The Book Cupboard @ Voltaplatz

A bit more about books, books for adults...

Need a good summer read? Already finished your good summer read? Look no further than the Buecherschrank at Voltaplatz in Basel. (It's the first of it's kind in Switzerland! How exciting!) The book cupboard is sponsored by the Christoph Merian Stiftung and is meant to support St. Johann's literature-minded community. The book cupboard is essentially an anonymous book exchange!! Super (spoken with a Swiss accent, of course)! Take one and leave one!

http://merianstiftung.ch/buecherschrank-basel/

The book cupboard is located at the new paved pedestrian area at Voltaplatz (the intersection of tram 1 and tram 11) not far from the Florida Café.

 

I took a look inside a few days ago and it was overflowing with potential summer entertainment. I found books in German, French, English, Japanese and many other languages I wasn't sure of. I found one for myself! (Can you guess which one it is?) Next time I pass by I'll donate one of two. What a wonderful concept!

I would recommend taking larger donations of English books to the AWC library at GGG Basel West or to Centrepoint.

http://www.centrepoint.ch/
http://www.awcbasel.org/

Happy Summer Reading!!

Jars...

Jam jars, baby food jars, nut butter jars, applesauce jars, yogurt jars, juice jars, canning jars... Don't just recycle them, reuse them! Remember the slogan that was ingrained in your supple elementary school mind: reduce, reuse, recycle? (Well, it was hammered into mine, thanks Mr. Clark.) We can all reduce by buying less packaging, and we can easily reuse - we can reuse all of those glass jars! 

Transfer all those plastic-packed goods into glass jars to help organize your cupboards and reenergize your interest in cooking! It worked for me!

No more hassle reclosing boxes and bags, no more accidental spills, no more "where did that go?" BECAUSE... everything is in a clear glass jar! Better yet, buy bulk (hopefully using the containers you will be storing the items in or in biodegradable "plastic" bags) and regularly refill your jars.  Even if the environment is not your number one priority, these reused jars are sure to make organizing, cooking and cleaning up much, much easier! 

P.S. Make sure the jars are completely clean and DRY before reusing them otherwise your foods may become moldy and inedible and that would be entirely counterproductive, wouldn't it? It is also a good idea to reuse only those jars that will not rust.

Piles and Piles of CLOTHES!

Ah clothes! Piles and piles of clothes! I suspect you have a closet full waiting for a new home.  I have an even stronger suspicion that you would LOVE some "new" clothes, right?

Well how about hosting a clothes exchange?? Also known as "bare naked lady party," though you don't really need to strip down to your skivvies. I've done it myself a few times (not the striping down) and had a blast! Get all your friends together and make mountains of clothes on the floor. Pick and choose and help support your friends all with a glass of wine in hand.

All you need is a place to host, a day or night of the week, good friends and LOTS of clothes! I also enjoy sorting through accessories. Try exchanging kids clothes and toys too. Give it a go and get some "new" clothes for FREE and feel way good about recycling!