A knack for making deals along with a little patience has seen an Edmonton man turn a run-of-the-mill paper clip into a tool trailer for his business.
Kenton Zerbin runs KZ Permaculture, which is aimed at teaching people about sustainable living. He didn’t build the tool trailer out of a paper clip. Instead, he traded it for bigger and bigger items until two years later, when he finally acquired the trailer.
Zerbin said he got the idea after hearing about someone getting a house in Saskatchewan after swinging 15 different trades. He said he heard that person also started with a paper clip.
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“I thought,’ Well, why don’t I give this a whirl and see if I can get to this tool trailer that we need?'”
Zerbin said he plans to use the tool trailer for flash mob-style endeavours he undertakes that he calls “permablitzes.” The permablitzes are aimed at creating “edible spaces,” or gardens people can use to grow their own food.
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Zerbin got his tool trailer on Monday night and said the process of getting it was a lot of fun.
“It’s kind of based off that whole idea of, you know, one person’s junk is another person’s treasure,” he said.
“Everyone who’s done the trades has been very excited to be a part of the project.”
Zerbin said most of his trades were facilitated by using the online classified advertising service Kijiji. He said the secret to his success was being patient and always waiting for what was “clearly a bigger and better trade.”
Zerbin said one of his next permablitz projects will take place at Lois E. Hole Elementary School in St. Albert and he hopes to have the trailer in tow for that project.