Ben Howell

At Illinois State University, every school year starts with a front yard free cycle.

As senior Malia Bermijo says, she raced to grab one of the hot ticket items.

And you sat down and you claimed it?

Students like the free items, but what it is really about is the unification of convenience and sustainability.

Here's Elizabeth Reed of ISU.

Community effort is how real change is created, she says.

For NPR News, I'm Ben Howell in Normal, Illinois.