Alot of what we talk about when we discuss sustainability comes down tothe same classic ideas - reduce, reuse and recycle. If we could applythese ideas to more of what we do, we're likely to be acting moresustainably.
There has been a flurry of Twitter chatfrom the likes of @squaremealvande, @liz_madden and @carmenhere about anew venture which has launched in the States -www.usedeventstuff.com.The idea is pretty straightforward - you've used something at an event,you don't need it any more, you advertise it on the site and someonewho needs it buys it from you. A neat little example of sustainabilitysaving money and promoting better resource use. So it's eBay for events- with a sustainable twist.
So far so good. But is therean appetite for this kind of thing in the UK? It's something we atSeventeen have discussed with suppliers for the past couple of years -isn't there something we can do with that leftover carpet, that box ofbubble wrap, those seats, etc etc. Nine times out of ten we can find agood home for things, but it can be frustrating when try as you mightyou can't find a taker for something - especially when you know thatsomeone, somewhere is probably spending good money on it.
Wouldyou feel happy telling a client that their set was second hand? Wouldthey feel confident enough to see it as a positive step rather than acost cutting exercise? Come to that, in the current climate would theybe pressing you to get the most you possibly could from a site likethis to save their budget?
I'm also curious as to howthis would work commericially, i.e. how much would you really beprepared to pay for something that had already been used. Would thesite - like eBay - turn into a shopfront for existing sellers ratherthan geuine resellers?
Lots of questions, and don't getme wrong - this is an idea I want to see work. First I'd be interestedto hear whether anyone thinks this has legs or whether it's one ofthose great ideas that doesn't quite cross the pond.
