Our Mission

Georgetown REUSE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that sells donated items at accessible prices, mends garments, and provides sustainability education in order to promote a circular system of consumption.

Our Story

In Fall 2021, REUSE envisioned creating a space to repurpose dorm materials, school supplies, and clothing, offering them at low prices locally. We soon launched pilot projects like clothing swaps, partnering with GREEN. We later expanded into Uncommon Threads, featuring clothing racks at student-run shops, with proceeds going to Georgetown Mutual Aid.

In Fall 2022, after a successful year of GREEN projects, the 6 founders of REUSE received the Georgetown Green Commons Award, which they used to collaborate with the Move-Out Drive in partnership with Keys for the Homeless at the end of the 2021-2022 academic year. They stored excess dorm items for a pop-up sale in the fall, diverting over 500 lbs of waste.

In February 2023, two REUSE co-founders, Rita Alan and Stephane Granato compete and win First Place and the People's Choice award at Rocket Pitch. With the award money, the company is able to pay for and acquire the necessary licensing and insurance to operate on campus.

In March 2023, REUSE acquires a second-hand dealer's business license and general liability insurance, enabling the organization to launch its first public donation sites in Southwest Quad (the donation bins are filled in less than a week) and host its first official sale as a vendor at the Georgetown Farmers Market on March 23, 2023.

In April 2023, REUSE founders Brooke Hodge (former CEO) and Rita Alan achieved recognition and funding through various competitions, including the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Challenge, and hosted successful sales in collaboration with Georgetown Scholar's Program and Georgetown's Sexual Assault Peer Educators (SAPE). Additionally, Brooke Hodge won First Place and the largest-ever prize at the IBD Global Impact Pitch Competition.

In May 2023, REUSE participated as a nonprofit partner at the Move-Out Drive hosted by the Georgetown Office of Sustainability. We continue to serve the Georgetown Community through donation drives and our pop-up shops every Wednesday in Red Square.

Now, REUSE has expanded our organization and branches, notably adding our ReStitch team and E-Commerce operations.

 FAQs

  • REUSE is a student-run registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation whose mission is to increase accessibility, reduce waste, and promote a circular system of consumption by way of providing affordable and pre-loved clothing, school supplies, and dorm materials to students and community members. We do so by collecting, storing, and then reselling goods donated to us at heavily discounted prices on and around the Georgetown campus.

  • We are not a recognized student organization at Georgetown, but rather are a student-run nonprofit business.

    However, we have permission from the administration to sell. We are an approved Farmers Market Vendor. We have a second hand business license which allows us to sell used goods and general liability insurance with Georgetown University listed on it which allows us to sell on campus. If we are selling outside of the farmers’ market, we received special approval to sell from the University. 

  • The money from sales first goes to financing our business’ operation expenses, which includes but is not limited to licensing costs, insurance, virtual office rent, our website, and storage equipment. For instance, our Second Hand Business License cost $650.

    After our operational expenses, any additional profits are donated to a DMV non-profit that we select each year as our educational partner. We also host fundraising sales with organizations such as Rangila and SAPE where a portion of proceeds from one sale are donated to their non-profit cause.

  • A circular economy is a system that considers the full lifecycle of every resource and making it renewable. In place of an economy where we use resources to create products and then dispose of them, a circular economy makes products that can be regenerated or used as resources again.

    Georgetown REUSE prioritizes accounting for every element of our operations. We take care to make sure that our purchases are sourced responsibly. Additionally, all donations are sorted through, and if they don’t sell, they are donated to trusted local thrift shops. Any fabrics or goods that cannot be donated are delivered to local recycling programs