indoor event, we thought it important to be outdoors, for
recruitment, accessibility, and to be in a centrally located point in the neighborhood.
The park was affordable and relatively easy to work with – the full weekend rental
was $50. There were several stipulations, including that all materials had to be
cleared out of the park overnight, but the location was mostly flexible.
Three days before the start of the event, LHENA created a large banner and hung it
in the park to notify neighbors of the Neighborhood Swap. The banner was created
on a shoestring budget, utilizing a neighborhood banner and buying vinyl lettering
from a nearby office supplies store.
LHENA chose to “stock” the event ahead of time so that attendees would be able to
browse items on Saturday morning as the event started. LHENA collaborated with
local non-profit Steeple People to have donations of extra furniture and other items
donated. The ahead-of-time pickups were also helpful for ensuring a significant
amount of materials at the start of the event. For those unable to transport
possessions to the park during the event, LHENA ran a free U-haul service to do
pick-ups from neighbors on the day before of the event, coordinated through an
online google form.
The event was free for all attendees; no monetary transactions were involved for
participants. Swappers were permitted to donate without taking, or take without
leaving items behind. Drop-offs in Mueller Park were accepted beginning at 8am on
Saturday morning as setup began, even though the event didn’t start until 10.
Swappers came and went throughout the day, with relatively high turnover of items.
The flow ebbed after approximately 1pm, as the day grew hotter, approaching 90
degrees.
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DRAFT -- Neighborhood Swap: A Toolkit for Community Collaboration
Items were not permitted to be left in
the part overnight, per Park Board
rules. After considering different
storage options for the items between
Friday pickups and the close of the
event, Saturday and Sunday, a U-Haul
was determined as the ideal storage
unit overnight for the items. The UHaul was also used for pickups on
Friday, deliveries of larger items to
households during the event to
participants if they didn’t have means to
take items home during the event.
Finally, the U-haul was useful for taking
non-claimed items to Salvation Army
after the completion of the event. A
medium-sized U-haul was found to be
worthwhile, as it had a ramp to
facilitate easier loading.
Checking in Items
1. All items were checked in by staff or
volunteers, who judged acceptability
of all materials to ensure they met the
criteria
2. Volunteers then weighed/estimated
weights of all materials and recorded
the items and weights
3. Participants then put their materials
on tables and in the display, and were
free to take any items as they wanted
4. Those who didn’t bring items were
permitted to go freely and take
anything that they wanted
5. No check-out system was required.*
* LHENA was prepared to limit the number of
items per person as necessary, but didn’t need to
do so.
Staff and Volunteers:
Staff time and resources were funded through the Community POWER (Partners on
Waste Education and Recycling) grant through Rethink Recycling, with one .25FTE
staff person to prepare for the event, with available support of the LHENA
Neighborhood Coordinator.
A total of nine volunteers were recruited for the event, and one to two LHENA staff
persons were on-site at all times to educate volunteers and collect liability forms. A
neighborhood Green Team was organized in 2012, which helped support the
planning of the event, as well as flier and volunteer. Shifts lasted three hours for
each volunteer. Because the second day was cancelled, three volunteers did not end
up participating in the event.
Several event volunteers were members of the LHENA Environmental Committee –
a very helpful asset to have when planning for the Swap. The Environmental
Committee held meetings and discussed planning logistics, resources needed, and
offered time and resources throughout the event.
Our Budget:
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DRAFT -- Neighborhood Swap: A Toolkit for Community Collaboration
This was our budget:
What Attendees brought
(and took Home):
A total of 1,253 lbs of materials were brought to the Neighborhood Swap and either
claimed by neighbors or taken to the Salvation Army.
Items swapped included:
Baby clothes · winter jackets · adult clothing · purses · mens’
ties · sunglasses · toys · an adult bicycle and trailer · shoes · a
bedframe · jewelery · games · shelves · tables · art · books ·
sheet music · CDs/DVDs · VHS movies · cassette tapes · coffee
pots · blenders · toaster ovens · cooking materials · cutlery · a
clock · a baby crib · a rug · wicker chairs · pots/pans/ baking
materials · a giant container of un-popped popping corn ·
lamps · roller skates · hockey skates, etc.
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DRAFT -- Neighborhood Swap: A Toolkit for Community Collaboration
Planning for A Swap
When planning Logistics, Consider:
Target Audience: Who are the constituents? Students? Older folks?
What kinds of assistance might this community need? (Examples: transportation ahead of
time, lifting/carrying items, certain hours/days of the week that meet community needs.)
How should the event be promoted to reach this audience?
Where Will Items go Afterwards? This must be arranged ahead of time.
