BioRegional (the Laundry’s mummy) is an environmental charity. I sit opposite one of the founders – my desk buddy Pooran Desai (OBE!). Two weeks ago I gave him a tin of spam. Last week he gave me a free ticket to go and see Live Earth in a box seat right at the centre line of Wembley Stadium.
Is that the best swapsie you’ve ever heard of? I think it may be – well on my part. “Meat” product that tastes vaguely of pork pie filling, but mostly of cat food vs seeing some of the most famous people in the world in a series of concerts that over 1 billion people watched!
Maybe I’m being rewarded Karmic style for my run of bad luck (see past blog entries).
Harriet’s brother Toby once got his neighbour to swap him his entire collection of war game figurines (is that the right word, it seems to girly – do I mean figures?) a go on Toby’s BMX. Harry’s mum made Toby take them back.
I have two friends and my sister too who I always do a deal with, so that I can eat half of their dinner and they can eat half of mine. My sister always gets upset because she starts to really like the thing she is eating, but I make her stay true to her word.
I’m sure you’ve heard of this one – but just in case: The story of 26-year-old Kyle MacDonald from Montreal, who has managed to trade a red paperclip — via hundreds of swaps including a door knob, a barbecue and time at a recording studio — up to the offer of a year’s rent-free accommodation in Phoenix, Arizona! Whoosh – that’s brilliant.
Swapsie? It’s just the cute name for re-use – the very-serious-and better-than-recycling-enviro-decision! No energy involved breaking down the product into the raw materials again and the value of the design is preserved. That’s the philosophy, but the basic idea is: if you don’t want it someone else might!
Luckily it’s fun too – here is what my internet research has come up with this week, three lovely websites for all your swapsie needs.
Retro-clothes swapping, lovely website www.whatsmineisyours.com
Any old stuff for free www.freecycle.org/
Throw a party and rustle some old clothes from friends www.swishing.org
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