By Buddy Baker
Shopping for the environment
Want to help the environment? Go shopping. A new thrift store just opened in the Edge district can help you refresh your stuff, while recycling previously owned clothes and goods and reducing the impact of discarded items on the environment. Located at 1620 Central Ave., The Blue Urban Project Thrift calls itself “a hub for free essential resources.” It helps individuals and families in underserved areas, offering them access to everyday necessities at free or reduced costs. But it’s not just another thrift shop.
The store helps underwrite the work of the Blue Urban Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit created in 2024. Its priority is local environmental work such as an underwater cleanup at the St. Pete Yacht Club, at which volunteers recovered 700 pounds of debris from the ocean floor. It’s also conducted cleanups at The St. Pete Pier and is working to install “green” roofs on city bus shelters.
The thrift store also plans to be a community space, hosting free workshops centered around “Blue Urbanism,” exploring the intersection of urban life and water through topics like coastal resilience, marine conservation, sustainable design, and climate justice.
Blue urbanism, a term coined by Dr. Timothy Beatley in his 2005 book “Blue Urbanism: Exploring Connections Between Cities & Oceans,” describes an approach that integrates ocean and coastal environments into urban planning and design. At its core, it emphasizes sustainable, resilient, and equitable growth by recognizing the deep interconnection between cities and the sea, BUP says on its website. A concept especially vital for coastal cities.
Founders of the Blue Urban Project are Kirsten Hutchings and Raymond Salden, military veterans who wanted to align sustainable urban development with marine conservation and turn policy into practice. Kirsten is a Florida native who was a policy analyst for the federal government for 20 years, ultimately focusing on marine conservation and sustainable urban planning. Raymond, a former Navy search and rescue diver, has over 30 years of experience in the healthcare field. He is dedicated to addressing the climate crisis by educating the public on sustainable coastal urban development. Store hours are 11am-6pm Wed. through Fri., and 10am-6pm Sat. and Sun.