Earlier in this blog, we talked about Russell Brand’s excellent effort to draw attention to the idea of a “swap shop” in Los Angeles with his “Buy Love Here” initiative. Just because Russell Brand is a celebrity, however, doesn’t mean that he’s the only one who can inspire his neighborhood to enjoy a “Swap Shop” or “New to You” event. All it takes is one motivated community organizer (you!) to get a swap started in your neighborhood if there isn’t one already. Here are some tips on the way to get a community stuff swap going!

Get a Committee Together: Firstly, as much as we think you’re awesome for organizing, you’ll get further if you get a committee together. Organize your friends, post an ad on Craigslist, Meetup or in the local paper or approach existing nonprofit or community groups to help organize the event. You’ll want to have the material for step two, educate, ready when you approach these people!

Educate, Educate, Educate! Many people don’t know what a swap meet is, why it’s good for the community or why it’s good for the planet and society as a whole! You should not only have your verbal pitch ready, but also a print-out that you can leave behind. We’d even suggest that you mention the Russell Brand “Buy Love Here” program and how successful it was. You may even want to solicit some “celebrity” donations to stock with the original swap items from your local town celebrities!

Pick a Great Venue: The more fun and centralized the venue that you pick, the better your turn-out will be!

Involve Your Local Schools: High school girls, in particular, love to swap stuff. This is a great chance to get younger adults and teenagers involved in the idea of swapping and to teach them about consumerism and responsible living. You might even be able to convince some teachers to offer extra credit for those who participate.

Publicize: Even if you don’t have much of a budget, you can hang your own signs and convince your local paper or website to talk about what’s going on from an interest perspective.

Have Refreshments: Free food always makes an event more popular! See if you can get things donated, or encourage people to bring potluck.

Much like yard sales, Swap Shops or New to You events can not only be good for society, the environment and the struggle against over-consumerism, but they can also be a catalyst for bringing neighborhoods and communities together. Start getting one organized in your neighborhood today, and then make it a quarterly or semi-annual event!