On Saturday September 1, 2018, members of the Share Ground committee took part in the Eco-Sharing-Marketplace which took place in the parking lot of the Gangnam-Gu Office. Share Ground is an organization of students that annually raises money to donate to various types of foundations. According to the their website, Share Ground is run by middle school and high school students from all over South Korea. Prior to participating in the Eco-Sharing-Marketplace, on Friday, July 20, 2018, members of the Share Ground organization gathered to reform donated clothes to sell it to others and raise money. After careful consideration, the committee members decided to sell the goods and reformed clothes donated to the organization in the Eco-Sharing-Marketplace. 

 The event took place from 10am to 2pm. People from all over Seoul gathered together in the small parking lot with a common purpose; to make sure that products that they did not need anymore did not get wasted, yet for it to find a new owner to minimize the waste of natural resources. Indeed, the event did provide the opportunity for the participants to sell their own goods that they did not use anymore to those who needed it.
 

Share Ground successfully sold the reformed clothes, donated eco-bags, books, notebooks, and board games to those who needed them for a cheap price. In total, the organization raised several hundred US dollars. The raised money was donated straight to the Gangnam Seocho Korean Federation for Environmental Movement with a hope for the federation to put greater effort in contributing to bettering the environment.
 Although Share Ground raises money annually, the Eco-Sharing-Marketplace itself takes place four times a month. It is a great place where people can take a nice breather from the busy reality. Participating in this event is valuable also because we are able to share with many others and become one through the purpose of protecting the environment. The place is not like the typical market where people sell and buy things and then leave, but it is a place for people to genuinely interact with others as they to get to know each other through conversations. This event is special due to the fact that it is mostly run by students. It shows that the younger generation is able to have a better understanding of the environment and is willing to live in an eco-friendly lifestyle.
 

It was surprising to see that many people, especially busy students, were willing to give up their time on the weekend to participate in the Eco-Sharing-Marketplace. I was glad at the same time to see that people were not as ignorant as I thought they would be about wasting their perfectly fine products just because they got tired of them. This biased thinking had been shaped gradually from my personal experience of interactions with people I knew. Overall, taking part in the Eco-Sharing-Marketplace was an enlightening experience for me and I encourage my readers to go to this event that takes place four times a year.


 
 

Seyun Bang
Grade 9
Rumsey Hall School