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Freecycle
From Ekopedia
The Freecycle Network™ is an international network of recycling organisations. It is a grassroots and nonprofit movement, which advertises anything that its members want to give away. Each local group is moderated by a volunteer. Membership is free.
The Freecycle Network was started in May 2003 in Tucson, Arizona, to promote waste reduction in Tucson's downtown and help save desert landscape from being taken over by landfills. The Network provides individuals and non-profits an online forum to recycle unwanted items.
Their main rule is that all items offered or requested must be free, legal, and appropriate for all ages.
The Freecycle Network is incorporated as a nonprofit organization and is tax-exempt under the IRS 501(c)3 ruling.
The Freecycle Network is open to all communities and to all individuals who want to participate.
[edit] Background
The organization originated as a project of RISE Inc., a nonprofit corporation, to promote waste reduction in Tucson, Arizona, and reduce the need for landfills in Arizona's fragile desert landscape. RISE subsequently handed it over to the project leader, Deron Beal. As Deron and his crews recycled, rather than watching perfectly good items being thrown away, they found themselves calling or driving around to see if various local nonprofits could use them.
Thinking there had to be an easier way, Beal set up the first Freecycle e-mail group for the citizens of Tucson. The Freecycle concept has since spread to over 50 countries, where there are thousands of local groups and millions of members - truly a grassroots effort of people helping people by "changing the world one gift at a time" - The Freecycle network's official tagline.
Each local group currently exists as a Yahoo! Groups mailing list run by volunteer moderators. TFN encourages the formation of new groups, subject to approval by regional New Group Approvers (NGAs). Groups approved by TFN are listed at the official website, can use the name and logo, and are subject to rules enforced by a structure of global and regional GOAs (Group Outreach Assistants). TFN originally planned to move in 2004, then in 2005, and then in early 2006 from Yahoo! Groups to a centralized site, custom-made for the purpose; these plans have now been rescheduled for 2007.
On April 2004, The Freecycle Network incorporated under Arizona law, and as of September 2006 is a registered 501(c)(3) charity in the United States.
The TFN logo is a registered trademark of The Freecycle Network in the United Kingdom and Europe, CTM Reg. No. 4287553.
