Sharing Is Good: How to Save Money, Time and Resources Through Collaborative Consumption (27 page)

munity sharing carnivals.

Compare and Share
— (compareandshare.com) the world’s first comparison marketplace of the Sharing Economy, a one-stop destination aggregating Sharing Economy initiatives, launched by

Founder of The People Who Share, Benita Matofska and Nick

Tong. Compare and Share offers consumers a one-stop destination,

making it easy and accessible to share. Currently aggregating in the travel vertical, the company is expanding to other verticals in the Sharing Economy this year.

Acknowledgments

This book is an example of what can happen when we

share and support each other without reservation. Many peo-

ple, from many different communities, provided information and

inspiration for these pages, but they may never have materialized without the following.

My parents, who sparked my love of words by surrounding me

with books. My siblings, Abigail and Stephen, who amaze me with

their strength and talent. I’m proud just to be related.

My friend and collaborator Angel Kwiatkowski, who has done

more to encourage my confidence and success as an independent

professional than she can ever know.

The global coworking community, especially the amazing folks at

Cohere Coworking in Fort Collins and Creative Density in Denver.

You are living proof that when people build a community around

collaboration, serendipitous happenings are guaranteed.

My friends at Shareable Magazine, which tells a hopeful story

about human nature and our future, and provided my first opportu-

nity to write about the sharing economy.

169

170

Sharing is Good

The entire team at New Society Publishers, especially Heather

Nicholas, who first approached me with the thrilling idea of writing this book and graciously coached me through the entire submission process. And my copy editor, Linda Glass, who was a joy and whose expertise helped me say what I meant.

And my partner Eric, who’s been at my side since writing a book

was nothing more than a fantastical dream. You have stared at the back of my head hunched over a laptop far more often than I would like to admit. I love you.

Notes

1 All the direct quotes in this book, unless otherwise noted, were provided via email interviews. Getaround is a nationwide, peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace.

2 Thomas H. Greco Jr.,
New Money For Healthy Communities
.

(1994), available at www.ratical.org/.

3 James Robertson,
The History of Money: From it’s Origins to
Our time,
(2007), available at www.jamesrobertson.com/book/

historyofmoney.pdf/.

4 Andrew Lowd,
Alternative Currencies in Theory and Practice
,

“Chapter Three: The History of Local Currency”. (2001), avail-

able at www.andrewlowd.com/thesis/Chapter3.htm/.

5 For information about Banco Las Palmas, I relied on worldis

changing.com and citizenbase.org.

6
Leisure Report Journal
(April, 2007).

7 See Brian Knudsen, Richard Florida, Gary Gates, and Kevin

Stolarickee, “Urban Density, Creativity, and Innovation,” (May,

2007) available at: www.vwl.tuwien.ac.at/hanappi/AgeSo/rp/

Knudsen_2007.pdf/, accessed March 7, 2013.

171

172

Sharing is Good

8 Paul M. Davis,
Shareable
“Survey Finds Trust is #1 Barrier to Sharing,” ( July 10, 2012), www.Shareable.net/.

9 See Paul Hawken, Amory B. Lovins, and L. Hunter Lovins,

Natural Capitalism
, Earthscan (2010).

10 These statistics come from the “State of the World Report,”

World watch Institute, (2011) www.worldwatch.org/, accessed

March 7, 2013.

11 See Alex Steffen,
World Changing
, “Use Community: Smaller Footprints, Cooler Stuff and More Cash”, (Feb. 15, 2007) www.

worldchanging.com/archives//006082.html/.

12 Elliot Martin and Susan Shaheen,
Access
“The Impact of Carsharing on Household Vehicle Ownership,” (Spring, 2011),

www.uctc.net/.

13 Sara Horowitz,
The Atlantic.
“Occupy Big Business: The Sharing Economy’s Quiet Revolution,” (Dec. 2012).

Index

accidents, 73-74

AutoShare.com, 138-139

accessories.
See
clothing swaps.

Avego.com, 142

accountability, 42-43

adventurous spirit, 64-66

BabysitterExchange.com, 109-110

agreement of value, 5-6

BackyardBarter.org, 152

Airbnb.com, 53, 66, 74, 113-114

BagBorrowOrSteal.com, 93

Airtasker.com, 107

Bancos des Palmas, 11-12

Algar, Ray, 17-18

barriers to sharing, 22-30, 69

All That We Share: A Field Guide

Barter Business Unlimited,

to the Commons,
168

164-165

alternative currencies, 7-14

bartering, 3-7, 15, 40, 84, 102-104

alternative energy, 49-50

BarterQuest.com, 103

Alternatives Federal Credit Union bbubarter.com, 164-165

(AFCU), 13-14

BCycle.com, 147

“American Time Use Survey,” 23

BerkShares, 12-13

Amovens.com, 143

BestHouseSwap.com, 125-126

Anderson, Lauren, 51

BikeChattanooga.com, 148-149

animals, as currency, 5-6

BikeNationUSA.com, 146

auctions, online, 96, 102, 104-105

bike sharing, 145-149

Austria, 10

Bixi.com, 148

173

174

Sharing is Good

BizX.com, 164

ClothingSwap.com, 90

BookMooch.com, 86

clothing swaps, 46, 84-85, 90-95

books, 85-86, 89-90, 97-98

cohousing, 127, 128-129

Borsodi, Ralph, 11

Cohousing.org, 129

Botsman, Rachel, 18, 59,

CoHousingPartners.com, 129

167-168

coliving, 127-129

BountyIt.com, 108

“Collaborative Consumption,”

Brazil, 11-12

17-18

B2B sharing resources, 60-64, 104, collaborative consumption,

163-165

defined, 17-18

Bureau of Labor Statistics (US),

CollaborativeConsumption.com,

23

165-166

business-to-business transactions.

