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Hoosier to Hoosier Community Sale stems the tide of waste from student move-out

• Aug. 17, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- With less than a week until sale day, Hoosier to Hoosier Community Sale organizers are gearing up for the sixth year of one of Bloomington’s biggest garage sales and waste diversion programs.

The Hoosier to Hoosier Community Sale, which offers items collected during on- and off-campus student move-out, takes place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 22 at The Warehouse at 1525 S. Rogers St. Admission is $10 before 9:30 a.m. and free the remainder of the day.

Sale items will be priced to sell, and all transactions will be cash only. This year, the sale will offer a “boutique” section for the first time, which will offer high-quality, brand-name items still at a significant discount. As the sale progresses, item prices are gradually reduced on a larger percentage.

The sale will also feature a free shuttle for Indiana University Bloomington students for the first time. The shuttle will visit The Warehouse three times during sale day, picking up students from McNutt, Eigenmann and Forest residence halls.

Parking is also available at two locations near The Warehouse. Parking directly in front of The Warehouse is reserved for people with handicapped parking stickers and shoppers picking up furniture.

“This is a great partnership between IU and the community,” said Jacqui Bauer, sustainability coordinator for the City of Bloomington.  “I am excited to see more students at the sale this year as there will be a free shuttle service for the very first time.”

Since its inception in 2010, each Hoosier to Hoosier sale has seen record revenues and attendance. Last year’s effort saw thousands of shoppers and grossed nearly $35,000 in sales. Volunteers collected and sorted roughly 45 tons of clothing, furniture, electronics, school supplies and other donations that may otherwise have ended up in a landfill.

The event is largely volunteer-powered, with the need for help increasing closer to the sale. Individuals interested in volunteering this week or during the sale should visit the H2H volunteer site or email h2h@indiana.edu.

“It is amazing what a group of volunteers can accomplish in just a few months,” said Annabella Habegger, the 2015 sale coordinator and intern with the IU Office of Sustainability. “Many are surprised at what others no longer want. This sale is proof that we need to shop smart, reuse and resell when possible.”

The Hoosier to Hoosier Sale builds on the work of IU Residential Programs and Services, which has for years collected furniture and household goods left behind by students moving out of IU Bloomington residence halls. The sale was created by an Office of Sustainability intern who modeled it to:

• Divert reusable items from the landfill during student move-out.
• Prevent additional resource consumption by selling collected items to students and community members.
• Raise funds for local charities and partner agency sustainability efforts.

This year, sale organizers are partnering with the Cutters Soccer Outreach Program, the City of Bloomington and the IU Office of Sustainability. Sale day proceeds will benefit Cutters Soccer Outreach Program and sustainability efforts at the City of Bloomington and IU.

“Working on the various facets of the H2H sale has given the Cutters Soccer Club an opportunity to support a significant community sustainability effort,” said Mike Grubb, executive director of the club. “It has also afforded us the real pleasure of working with sustainability personnel who are involved in this very significant effort to reduce what goes into landfills.”

Related Links

• Hoosier to Hoosier Community Sale
• IU Office of Sustainability