A sustainable living store in Saskatoon has created a space for residents to share items that may not be used frequently.
At ‘The Better Good’ on Broadway Ave., not only is there clothing and accessories but in the lower level there is a ‘Library of Things’.
“It’s a library, but instead of books, it just has stuff,” Meg Dowart, Library of Things coordinator told Global News.
Some of the items in this library include games, puzzles, kitchen appliances, tools, sports equipment, and camping gear.
Similar to a library, residents can sign up for an account and find the item they’d like to borrow through a catalogue online. Items can also be reserved ahead of time and renewed when necessary.
The Library of Things is a volunteer-led initiative. Dorwart was recruited by the owner of The Better Good. The goal for the Library of Things is to encourage sustainable living, by reducing waste and saving some money in residents’ wallets. It welcome donations.
“If we think of all of the things that we have in our homes that we only use a couple of times a year and multiply that by how many people are in the city, if we can reduce that amount, all of those items will just be fewer things in the landfill at the end of the day,” Dorwart explained.
“But then it also helps with people financially because you can just borrow these things, instead of having to purchase them full price and put them in your home,” she added.
For Alexa Pierce, a member of the library, this initiative has brought a sense of community. A majority of the items in the library were donated by Saskatoon residents.
“Everyone doesn’t need the same item that we might only use once or twice,” Pierce explained. “It’s people that are contributing to the community and then allowing other people to access things that they might not be able to access without a resource like this,” she added.
The library runs on Saturdays between 1 p.m to 4 p.m. at The Better Good.