Sustainable Saturdays at Rancho Santa Fe Library

Join us at Rancho Santa Fe Library for a morning of activities to help us all be more sustainable! Join us at 9 a.m. for a litter cleanup around the neighborhood, and/or 10 a.m. for a Swap Party at the Rancho Santa Fe Library.

    • 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. Watershed Warriors Rancho Santa Fe Community Cleanup (registration encouraged): We will be set-up with a check-in table and cleanup supplies at the Rancho Santa Fe Library. Join us to grab supplies and help us clean up to protect the San Diego River watershed! After the cleanup, you can get service credit in your Community Hub dashboard. Learn more about this cleanup here!
    • 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Clothing Swap: Update your wardrobe before the summer season and help divert textile waste from our local landfills! Bring your gently used clothing items to exchange them for other items at no cost. By participating in the swap you will be 👉 Helping to conserve natural resources 👉 Reducing the environmental footprint of producing new goods 👉 Building community. Learn more about Swap Parties here!

A few things to keep in mind:

    • You can attend either or both of these activities – separate or together, whatever you have time and interest for! The cleanup will kick-off at 9 a.m. outside the library, and the Swap Party will be kicking off around 10 a.m next to the cleanup check in station.
    • We ask that you register for the Cleanup so we can be prepared with supplies. You can register for the event by following the link above, or clicking “Register” below. We encourage you to bring some lightly used items (each person is limited to 5 items for donations) for the Swap Party!

Sustainable Saturday at Valley Center Library

Join us for Sustainable Saturday at Valley Center Library – a morning of activities to help us all be more sustainable! Join us at 9 a.m. for a litter cleanup around the Valley Center neighborhood, and/or 10 a.m. for a Swap Party and Fix-It-Clinic in the Library. There will also be resource booths with County information about recycling, composting, and more!

    • 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. Watershed Warriors Valley Center Cleanup (Registration Encouraged): We will be set-up with a check-in table and cleanup supplies at the Valley Center Library. Join us at 9 a.m. to grab supplies and help us clean up to protect the San Luis Rey watershed! After the cleanup, you can get service credit in your Community Hub dashboard. Learn more about this cleanup here!
    • 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Clothing Swap: Update your wardrobe before the summer season and help divert textile waste from our local landfills! Bring your gently used clothing items to exchange them for other items at no cost. By participating in the swap you will be 👉 Helping to conserve natural resources 👉 Reducing the environmental footprint of producing new goods 👉 Building community. Learn more about Swap Parties here!
    • 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. SD Fixit Clinic (Registration strongly encouraged): Bring your broken, non-working items—electronics, appliances, computers, toys, bicycles, clothes, and more—for assessment, disassembly, and possible repair. We’ll provide workspace, specialty tools, and guidance to help you take apart and troubleshoot your item. Even if we can’t fix it, you’ll learn more about how it was made and how it works. Learn more and sign-up to bring an item here!
    • 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Seed Bombs Workshop and Seed Library hosted by The Valley Center Library
    • 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Community Resources: Check-out our information tables to learn more about recycling, composting, and wellness resources available to County residents!

A few things to keep in mind:

    • You can attend any or all of these activities – separate or together, whatever you have time and interest for! The cleanup will kick-off at 9 a.m. outside the library, and the Swap Party, Fix-It-Clinic, and resource booths will be kicking off around 10 a.m. inside the library.
    • We ask that you register for the Cleanup and for the SD Fixit Clinic, so we can be prepared with supplies, tools, and volunteer experts to help with breaking down broken appliances. You can register for each event by following the links above, or clicking “Register” below. No registration needed for any of the other activities – but we encourage you to bring some lightly used items for the Swap Party!

Swap Party at the Sustainable Ramona Harvest Festival

We are happy to announce that I Love A Clean San Diego will be hosting a SWAP Party booth at the Sustainable Ramona Harvest Festival happening in the Ramona Community Garden on October 22, 2022 from 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM. Check-out our booth and find second-hand clothing pieces and Halloween costumes in good condition for the upcoming holidays! Participate by brining any gently used clothing items, like t-shirts, jeans, jackets, and Halloween costumes you no longer need and trade them for other goods at no cost. By participating in the swap, you are helping to conserve natural resources, reduce the environmental footprint of producing new goods, and building community.

We will accept: Clean, new or used, second-hand items

We will not accept items with  stains, smells, broken pieces

No Charge for Admission.

Ramona Community Garden – 11th St & San Vicente Rd. Ramona, CA 92065

How to Host a Clothing Swap Party

How to Host a Swap Party

What if there is a way to obtain new items while still being environmentally friendly? What if I told you that you can now go shopping for free? Welcome to SWAP Parties.

What’s a swap party?

  • Swap parties have been growing in popularity and offer an alternative in the way we acquire items for ourselves and our household.
  • Swaps are meet ups where people can bring in second-hand items that they own and exchange them with other items that other people bring at no cost.
  • Beyond being economical, eco-friendly, and an excuse to clean out your closet, a swap party with friends is far more fun than a yard sale with strangers.
  • By participating in a swap, you are helping to conserve natural resources, reduce the environmental footprint of producing new goods, and building community.

How to start

  • Set a theme – A swap party can be for clothing, toys, housewares, pet supplies, books, DVDs – anything you can think of! Decide on the type items that will be collected and exchanged.
  • Pick a space – Find a location that will give enough space for people to sort through items. Friendly Tip, adding clothing racks and full body mirrors will help you stay organized.
  • Gather friends and their excess stuff – For this sustainable get-together, people need to participate and show up with items that can be exchanged! Encourage guests to bring new friends to ensure there are plenty of quality things to trade.
  • Send out e-invitations! There are plenty of services for electronic invitations that are an upgrade from sending a text. Check out Paperless Post, Green Envelope, and eVite.
  • Host your swap at the end of the season when people are cleaning out their closets and looking for new pieces to freshen up their wardrobes.

Tricks of the Trade

  • Be clear about what’s swap-worthy. Ask friends to bring clean goods in gently used condition. Set standards of what will and will not be accepted. Be clear that items with stains, holes, rips or odors should be avoided.
  • Organize the Set Up of the Swap. To help people find what they want, sort items into areas based on type of items, color, and style.
  • After the party, take the leftover goods to your local donation center. Goodwill, schools, theatre groups, and pet adoption centers would love your excess items. Visit WasteFreeSD.org to find donation drop-off centers near you to take all the leftovers.

The most important part of SWAP Parties is, not only to have fun, but also to give a second round of life to pieces of items that would have otherwise ended in the landfill.

Want to attend a swap? Go to our events page to learn more about our upcoming Swap Parties!