Matter of Trust

This seems like a fairly simple concept. After all it's the basic idea behind things like freecycle. But back in 1998, this was a rather novel idea and not everyone had internet access to create the connections they can now.

Reuse of Society's Abundance
MofT's first program, ROSA focuses on matching donations with donors, particularly those of an unusual nature. ROSA also scouts when MofT could act as an incubator for new programs or as a catalyst for partnerships between similar ecological organizations.

Excess Access, LLC
An online database that spun off from ROSA to expand the reach of matches.

These are my favorite programs from MofT because they're such creative ways of thinking about stuff we normally just toss.

Oil Spill Hair Mats
You know how greasy your hair can get? That's because hair naturally collects the oils from your skin. In the same way, it can absorb petroleum products that are spilled in tanker accidents.

MofT has salons (and dog groomers!) all over the country sweeping clippings into boxes and shipping them in for use in these mats. If you can't make a donation to one of the typical organizations because your hair is gray, permed, bleached, you can send it them to go into a mat.

Even better, MofT is partnering with The East Bay Depot For Creative Reuse and St. Vincent de Paul Society to make the mats, thus providing jobs and training - a pathway out of poverty for those transitioning out of foster care - for at risk youth.

Oily Hairmat Eating Mushrooms
Not a sci-fi B movie, but a real study MofT is involved in with Fungi.com. Basically you clean up the oil with the hairmats, feed the mats to the mushrooms, throw in some worms and in a few months, you have landscape-grade compost! Don't believe me? Here's an article from the San Francisco paper explaining more.

VeggieVan
The VeggieVan uses grease from fast-food restaurants to fuel its trips across the country doing educational programs. (You may laugh, but my dad drives his old Mercedes on cooking oil from a local restaurant. It works!)

Sun Train
Another feasibility study MofT is putting its muscle behind. The idea is to put solar panels on the train tracks to run the trains. Sweet!

Green Energy Millions
Make a commitment to be just a little greener in some easy ways such as bringing your own bags when you shop or drinking tap water instead of bottled.

Solar Peace Sculpture
Standing 50 feet tall, Solar Peace Sculpture is constructed of 120 oil barrels, with a solar energy panel mounted on each barrel. The solar energy produced from the panels will feed into the electrical grid of the city, with the monthly proceeds donated to various local charities. Current proposal locations include Saarbrüken, Germany and New York City.