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No matter how frugal or sustainable you try to be over the holidays, you always end up with more stuff on January 1st than you had on October 30th. This year, make a resolution to clean out those closets and storage bins and G.O. G.R.E.E.N. which stands for gather, organize, give away, recycle, exchange, employ and network. 

Gather and organize
Linda Stewart, a certified Feng Shui consultant, suggests breaking down the sorting process into manageable stages. “Organizing your stuff is a process that takes time. When you begin to sort through your stuff, you realize that you are actually sorting through your life.” Start in one section of your home and set a time limit for yourself. For example, give yourself two hours to gather and sort items from your bedroom closet. Use four cardboard boxes labeled give away, recycle, exchange and keep. Before you begin, ask yourself the following questions: 1. Have I used this item within a year? 2. Is this an item that can be borrowed from my family or friends? 3. Does this item make me happy? Don’t hang on to something if you don’t have a purpose for it. Linda believes, “The energy you invest in decluttering will repay you over and over again by allowing you to nurture your soul with meaningful things like time spent with family and friends rather than things purchased from a store.”

Give away
Once the sorting process is completed, look for new homes for your stuff beginning with your give away box.

Several options are available for giving away or donating your possessions including Freecycle which is an exchange system that allows members to post items, via the Internet, that they would like to give away. Visit the Freecycle website at http://www.freecycle.org/ to locate a group near you.

Thrift stores and charitable organizations are also great options. For example, locally owned Eco-Thrift in Fort Collins is a 100 percent wind powered thrift store that accepts furniture, clothing, outdoor gear, electronics, appliances, tools, garden items and vehicles. For their new location, call 484-4224 or visit their Web site at www.eco-thrift.com.

Recycle and repurpose
Once your give-away box is empty, move onto the container marked recycle. Visit the Web site for the City of Loveland’s Public Works Solid Waste Division at  http://www.ci.loveland.co.us and the recycling page for the City of Fort Collins at http://fcgov.com/recycling/centers.php for listings of places to recycle, donate and resell your items.

If you would like to try your hand at repurposing your items, Colleen Warmingham, a Co-op of America screened professional eco-organizer, suggests thinking about your stuff in a different way. “Don’t pick up an object and think this is a vase. Instead, pick up an object and think this is for putting flowers in but it could also be used for storing my paintbrushes.” She believes that being green is being thoughtful about the purchases we make and cautious about our disposal methods. “If you have already paid the ecological manufacturing price for the items you own, you might as well reuse or recycle them at the very least.”

Exchange or sell
If you aren’t sure what to do with the items in the box labeled exchange, try using the age-old system of bartering. Bartering allows you to trade an item that you no longer use for an item or service you need. For example, you can exchange a piece of hand-crafted pottery for child care. Bartering groups vary from specialty listservs such as the Colorado Homeschool Barter and Exchange at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CHSBE/ to general Internet bartering services that advertise free exchange.

If you decide to sell your items, think about listing them on the Internet with eBay at www.ebay.com or Craig’s List located at www.craigslist.com. You can also have a garage sale, list your items in the local newspaper want ads or put your items on consignment at a resale shop.

Employ
I recommend sorting through your last box, labeled keep, a second time. When you decide to keep an item, make sure that it is something you employ regularly or has aesthetic value. Your stuff takes on value only when it is used. Unused stuff is clutter. The more you use an item, the more value it has. Linda Stewart believes that some things may not seem to have utilitarian value but do add beauty to your life therefore they are nurturing your senses and your soul. These embellishments to your environment should be chosen with care to give you enjoyment every time you look at them. Her mantra is, “If you don’t love it, need it or use it then recycle it.”

Network
Once you are organized, become a conscious consumer. Avoid purchasing single purpose items that you use infrequently. Look to your friends and family to borrow an item when you need it. Set up a sharing network. For example, you might have an electric lawn mower that you could lend your brother every summer in exchange for his tree trimmer or a snow blower that you could share with your neighbors while you utilize their extension ladder to put up holiday lights. The possibilities are endless once you G.O. G.R.E.E.N. 

Paige Anderson-Torgrimson is a writer in northern Colorado. For more ideas about sustainability, visit her Green Paige Web site at www.greenpaige.com.