Some charitably-geared nonprofits may do pick-ups for you, if you have sufficient
materials to make it worthwhile, and if they have a large enough staff capacity. Ask
around to make sure you find a group that works for your needs. You will need to tailor
your acceptable items to make sure that they can be collected by this group.
Permissible Items: Laying the framework ahead of time is critical to ensure that
items are what you are seeking (and can deal with afterwards).
More importantly, what items do you NOT want in the swap? Make sure that these
unacceptable items are publicized clearly. Check in with recipients of the leftover
donations to see what they do and do not accept, as well as the city/county to look into
waste disposal.
Budget: What can your organization or neighborhood afford to spend on the event?
Consider means to generate funds, if any are needed – a donations bucket at the event,
local businesses or organizations as sponsors, etc.
Location: What’s a location that is accessible for the neighborhood?
What might be a cheap or free space? The shorter the carrying distance, the better.
Indoors or outdoors? If outdoors, determine an inclimate weather plan. If indoors, ensure
that space is reachable if attendees bring heavy or large items.
Time frame: What duration of time should your event last?
A full day? A weekend? Longer? How do the times that you choose match the needs of the
community you’re targeting?
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DRAFT -- Neighborhood Swap: A Toolkit for Community Collaboration
When planning Logistics, Consider: (Continued)
Transportation: What will need to be transported?
Do staff or neighbors have large vehicles for transporting items? Will you need to rent a
truck? Will you offer transportation services for attendees to move items, either ahead of
time, or during the event?
Stocking: You may want to consider having a stock of items at the event ahead of time
so that attendees will have items to browse on the first day.
This can be done either through promoting ahead-of-time drop offs or by collaborating
with local nonprofits or consignment shops to donate some of their surplus to the
event.
Storage needs: Does your neighborhood or organization have a place to store items
overnight, if necessary?
Do neighbors have open garage space that they’d prefer to share? Will your organization
need to rent a space or a truck for overnight storage?
Staff capacity: How much staff time can be spent on organizing?
Coordinate with volunteers and participants! How many volunteers might you be able to
utilize to assist?
Liability: Does your organization or neighborhood have insurance?
If not, who might be able to carry insurance for your event? Think about local groups that
might be willing to serve as intermediaries. Consider having liability waivers.
Flow of Swapping: How should the flow of items function?
Ahead-of-time drop-offs allowed or encouraged? Does your group want to gauge the
amount of pounds or keep a log of items brought? Do attendees need to do a check-out
station after they choose their items, or can they take as many as they desire?
Obstacles: What local or organizational challenges might get in the way?
Walk through the scope of the event and address potential issues to ensure successful
preparation!
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DRAFT -- Neighborhood Swap: A Toolkit for Community Collaboration
Taking it further: Broadening the
conversation
Swapping is a great opportunity to tie ideas into the big picture of waste reduction
and planned obsolescence – it’s not just “free stuff!”
Think about building the dialogue about waste, facilitating future materials sharing,
and equipping residents with waste reduction opportunities or resources.
“Great idea, keep it going, it’s a good way for people to exchange. Do you
know how many brooms, ironing boards, cabinets have ended up in our
landfills! Do all we can to stop this…”
–Comment from Swap participant
Ideas to Build the movement:
1. Generate Buzz
Post information online ahead of time, on facebook, e-democracy, social media or
your organization’s website. Link to other local groups to spread the word.
Encourage attendees to post ahead of time on facebook or e-forums about items
they are bringing or might be hoping to find.
2. Promote Knowledge
Include a broad spectrum of waste reduction resources: Bring an expert on site to
the event, such as a Master Recycler/Composter, County Representative, or another
person with detailed information available. Master Recyclers, for example, have
received comprehensive training on waste reduction and make a 30-hour
volunteering commitment. Other environmentally focused groups or non-profits
may want to have a table at the event.
3. Develop leadership
Hand out fliers for neighborhood meetings, discussions, or events and collect info
for those interested in continuing dialogue or participating in neighborhood
committees, such as a Green Team.
4. Continue the discussion
LHENA didn’t collect contact voluntary contact information from attendees, but
would do so next time -- this is an important way to maintain conversation after the
event, to allow for continued dialogue, volunteer recruitment, surveys, and to keep
community members informed about future waste reduction events and
opportunities.
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DRAFT -- Neighborhood Swap: A Toolkit for Community Collaboration
Additional Resources:
Southeast Como Improvement Association (SECIA):
https://sites.google.com/a/comogreenvillage.info/como-greenvillage/Home/waste-reduction
Story of Stuff: www.storyofstuff.org
Rethink Recycling: www.rethinkrecycling.org
For Additional Information:
The Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association can be reached at
LHENA@thewedge.org.
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