This non-profit organization's unique innovation is bringing entire communities together for a wonderful cause. Freecycle is made up of individual groups across the world who want to give and receive free stuff. Perhaps you've been in the position of getting new couches when your old ones are still in OK condition. Rather than throwing them out, you can give them to someone else in your community who has a need for them.

Freecycle was started when Deron Beal, a recycling junkie, returned to the U.S. after living eight years in recycling-forward Germany. Beal was so overwhelmed by the amount of perfectly good items being thrown away that he set up a nonprofit web organization in order to connect people with items that would otherwise become trash. The simple idea of 'changing the world one gift at a time' has evolved into a movement. Freecycle, which has more than 2 million members worldwide, is now talking about creating a worldwide gift economy (think eBay without the exchange of money).

So here's how it works. If you're getting rid of something, whether it be your old violin, TV, fax machine, etc., you can join a community group for free, send out information about what you're getting rid of, and wait to see who needs it. In turn, if you see something you want, just jump in and ask for it. Freecycle's policy is simple: the items must be free, legal, and appropriate for all ages. Freecycle is cleaning up the planet while at the same time uniting communities to meet the needs of its members.

In addition to their yard-sale-like network, Freecycle provides tips about how to involve larger organizations in re-use processes. Schools and other non-profit organizations can post what they're searching for and a community group can help them come up with it. Freecycle empowers its community with the basic skills and knowledge to reconfigure the recycling industry one old coat, crib, or computer at a time.