photo by Shira Golding
Share Tompkins will host its next Swap meet on Sunday February 28, 2010 from 1-4pm at Cornell Cooperative Extension at 615 Willow Ave. The theme is spring gardening, so participants are encouraged to bring seeds, tools, plants, gloves... and anything related to gardening. As usual, everyone is welcome to bring any goods or services. Share Tompkins is a local group dedicated to helping people share and trade goods and services.
The last Share Tompkins event was the Really Really Free Market on January 30, which drew more than 200 people to the Henry St. John Building. Organized by Share Tompkins and co-sponsored by Wishing Well Magazine, the event offered the community a chance to share food, clothes, housewares, electronics, books and more.
Garden Gate Delivery, which regularly donates their surplus to local charities, dropped off several boxes of natural foods including organic granola, locally-grown celeriac and gourmet cooking sauces. Towards the end of the 3-hour gathering, different people showed up with various food items - squash, home-grown garlic and a whole box of individually-jarred kombucha mothers.
Inspired by RRFMs in other parts of the country, Share Tompkins sees this event as a natural extension of our work organizing monthly Community Swap Meets, at which community members have been converging to swap and barter goods and services.
Ari Moore, one of the organizers, explained, "I've had great experiences bartering, but Really Really Free Markets are even more liberating. It's great to get together and see how we can meet each other's needs without any money changing hands. It's a celebration of sharing, a real demonstration of how a gift economy can work."
Share Tompkins was formed in May 2009 to help people share and trade goods, services and labor in Ithaca and Tompkins County. The volunteer-run group has organized seven Community Swap Meets and one RRFM to-date. The Share Tompkins website features photos and videos of events and a growing resource directory of local initiatives that help people meet their needs equitably and sustainably. Share Tompkins is the recipient of a 2009 Sustainable Tompkins “Sign of Sustainability” Award.
photo by Shira Golding
photo by Shira Golding
*This post was written in part by Shira Golding, Share Tompkins organizer.
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