Un Regalo Per Biella

CONCEPT:
Using the Gift Economy to Reduce Municipal Solid Waste and Strengthen Sense of Community in Biella, Italy.

DESCRIPTION:
Waste management is a global problem, which can be addressed feasibly if it is treated at the local level. This project aims to gather parents and their children once a month to use the Gift Economy system as a means of circulating reused children’s items. The purpose of organizing this exchange is to keep these items from entering the municipal waste stream as well as strengthening relationships in the community.

There is no event or place in Biella where a system, such as a Gift Economy, allows families to freely exchange used children’s products across families and optimizes reuse within the community. This project, however, proposes a specific time and place for this exchange thereby establishing a circle of trust among participating families such that they feel comfortable exchanging their children’s items with others in the community. The items to be exchanged would need to be clean, appropriate, free, and clearly labeled with the giver’s name and contact information. This project serves to improve families’ attitudes toward the global and local environment as well as each other. It will reduce waste by optimizing reuse among families, and it will connect families and help create solidarity within the community.