The Tao of Sharing

An enlightened entrepreneur with a strong environmental streak, Bert Ball thrives on making good business that benefits the planet. As executive director of the Web-based philanthropy L.A.SHARES, he has created the world’s most highly organized and successful materials reuse/recycling program. Along with sparing L.A. County landfills from tons of unnecessary dumping, in 2004, L.A. SHARES redistributed more than $11 million worth of goods and materials to groups in Southern California. With a mixture of amazement and pride, Ball notes, “L.A. SHARES is the single largest donor of goods and materials to the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Arts Community, After School Enrichment programs, the Recreation and Parks community, the Theater community and the Alcohol and Drug Recovery community, among others.”

Dressed in a polo shirt and khakis, looking like an eco-conscious preppy, Ball continues, “I feel very lucky to be able to do this work, L.A. SHARES helps the community while serving as a model for many other cities who are struggling with crowded landfills, cash-strapped school districts and similar problems that Los Angeles struggles with every day.”

Ball is too modest to mention that his skill at turning trash into treasure has drawn laurels from the highest reaches of government. L.A. SHARES program director Carrie Chen informs me that in 2002, “L.A. SHARES was lauded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a “model program” for the United States. The White House Task Force on Recycling and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development also awarded L.A. SHARES for its outstanding environmental achievement.”

Thanks to L.A. SHARES, every day is Christmas for Los Angeles County schools and nonprofit organizations. L.A. SHARES takes tax-deductible donations of reusable goods and materials (both new and gently used) from local businesses and then redistributes these free of charge to nonprofit organizations and schools throughout Los Angeles County– all through their user-friendly Web site, www.lashares.org.

Established in 1991, L.A. SHARES has teamed with over 1,000 local businesses to redistribute more than $75 million worth of goods to over 2,500 Los Angeles County non-profit organizations and schools. “This year,” says Ball, the organization’s goals include helping more L.A. County non-profits and schools plug into the L.A. SHARES network, while also increasing the number of donor businesses in our database. Together, we can make a big difference in the quality of life and learning in our community,” he continues, “while also doing a good turn for the environment and future generations.”

All donations to L.A. SHARES are tax-deductible, as allowed by law. The organization provides donors with a letter acknowledging donations based upon their written inventory.

By visiting www.lashares.org, any business can make donations in a matter of mouse clicks. Los Angeles County schools and nonprofit agencies can register for the program, creating a “wish list” of needed items. The Web site’s relational data base then cross matches incoming donations with these “wish lists” to award goods and supplies to schools and non-profit organizations.

In this enlightened recycling scheme, L.A. SHARES provides free transport of goods to deserving schools and organizations, and the donor receives a tax deduction. “Recycling this way enriches the community, and donors also appreciate sparing landfills from unnecessary loading while saving on disposal costs for items,” says Ball.

Some of the businesses L.A. SHARES works with include: ABC, American Express, The Home Depot, the J. Paul Getty Museum, Lockheed Martin, Nissan North America, Paramount Pictures, Northrop Grumman, Sony Pictures, UCLA, Union Pacific Bank, The Walt Disney Company and Wells Fargo Bank. Many other smaller businesses are steady donors as well, providing everything from

L.A. SHARES can not accept equipment or furniture that is not in good working order, any toxic materials, food, clothing, bedding, household refrigerators, washers, dyers, stoves, paint or construction debris. (www.lashares.org can direct you to other programs that deal with these materials.) Some of the most practical donations to give L.A. SHARES include office furniture, office machines, office supplies, paper products, or complete and fully working Pentium or later computer systems including CPU, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and all cords and cables.

Other items that L.A. SHARES will gladly accept include: art supplies, personal care products, sports equipment, musical instruments and new clothing. “L.A. SHARES is such a boon for the school district,” says David Tokofsky, Board Member of the Los Angeles Unified School District. “Where else can you get much needed furniture and office supplies for free?”

By utilizing L.A. SHARES, California businesses adhere to Assembly Bill 939, which requires them to reduce their landfill-bound waste. Last year, L.A. SHARES diverted more than 1,000 tons of goods and materials from needlessly entering local landfills.

As of this writing, there are 2, 246 schools and non-profits currently posting their “wish lists” with L.A. SHARES. Before receiving donations, recipients promise in writing that they will send donors a thank you letter for materials received. L.A. SHARES has helped more than 2,500 nonprofit organizations and schools throughout Los Angeles County including: Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Organization for the Needs of the Elderly, Habitat for Humanity, Inner City Cultural Center, Union Rescue Mission, Los Angeles Girl Scout Council, the San Fernando Valley Child Guidance Clinic, John Marshall High School, Canoga Park Elementary School, Los Angeles Family School.

Getting ready to leave for a corporate luncheon where he will chat with long-time donors and enlist some new ones, Ball says, “When I was a little boy I always wished I could meet Santa Claus. Now my job makes me a kind of Santa Claus by proxy,” he says with a laugh. “Do you have any idea how great it feels to tell people that my life’s work is about sharing?” he asks. “I am definitely one of the luckiest people on the planet.”

For more information on L.A. SHARES, or how to start a non-profit organization like it in your area, click on www.lashares.org.

written by kyle roderick