Craig, meet Pete. Pete, meet Craig.
As the University of Denver Sustainability Council looks for ways DU can cut its carbon footprint and lessen the impact on the environment, sometimes a little idea is a big deal. That’s where “Pete’s List” comes in.
On Dec. 4 the council launched an online place for faculty, staff and departments to share old chairs, electronics and unneeded office supplies. The online site, dubbed “Pete’s List” in honor of DU’s old mascot, Pioneer Pete, is sort of an on-campus Craig’s List. Got an extra desk you don’t need, fill out the form and upload a photo. Need an extra desk, go online and browse.
And it’s all free.
Council member Pete Goff says it was coworker Doug Rippey at the Penrose Library who came up with the idea and asked him to bring it to the Council.
“Hopefully, it will save the University some money, keep us from buying things that are right here on campus,” Goff says. “It should help the University deal with equipment and furniture that is no longer needed in one department but could still be used in another department.
“It could be anything. We used to wrap books in brown paper, but we don’t anymore. We have a lot of brown paper that maybe could be used in another department.”
Karl French, who works at the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and is a member of the Sustainability Council, will administer the list.
The form for adding items to the list is designed to be easy to use, and it offers a simple way for “sellers” to upload photos. French does the rest. And when items have been snapped up, the listing comes down.
“It’s going to work a lot like Craig’s List. We’re hoping we’re not sending things to landfills or having the University spending money on things that we already have,” French says.