OVERVIEW

Abstract: SAVE (now merged into Sustainability@MIT) has partnered with EHS for many years to organize a stuff exchange during finals week of the spring semester. A dorm coordinator in each undergraduate dorm arranges a central location for students to bring unwanted clothes and housewares and take any item they want for free. During the week after finals, student volunteers work with EHS volunteers and volunteers from the Women's League to sort through all of the remaining stuff and prepare it for pickup by a charity organization.

Contact: Kendra Johnson, student (kendradey@gmail.com), Justin Adams, EHS Officer (jwadams@mit.edu)

Website: http://www.secondchances.org/clothingDrives/MITStuffFest2008.html

Current status: Stuff Fest will next occur during May of 2009

DETAILS

Funding Sources: N/A

Data Sources: weight of bags picked up

Documentation: None available

Recommendations for future work: Some dorm managers have noted that an equal amount of stuff gets generated the week after when graduating Seniors move out

IMPACT

Number of students involved:

• Spring 2001: ~12
• Spring 2002: ~12
• Spring 2003: ~12
• Spring 2004: ~12
• Spring 2005: ~12
• Spring 2006: 10
• Spring 2008: 15

Campus footprint:

• In 2008, we collected 4,231 pounds of clothing and other items that might otherwise have gone into a landfill

Other impact:

• Those 4,231 pounds of useful items went to Second Chances, a Cambridge-based community organization that provides clothing and other items to homeless and low income individuals. We were their largest clothing drive in 2008.
• An additional amount of interview and winter clothing went to the MIT Women's League for their annual event in which they provide international students with free interview and winter clothing

LESSONS FOR FUTURE PROJECTS

Organizational lessons:

• Offering housing extensions to dorm coordinators helps with recruitment and ensuring that the students will be around to help sort during the week after finals
• It is helpful to send someone around to all of the dorms the day before sorting will occur to identify the dorms with the most stuff and the nicest clothing for the Women's League

Technical lessons:

• It is important for dorm coordinators to monitor the pile of stuff in their dorm and send e-mails out to the dorm list to remind students that they can only leave high quality clothing and houseware — nothing stained or ripped and absolutely no food.