Hoosier 2 Hoosier sale recycles furniture, helps environment

Coffee makers, couches and desks — oh my.

The Hoosier 2 Hoosier Sale has been stockpiling furniture, clothing and electronics since Little 500 weekend and is almost ready to open its doors.

The sale has tons of items being sorted for sale day Aug. 20, in IU’s Gladstein
Fieldhouse.

“I’ve actually weighed all the items we’ve collected,” Residential Programs and Services Associate Director Steve Akers said. “Right now, we’re at 27 tons.”

RPS, IU’s Office of Sustainability, the City of Bloomington, IU Athletics, United Way of Monroe County and Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County all sponsor the sale.

Proceeds from the sale go to United Way, Habitat for Humanity, and IU and Bloomington’s sustainability offices.

The sale’s goal is to minimize the amount of furniture, clothing and other items ending up in landfills after students move out at the end of the school year.

“We put boxes out in all residence halls as well as Greek houses and basically just had people donate things,” Akers said. “This stuff literally would’ve gone right into the dumpster.”

The sale also stuffed three 80 feet storage trailers with items from apartment complexes and individual student houses, even filling up a stairwell with donations at the Mercury at Regester Place apartment complex.

While this will only be the sale’s second year, Akers said he’s been trying to work on a sustainable move-out plan for years.

“I’ve been collecting stuff like this for about seven years in residence halls because I’m one of those green people,” he said.

When he heard about a similar sale at Penn State University, he thought the school was onto something.

“I visited the campus and met the people who did the sale,” Akers said. “When I came back to campus, I realized that’s exactly what I’d like to do.”

Habitat for Humanity, one of the sale’s beneficiaries, has provided a truck for collection days and has helped recruit volunteers for sale day.

“We wanted to bring awareness to students that there are sustainable options for goods,” Noma Maier, manager of Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore, said.

“We provide year-round donation pick up, so we’re excited for people to realize we’re doing this year-round.”

Maier said all proceeds Habitat for Humanity receives from the sale will fund affordable housing construction in Monroe County.

While last year’s sale was a success, Akers said organizers have set their sights higher. Last year’s sale brought in $10,400.

“This year, we hope to make $15,000,” Akers said. “But the primary goal of the sale is to divert items that would otherwise go to the landfill. The proceeds are just a benefit of a waste-reduction program.”