At 7:15am on Thursday, Apr. 21, dozens of girls huddled around tables covered with a myriad of clothes, accessories, books and DVDs. Despite the early hour, students were eagerly sifting through the heaps of merchandise, ready to swap their gently-used items with other members of the community.

Marlborough hosted the first “Thrifty Thursday” event which allowed students to exchange items to support the spirit of Earth Week: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. In addition to raising awareness of environmentally-friendly practices, the proceeds from “Thrifty Thursday” went to benefit Japan.

Although “Thrifty Thursday” was ultimately successful, Director of Community Service Miranda Payne revealed the difficulties of executing the event.

“In terms of clothing and accessories, I didn’t know the quantity of items that we were going to receive,” she said, “As a result, I had to really trust the girls to bring in appropriate items, either formal or casual, that would enhance the selection and overall success of the swap.”

Maryellen Baker, mother of Eliza ’13 and Parent Representative to the Marlborough School Environmental Committee, said that “Thrifty Thursday” complemented the Environmental Committee’s goal of re-purposing.

“Our goal was to have things that are not being used to be used by others” she said, “So when students buy items from today’s swap, they are directly impacting the Earth by conserving resources.”

In all, “Thrifty Thursday” epitomized how one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. The swap not only sent students home smiling but also supported the sustainability efforts of the School and advocacy on behalf of the victims in Japan.