What’s yours is mine [Sunset]
By Chamberlain, Jess | |
Proquest LLC |
The
About seven years ago, Neal became so disillusioned with the meaninglessness of his job at a shipping company, he quit to be more connected to his community. After bouncing around Internet start-ups that facilitated collaboration and sharing physical assets, he launched Shareable.
Neal is far from alone in his commitment to the lifestyle. Whether motivated by the harsh necessities of a tough economy, a concern for conserving Earth's diminishing resources, or simply a desire to connect, more and more of us are participating in "the sharing economy."
People have always shared things, of course. But changes in technology are making it easier to coordinate with complete strangers. Before Internet and the iPhone, how would you ever know that the guy down the street was willing to rent out his Prius for $io an hour?
"We now have this global digital Internet platform that can locate us and things on the planet physically," says
The
Of course, like all pioneers, the new services have hit some road bumps. Airbnb experienced a PR disaster in June, when a woman came home and found that the lodger had trashed her place. Airbnb has since improved its vetting process and now protects covered property up to
Neal remembers when he tried sharing a car with a housemate before car-sharing services existed. The borrower got it towed and Neal had to retrieve it, costing him a day of work. "Man, that's not cool. We didn't have a written agreement on what we would do."
Agreements on paper now exist, but sharing services in general, says
Janelle, coauthor of The Sharing Solution, says that shouldn't scare us off from sharing our possessions with those around us. She talks warmly of using the Neighborhood Fruit website to score tasty local treats. A lot of people focus on the financial and environmental benefits, Janelle says. "But I'm finding that the biggest benefit is that just getting to know my neighbors makes me happy. The general happiness level tends to go up with sharing."
Neal, who shows no regret about his plunge into the sharing economy, agrees. "People can have more fun when they share things with other people. They can have a much better experience than simply buying something from a big corporation."
Where to start
Shareable (shoreolile.net) This nonprofit news source on the sharing economy covers people, projects, companies, and how-tos, including articles on crop swapping and car sharing.
Collaborative Consumption (collaborative consumption.com) In-depth news on the sharing economy, including its history, interviews with company CEOs, plus great videos and infographies.
Day in the life of a sharer
Neal's shared yard of his condo
The nanny share
Using a car-sharing service
Shared office space, or coworking
Sharing saves money
Transportation
Neal donated his car to charity and relies on his bike, public transportation, and (duringthe workweek) car sharing:
Travel
Airbnb instead of hotels for two family trips:
Kid's clothes
Buying used, borrowing getting and giving hand-me-downs:
Child cars
Participating in a nanny share 36 hours per week (rather than a day-care center or hiring a private nanny). "Instead of the normal $iS rate for one kid, we pay
Technology
Canceling landline and using an Internet router shared with neighbors for long-distance calls viaSkype:
*He added up what it cost to own his car, then deducted what his costs are now with car sharing and public transportation. AAA estimates that driving a big car costs 92.S cents per mile, at 10,000 miles per year, everything included.
Share your stuff
Four popular services and how to use them
Hey. Neighbor!
This social network is bringing back the old-fashioned spirit of [ending for free, the stuff gathering dust in your garage. You can also swap favors, like watering plants while on vacation.
PROS Sharing eases pressure on the environment from runaway consumption, and you getto know people in your community. The company also maintains Trusted Neighborhood networks.
CONS The start-up assumes no liability for damages to your belong ings. Since it just launched, it has only 3,000 users nationwide.
Airbnb
(airbnb com)
Founded in 2008 in
PROS As a host, you earn moneyThe vetting process includes Verified Address badges, a 24-hour customer support line, and
CONS You'll want to document your things, lock up valuables, and, if you're renting out a bedroom of your house, contend with a roommate.
Getaround
Getaround, started in 2009, bases its business model on the fact that cars are idle 92 percent of the time.
PROS Average earnings are
CONS Your renter might not be as neat as you are.
Crushpad
The perfect solution for enophiles who crave the experience of making their own wine, but can't afford to spring for their own vineyard.
PROS
CONS The minimum investment is about
Did you know you can share...
1 Eggs
Eggzy connects people who want fresh eggs but don't have backyard chickens to locals who do. Punch in your zip code to find nearby eggs, then pick them up. Available in many cities; eggzy.net
2 A cider press
Millers' Equipment & Rent-All stocks equipment that people in the community can rent for a day or a week at a time. A cider press costs
3 Experiences with strangers
If you love sailing and own a sailboat but are feeling pinched financially or miss sailing with others, you could offer an "experience" for sale via Vayable. You set the price. S.F. and LA. only for now; vayable.com
4 A bike
Bike shares, like car shares, are growing in popularity, with Denver B-cycle one of the programs leading the way. It has 52 stations around the city for pickup and drop-off. A day pass is
5 An office cube
Offices put empty cubes up on Loosecubes so the cubeless can rent the workspaces on an as-needed basis. Find empty spaces at 200 locations in the West, loosecubes.com
6 A pig
Buy a share in a pig from a farmer who can house, feed, and send the animal to slaughter. You get part of the meat. Shares sell out quickly and are distant cousins of communitysupported agriculture, where members share a yield from the fami for a fee.
Copyright: | (c) 2012 Sunset Publishing Corporation |
Wordcount: | 1702 |
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