Creative Reuse

Freecycle helps people connect with others in their community to ask for free donations of items they need, or to offer to give away items they no longer want.

First Unitarian Church of Rochester, New York

Read a Greater Good program of the First Unitarian Church of Rochester, New York, which inspires this session's story, "Finding Balance."

The First Unitarian Church 's web page about Greater Good provides updates about fund-recipient organizations and explains how the project works:

Each of us is asked to tally what we spend on the holiday season from presents, wrappings, trimmings, travel, food, and entertainment. Then take that number and cut it in half, and contribute that to a project at the church—a gift to the Greater Good. In 2006 we collected $79,000, and in 2007 $72,500, from members and friends of the church and members of the larger community. These contributions ... sure made "living simply so others can simply live" worth the effort and small sacrifice!

Voluntary Simplicity

Voluntary simplicity, or simple living, is a way of life that emphasizes choosing time to spend as one wishes over acquiring money to spend on material possessions. Resources online include essays and books by Linda Breen Pierce on voluntary simplicity, Clay and Judy's homepage, and the Simply Living website.

The Quiltmaker's Gift by Jeff Brumbeau, illustrated by Gail De Marcken (London: Orchard Books, 2001), is a lovely story about a king who learns to enjoy life when a quilt maker convinces him to give his possessions away.