As another school year began, the DU Center for Sustainability geared up for its annual move-in sale. The event took place on Sept. 5 for freshman move-in day and again on Sept. 9, offering upperclassmen an opportunity to find inexpensive items of their own.
“The goal of the move-in thrift sale is to reduce the amount of goods that students living in residential halls purchase brand new every fall by collecting and storing these items at the end of each year, when they would typically be discarded at other universities,” said Ellie Barnett-Cashman, the undergraduate thrift store lead.
Barnett-Cashman noted that by reselling these items annually, students get “the most possible use out of each product and promote a circular economy within DU.”
Items on sale at this event come from last year’s move-out donation drive, which occurs at the end of the school year. During the move-out drive, students donate any items they don’t want to store or take home with them. These items are then organized and displayed by the thrift store team at the move-in sale.
From mirrors to storage to clothing, a wide range of items were available at the sale, all at a discounted price. The annual event emphasized the importance of buying second-hand and finding a more sustainable option. “By purchasing these pre-owned items, parents and students are ending the cycle of ‘single-use’ items and contributing to a circular economy,” said Liz Hoffman, a member of the thrift store support staff.
“We had tons of parents and students rush in the second we opened and bought out a lot of our storage items and mirrors,” said Hoffman. She heard several parents and students throughout the two days exclaiming, “We should’ve just bought these here!” which emphasizes Hoffman’s message: “not only does the thrift store have stock, we have a whole lot of it, ready to be reused by those who need it.”
The sale was a huge success. “We sold out of nearly all the mirrors, fans, storage containers, lamps, and appliances we had for sale in the mere nine total hours the sale ran between the two days, demonstrating the need for this resource here on campus,” said Barnett-Cashman.
The DU Thrift Store holds several events throughout the year where students, faculty and staff can shop for discounted items and learn about the importance of regenerative practices on and off campus.
While this sale and the thrift store have proven year after year to be valuable resources for incoming and returning students, Barnett-Cashman expressed her concerns about the lack of support from the DU administration on behalf of the entire Center for Sustainability.
“We had some of our storage spaces taken away from us this past year, so it was a bit of a scramble figuring out where to keep all of these items over the summer, but hopefully this year the higher-ups will come around and realize how important this sale is in reducing the waste we produce at DU and promoting sustainable practices among students,” Barnett-Cashman said.
The DU thrift store will be regularly open Tuesday-Thursday from 2-6 p.m. in the Centennial Halls Lounge throughout the school year, starting the second week of classes. Students, faculty and staff can donate and shop for clothes, school supplies, housing items and more.
For more information on DU thrift store events and the Center for Sustainability, follow @duthriftstore and @sustainabledu on Instagram.
