On Sunday, residents from several Rochester neighborhoods brought their unused and unwanted items to a free-for-all yard sale and freecycle event at the nonprofit Rochester Greenovation on East Main Street.
The idea was to pass forward stuff people no longer want or need and discover new treasures without having to pay for them.
It's part of a growing local minimalist movement, according to Amy Cavalier. She leads The Rochester Minimalists groupand a "buy nothing" social media group for residents in the Beechwood/Homestead Heights/Culver-Winton neighborhoods.
"The goal of that is to basically share things on Facebook, giving away things, asking for things you need, sharing your talents, time, and services and asking for nothing in return."
Cavalier thinks people are starting to realize that they need to place more value on their relationships and life experiences and less emphasis on material things. And there's also a commitment to living more simple life.
"Getting back to the days when you borrowed things from your neighbors, you fixed things, and you found a use for everything. I don't want to encourage hoarding, but I do think that there are a lot of things out there that could have more life and really have the potential to be repaired and reused and upcycled."
Cavalier said several groups are considering a local fix-it clinic for people who want to repair broken items.
