Open Collections

An Investigation into the UBC Free Store

University of British Columbia. Campus and Community Planning

The UBC Free Store is a volunteer effort that aims to sustainably develop and diversify the campus economy. The ability for customers to obtain for free the donated goods serves to redirect these goods more effectively in terms of need and scarcity. Another objective of the store is to reduce waste. Lastly, the operation augments the climate of trade at UBC, and equips students, faculty and visitors with an option beyond maximizing profit. In light of this intention and statistics gathered in the investigation, the qualitative estimate can be made that the existence of a Free Store on UBC campus carries positive externalities. The context of the investigation is that of a very young project; the “infrastructure” of the organization is in its infancy in terms of permanent residence, volunteer numbers, reputation, and support. The goals included trying to build these fundamental parameters by providing recommendations based on evidence from an engineering perspective. Statistics gathered on the preceding topics, as well as field trips to existing stores were conducted. Research into existing free stores’ models of sustainability were compared with what is feasible for the UBC group to implement. A list of recommendations was compiled in summary of the potential additions the results of the investigation suggest are feasible. The critical suggestions being towards furthering the awareness of the program through advertising, events, and other forms of community involvement, including mutual endorsement with other sustainable programs in the school. Some examples of this include become affiliated with student teams or other lines of funding, which will hopefully provide this group with the agency to sustain their organization. Recommendations were made towards some of the group’s internal organization based on other free store models. Lastly, a way in which this group can utilize technology to their benefit is to employ a digital tool such as the internet. Between ledgering the content they are redirecting, advertising, linking themselves to other groups/events, or using the net as a tool to help get the things to people who need it most, there is a plenty of room for organization on this front. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”

Text

UBC Social Ecological Economic Development Studies (SEEDS) Student Report; University of British Columbia. APSC 262

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0343222

Applied Science, Faculty of

Unreviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/