Room of Requirement

Room of Requirement: Brandeis’ Free Store

What is the Room of Requirement?

The Room of Requirement is a designated room within East Quad for easy exchange of reusable items. Students can donate items that would otherwise be discarded or take items (for free!) they would otherwise need to purchase as new.

Based on the popular Harry Potter series in which the Room only appears when a person is in need of it, Brandeis’ Room of Requirement provides a readily available, accessible and enjoyableavenue for reuse of existing goods on campus, thus diverting useful items from the waste stream and reducing the consumption of new materials dependent on use of natural resources. The room enables students to ‘’shop” their way to environmentally friendlier habits.  The room also serves as a highly visible and designated location for student clubs to post information about green initiatives on campus.

This model has been successfully employed at other universities and colleges including Oberlin College and Warren Wilson College.

What Can I Donate? What Can I Find?

Students can donate items such as extra school supplies, old t-shirts, magazines, or anything that can be reused by anyone else. Items in the room are free for students to take and enjoy!

Project initiated by: Rachel Usnick

Oberlin College’s “free store”