Has your youngest started grade school? Or maybe, as if in a blink of an eye, she's finished college and moved into her first apartment.
Now you and your husband are thinking of downsizing. Or you could simply be hoping to free up some space, and wishing those bunk beds would just disappear.
Should you haul them out to the street as garbage? Heavens no! The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that nearly 10 million tons of perfectly good furniture is dumped in landfills each year. Such a waste.
But rather than collect dust in the attic or use up precious space in the garage, here's a much better solution: Give your well-loved but lightly-used furniture a second life by donating them to Habitat for Humanity Restores.
If you make your donation on the second Saturday of the month, Sustainable Furnishing Council (SFC) will award you with 500 PIPs, reward points you earn for doing good things... like recycling furniture. It's all part of SFC's new #SustainableSaturdays program.
SFC is an education organization that promotes healthy environments inside and out. It's concerned with the whole life cycle of home furnishings, from what it is made of to how it's disposed.
"We don't want furniture sitting unused in your basement any more than we want it dumped in a landfill." says SFC executive director, Susan Inglis. "Awarding you PIPs as part of #SustainableSaturdays is our way of saying thank you for appreciating the value of things, for taking care of your belongings and for sharing them with others when you no longer need them."
A new social good rewards program, PIPs are like frequent flyer miles but for good. Those earning PIPs as part of #SustainableSaturdays can redeem them immediately for music downloads or gift certificates for natural, healthy and responsibly made products. Or they can save them up and donate them to a favorite cause.
The next #SustainableSaturdays is October 11th. Click here to learn more about #SustainableSaturdays, PIPs and to find participating Habitat Restores near you.