On a sunny Saturday afternoon in downtown Athens, many can be found shopping in outdoor markets. New clothes for a party, new toys for a pet, spending money on items that may or may not end up in a landfill.
On the second Saturday of every month, however, Reese Pope Park holds the Athens Really Really Free Market.
Why It’s Newsworthy: As fast fashion waste fills landfills outside of our communities, Athens residents come together to find a second life for items they no longer need.The recurring event is organized by volunteers such as Jennifer Bray, who set up the tables and uphold the basic principles: give what you have and take what you need, no buys or trades, no broken items. The rest is up to the community. Tables on the pavilion fill with everything from children’s books to coffee pots to pantry staples, even live plants.
We have everything from unhoused folks to college professors and everybody in between,” Bray said.
“And that’s one thing I really love about this, is that it’s a space that I spend time in where all of those different people are together.”
Many people are interested in consuming less, but our needs and wants will often come first. However, buying items for convenience comes at a cost for the environment, as synthetic materials sit in landfills away from our sight.
Athens Really Really Free Market is making small changes towards a more sustainable world, and building community in the meantime.
Marley Hinrichs is a junior majoring in journalism with a minor in sociology.
