PLEASE RE:STORE
Muse:
We have too much stuff. We have too much stuff that comes with too much packaging. We have too much stuff that comes with too much packaging and requires too much transportation. Things we buy are too cheap and too disposable. Too much packaging goes into landfills. Too much stuff goes into landfills.

We have too little sense of neighborhood. We have too little sense of “physical” community (as opposed to reading club, mommy & me playgroup, on-line chat room, etc.) We interact more with people who have similar interests, circumstance and background, but we interact less with people occupying the same physical locality. This is evidenced by the I-Pod and Bluetooth-headset set.

Intervention (policy):
The proposal is a symbiotic host (merchant) and guest (resident, seller) consignment network called RE:STORE that allows people to sell things they no longer use at “displays” set up in participating neighborhood businesses.

When filling out a sales tag, the seller has the option to offer discounts to neighbors and/or members. This promotes local circulation and generates greater participation. The seller and host merchant also have the option to donate their share of proceeds, which would go into a pool that would be distributed annually to causes that are community-biased, but not solely community-related (because there are other problems in the world that require attention.) The apportioning of year-end donations will be based on member survey on the Movement website.

The economic benefits to host merchants are threefold: 1. The host receives commission from each transaction. 2. Greater passer-by interest leads to increased in-store traffic. 3. The host/seller engagement strengthens relationships within community. The resulting greater, more-diversified revenue stream will help local merchants compete. This is but a fraction of the greater agenda.

The ultimate goal is sustainability – of community, of environment, of us.

P.S.:
The recently-passed Economic Stimulus Package only exacerbates the problem. We have reached a point in global commerce/consumption that is over-taxing the environment and human institutions. We must endeavor to fundamental changes in the way we consume.