Last weekend, we finally took a step we’d been dreaming about for months: Trenza Verde’s first official event in Hampton Bays, New York. From Friday, August 15 through Sunday, August 17, 2025, we gathered in a community space to give perfectly good items a second life—keeping many of them, still with plenty of use left, out of the trash. We also opened up swap-and-save opportunities to stretch people’s budgets—especially for folks who can’t afford to buy some items new—while caring for the planet at the same time. It wasn’t “just” a garage sale, a fair, or a flea market; it was a clear invitation to rethink how we consume, what we do with what we no longer use, and how we can build community around the circular economy—the simple idea of keeping things in use longer instead of sending them to the landfill.
What Is Trenza Verde Yard Sale?
Trenza Verde Yard Sale is a local movement with a global mindset: to weave (that’s where the name comes from) everyday habits of responsible consumption, collaboration, and environmental awareness. It’s built on three simple, powerful goals:
Get perfectly good items into the hands of people who need them and can’t afford to buy new.
Prevent waste by rescuing useful things that—simply because they’re not circulating—too often end up in the trash.
Create exchange spaces (barter and donation) that strengthen personal finances and shrink our environmental footprint.
This first fair was our public debut. We wanted the community not just to hear about the idea, but to become an active part of it from day one.
The idea was born a long time ago and comes from the concern or premise that taking care of the environment can also be profitable. For example, there are many things that are not really trash and can still be reused, but most people don’t do it—often because they don’t know where to take them to donate or exchange, they don’t have the time, or they simply don’t know what to do to give them a second chance.
Additionally, I live in an area where most people consume a lot and throw away almost-new items, and that’s where the opportunity arises: people who are in need and looking to buy at a low cost can get first-class items that are practically like new. In the area where we carried out our first activity, you can also find many flea markets or yard sales. However, unfortunately, many of the items promoted there are not very affordable, or they’re clearly intended to be sold as if they were new store-bought products.
In the case of Trenza Verde, the goal is to recover items that people think are no longer useful—many of which were destined for the trash. These items are rescued, cleaned, maintained, and then offered at very low prices or donated to people who truly need them and are willing to give them a second life.
Impact in Three Dimensions: Social, Environmental, and Economic
Social Impact: A Community That Shows Up
The fair reminded us that what we share holds us together. Strangers chatted, helped each other pick sizes, tested gadgets, and swapped book recommendations. Dignity was front and center: every item was set out with care—clean and well presented—because giving and receiving is an emotional experience, too.
Environmental Impact: Less Trash, Longer Life
Every item reused is one less piece of waste and one fewer resource extracted. While we don’t have official figures from this first edition yet, the volume of rehomed items was notable. In footprint terms, reuse stretches the life cycle and slows consumption: fewer packages, less transportation, and lower CO₂.
Economic Impact: A Break for Your Budget
Between swaps and no-cost pickups, many visitors met immediate needs without taking on debt. And donors walked away with something just as valuable: newly freed space at home, the satisfaction of helping, and the chance to reduce future purchases thanks to an exchange network that now exists.
First impressions of the event
There was great acceptance from the participants at the fair: the community actively took part by collaborating, bringing items, donating articles in perfect condition, buying, and feeling comfortable with the fair and its purpose. Taking care of the environment really works: repairing, refurbishing, and recycling truly work. We need to keep working so that this awareness takes root—that we can do it, that it is the right thing to do, and that we can give a second chance to the items we have at home, not only for the well-being it brings to us but also as a commitment to caring for the environment.
If you’re interested in these initiatives and believe you can be an active part of this movement, we invite you to get in touch and let us know how you’d like to participate. We’ll guide you every step of the way and provide whatever support you need.