With over 8 million members and active sites in most medium to major cities in the United States as well as in other countries, Freecycle.org is a free stuff force to be reckoned with.

It works like this: 1. You register with Freecycle.org; 2. You get a chance to advertise to other members (for free of course) stuff you want to get rid of; 3. You also get access to a daily listing for your area of as yet unclaimed free stuff others want to have picked up and carted off; 4. You arrange times for someone to pick up your stuff and/or for you to pick up theirs; 5. You make the exchange(s); 6. You let others know when the free stuff has been taken, so people need not keep trying to check on or get it themselves.

I am a happy member and know of others who swear by it. For their greater security, in Austin there is even a women's only Freecycle.org.

Here is a sampling of some of what is currently available through Freecycle.org here in Austin (seen as likely typical of other areas as well) for nothing but the time and gasoline required to go pick them up:

• Prom and bridesmaids dresses;
• A working microwave;
• An artificial Christmas tree with decorations;
• A Sears cartop luggage carrier;
• Three full-length mirrors;
• 50+ beermakers' beer bottles;
• A good condition high chair;
• A sit-n-stand child's stroller;
• A working 3.5 HP electric mower;
• A table-mounted bandsaw;
• A king-size Ralph Lauren comforter;
• A white full size headboard;
• A bathtub grab bar;
• Five boxes of jig-saw puzzles; and
• A waterproof toddler mattress cover (which I suppose could come in handy for some of our aging baby boomers as well!).

A friend of mine recently picked up a free trunk load of perfectly good natural stone blocks, each about four times the size of a normal brick. The previous owners did not like them because they had gotten muddy. In fact, they had just bought a replacement load of fresh, clean natural stone blocks to add as veneer on their home. (Go figure!) My friend took 10 minutes to wash off her free blocks and had great, good-as-new additions to her landscaping.

Freecycle.org is also available in San Jose, NYC, Dallas, Fort Worth, Ocala, Houston, Waco, San Antonio, Minneapolis-St. Paul, many cities in WI (including Rice Lake), and several cities in Germany, to name a few.

Using Freecycle.org is an example of the creative, cooperative ways we can all demonstrate concern for the environment while making our lives simpler and more cost effective. What is not to like?