Like clockwork, every spring at Dalhousie, a frenzy takes over campus. Within a week, dorm rooms empty out and parents鈥� vehicles get stuffed. Anything that doesn't fit? Much of it gets left behind, potentially headed for the landfill.
But not if Dal鈥檚听听Office of Sustainability can get to the goods first.
Alexa Goodman, Dal鈥檚 sustainability manager, and Bruce Porter, sustainability specialist with the Office of Sustainability and a Planning student, spent their summer intercepting piles of gently used materials that others no longer wanted. Their salvage operation involves collecting, sorting, cleaning, and transforming abandoned goods into the backbone of Dal鈥檚 Free Store, where everything is available to students for a whopping . . . zero dollars!
This August, the Free Store settled into a new space in the Mona Campbell Building on a lease.听
For Goodman, the location is about more than just convenience. 鈥淗aving a permanent space is really what鈥檚 going to enable this to last long term,鈥� they said.听
With a circular economy goal in mind, it allows the Free Store to collect donations year-round, moving away from the pop-up yard-sale setup like the fall 2024 event and towards a more sustainable system with the 鈥減otential for a winter edition or even a continuous Free Store throughout the year.鈥澨�
Although, the location isn鈥檛 the only upgrade. This year鈥檚 Free Store showcased an expanded selection of materials from four distinct donation streams allowing for just under 10,000 pounds of goods 鈥� resale valued at over $66,000 鈥� to be repurposed.听
Levelling up
The largest haul came, as always, from residence move-outs. The Student Union Building facilitated a campus-wide donation bin, opening contributions to the entire community. The bookstore pitched in unsellable stock, from scuffed notebooks to surplus protractors. And departments such as Information Technology Services and Facilities Management rerouted dozens of items destined for e-waste, supplying the Free Store with a selection of used monitors, computer accessories and older yet still functional electronics 鈥� an entirely new category for the shop.
While supplies lasted, one room of the Free Store housed kitchenware, houseware, school supplies, books, etc., in a thrift store fashion, while another overflowed with clothing and textiles such as bedding, pillows, and blankets. Some items were gently used, while others were practically brand new, and all the bedding was washed too! Even a few mini fridges were raffled off to the lucky winner in a lottery style draw.听
In just four and a half days of operation, the Free Store saw around 300 customers daily, with 1,218 in total. Students wrapped around LeMarchant Street and Coburg Road, representing every corner of campus life: first-years, returning students, international students, and graduate students alike, each hoping to save a little money on items that can quickly add up.
Third-year student Brianna Rossi says on top of already high rent costs, basic living materials have become 鈥渆xtremely unaffordable鈥� and even 鈥渂urdensome.鈥� After moving into a new house, she warns that 鈥渟tudents can expect to spend upward of $500 on living materials alone, maybe $300 if they鈥檙e lucky.鈥� Initiatives like the Free Store, she adds, can help students focus on paying rent rather than worrying about the costs of forks and furniture.听
The work, of course, isn鈥檛 finished yet. While the Free Store depends on donations, its larger mission is to cultivate mindful consumption. More than just a place to pick up a bargain, it stands as a reminder of the value in rescuing, reusing, and rethinking what we consider 鈥渨aste.鈥�
Goodman encourages students to be conscious consumers. 鈥淓very dollar we spend is a vote for what we support,鈥� she says.听