green is universal

Reusing, Reducing and Recycling: The Story of Noah's Ark

Posted at 11:29 AM on January 14, 2008 comments (0)

By Mary Beth Gonzalez, iVillage.com

What if you had a place where you could donate your gently used books, furniture, clothes, luggage, jewelry, dishes, lamps, TVs and virtually anything else you think someone else, somewhere might want? What if that place housed a constant turnover of high-quality products and sold them for so little money that you just couldn't resist shopping there on a regular basis? And then what if all the proceeds went to local charities where you could see the impact right in your own backyard?

Welcome to Noah's Ark, a second-hand store run by St. Michael's and All Angels Episcopal Church on Sanibel Island in Florida. My retired school-teacher mom currently manages this beloved hub of recycled treasures, called affectionately "The Ark" by all. I had the opportunity to witness this Green wonderstore first hand while visiting my parents over the holidays.

The first thing you must know about The Ark is that the shopkeepers, all volunteers, are quite discerning about their merchandise. This isn't a dumping ground for worn or misused items. Everything for sale must be in good working order. My Dad and a few other men fix the TVs, radios, broken table legs, coffeemakers, computers and phones before displaying them for sale. All clothing is clean and often ironed before it goes on racks displayed by type (i.e.: shorts, shirts, dresses, designer goods, hats, etc...) making shopping a breeze.

This Florida West Coast island beach community has a fair amount of wealthy second home owners who buy and sell their homes fully furnished. Quite often this means that the contents of entire homes are donated to The Ark whose staff quite conveniently arrange for pick-ups so donating and recycling one's belongings couldn't be easier. Thus The Ark has become a first stop of many looking for a new bedroom set, table and chairs, bookcases, dishes and glassware.

And then there are the displays... the staff of creative, retired volunteers lovingly dress the mannequins with fancy silk sweaters, arrange book in the "Barnes & Noah" section and set round tables with beautiful china. Then they frown when everything is sold within minutes of the store opening for the regulars know that the best stuff is displayed prominently and they gobble it up.

With the prices so low ($1 for a hardcover book, $3 for a sweater and $25 for a bike) and the donations so frequent, there is a constant influx of shoppers looking for a bargain. It isn't unusual to see 50-60 people standing patiently in line at the beginning of each day The Ark is open. Some people come everyday and never leave empty handed. I must admit that I picked up a few gems this trip: a "like new" lavender silk sweater, a hand-stitched tablecloth with matching napkins and an antique china teapot to go with my discontinued tea set.

I cannot think of a better way to live Green than to donate to and shop at The Ark. For instance, my parents drink coffee yet my husband and I drink tea so rather then buy a new tea kettle for the 8 days we were visiting, we simply bought one for $1 at The Ark and then donated it back at the end of our trip. In an age of rampant consumerism, it feels good to discover that someone else's discarded goods can meet your simple needs. My mom tells me that many people who come down to Sanibel on vacation buy bikes or golf clubs at The Ark for their stay and then return to recycle them; they shop the clothes racks for a forgotten bathing suit or swing by for a wide brimmed straw hat on the way to the beach.

Last week The Ark was brimming with un-wanted Christmas presents -- a lovely Lenox China vase, unopened sheet sets, new shrink-wrapped DVDs and lots of new clothes with the tags still on them. Someone even donated a completely wrapped present with a Christmas tag on it from their mother-in-law... as if to say that they just knew without opening it that they wouldn't want it!

The Ark is a special place where misfit items can find loving homes, even if only temporarily. A place where people can easily go Green by reusing, reducing and recycling. A place where you can spend very little but do a lot to help support your own community. A place that strives to profit by helping others not by counting the cash. I wonder if this model could work in other communities. Could it work in big cities? Could it work in your hometown? Wouldn't it be interesting to find out?

Mary Beth Gonzalez
iVillage.com
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