When I returned to Jamaica I was delighted to find that there's a group here, but very disappointed to see that the activity was so sluggish.

I am aware that in Jamaica we have a very different culture about "stuff" and how attached we are to it -  we perceive our possessions as being a lot less disposable than the consumerist US resident does.

However, I don't think this should seriously affect the success of a Kingston Freecycle group. In Jamaica we are very adept at finding continued uses for stuff that would otherwise be trash and I think we can apply the principles of Freecycle to our local attitudes about stuff. For example, while my former freecyle group offers more "good condition" "still usable" items than broken items, we can offer items that need repair and would have been thrown out otherwise, we can offer items that can be useful as part of a project because there are a lot of people who are willing, and also more able to repair/rebuild items than purchase them new.

Being a part of the freecycle network gives a great sense of community knowing you are able to help someone/receive help from someone who is otherwise unconnected to you. I would love to experience this same sense at home.

Visit the group and join today, then look around your house for an item or two that is still useful but you can do without.http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kingstonjamfreecycle/