What is the Field Gear Co-Op—This initiative followed a DEC office hour discussion in 2020 regarding financial barriers and equity in field work—particularly access to (often expensive) field and camping gear. A group of us at the time, including Caroline Cappello, Jordan Claytor, Luke Weaver, and Alex Lowe created a cooperative gear exchange as a small step towards making the right field gear accessible for all undergraduate and graduate students. Because the sheet was owned by a since-graduated UW email account, it was subsequently lost.
How the Field Gear Co-Op works—If you have field gear (camping, field clothes, tools, equipment) you are willing to either LOAN or DONATE, you list and describe those items in the program’s google sheet and list your email. Those wishing to either borrow or acquire gear send an email to the donor/lender to inquire on setting up a time and place to meet and exchange. More detailed instructions are included in the link above. For those that need to off-load gear to be donated (e.g., you are moving), reach out to Andrea (acroz@uw.edu) for drop-off instructions.
WE NEED YOUR HELP. THIS COOPERATIVE PROGRAM RELIES ON US (STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF) TO ‘STOCK THE SHELVES’. PLEASE, HAVE A LOOK AT THE SHEET AND LIST WHAT YOU CAN.
Also, if you have any comments, questions, critiques, or suggestions for improvement, please let us know! We want this to be a living document and are open to any and all changes.