COlunching.com, 155

See
B2B sharing resources.

ComicSwap.com, 96

Communauto.com, 135-136

CapitalBikeshare.com, 146

community banks, 11-12

carbon emissions, 36-37, 48, 82

Community Currencies: A New

carbon footprint, 19, 36, 47, 57,

Tool for the 21st Century,
8

130

CommunityFunded.com, 160

carpooling.
See
ridesharing.

community involvement, 41-42,

Carpooling.co.uk, 141-142

110-112

CarpoolWorld.com, 144

“Community Structure and

cars, 34, 47, 129-130.

Collaborative Consumption: A

See also
car-sharing programs.

Routine Activity Approach,” 17

CarShare.org, 135

Community Supported

car-sharing programs, 47-49,

Agriculture (CSA), 26, 58, 152

130-139.
See also by name.

CommuterSwap.net, 123

Car2Go.com, 133-134

complementary currencies.

Chegg.com, 88

See
alternative currencies.

ChezJJ.com, 158

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to

childcare, 53, 108-110

Barter and Trade Exchanges,
6

children’s clothing, 59-60, 94-95

connections, between individuals,

China.
See
cowrie shells.

26-28

CityCarShare.org, 132

Constants, 11

civilizations, early, 3-7

consumerism, 33-35.

Clark, Shelby, 19

See also
green economy.

Clossette.com, 95-96

costs, and sharing, 25-26, 52-53

Index

175

CouchSurfing.com, 113

evolution, and cooperation, 2-4

coworking, 44, 82, 157, 159

eXmerce, 164

Coworking.com, 157

expectations, and sharing, 66-68

cowrie shells, 6-7

CraftingaGreenWorld.com, 90

FareShareNYC.com, 144

Craigslist.org, 98-99, 128-129

FashionHire.co.uk, 93-94

Crowdcube.com, 161

feedback, 44, 70, 79.

Crowdfunder.com, 161

See also
reviews.

crowdfunding, 40, 159-161, 168

Fellowship for Intentional

crowdsourcing, 18, 42, 82

Communities, 129

currencies, value of, 5-7, 16

Felson, Marcus, 17

Flat-Club.com, 119-120

Decobike.com, 147

FLOOW2.com, 164

density, and sharing, 26-28

food, sharing of, 149-155

Digsville.com, 121-122

food co-ops, 57-58

discretionary time, 23

Foodshare.co.uk, 155

disputes, 77-78

fossil fuels, 33, 34, 49.

division of labor, 3-4

See also
carbon emissions;

DomuSwap.com, 126

carbon footprint.

donating, 83

Fox, Lisa, 19, 25

Doskow, Emily, 78, 167

Freecycle.org, 98

double coincidence of wants, 6

freelancers, 42, 44, 49, 82, 156

free stuff, 98-99

EasyHouseExchange.com,

Fundable.org, 161

126-127

Fureai Kippu, 14

EatFeastly.com, 154

The Future of Business

EatWithMe.net, 154

Collaboration,
163

education materials, 88

Futureofcarsharing.org, 130-131

energy consumption, 48-49

Enterprise CarShare, 132-133

games, 85-88

entrepreneurs, 43-45, 109, 156,

GameTZ.com (Game Trading

157

Zone), 87-88

environmental issues, 47-50.

Gansky, Lisa, 62-63, 168

See also
carbon emissions;

Getaround.com, 77, 137-138

carbon footprint; natural

GetYourGuide.com, 118

resources.

Gigwalk.com, 107

eRideShare.com, 141

global population, 31-33

176

Sharing is Good

GoFundMe.com, 161

HyperLocavore.com, 150-151

Golden Rule, 69-70

Ic.org, 129

goods, sharing of, 83-105.

Igocars.org, 131-132

See also by type.

iloho.com, 116

Goods & Services Tax, 76

Indiegogo.com, 160

Gorenflo, Neal, 16-17, 51

innovation, 43-44

GoSwap.org, 124-125

insurance, 77, 78

governments, and communities,

Internal Revenue Service (US),

41-42

76

Great Depression, 8-10, 14

Internet, power of, 18.

Greco, Thomas H., Jr., 9

See also
social networking.

GreenAmericaExchange.org, 164

Ithaca Hours, 13-14

green economy, 36-39

It’s a Shareable Life,
168

“Greenhouse Gas Emission

Impacts of Carsharing in North

Japan, 14

America,” 48-49

greenhouse gas emissions, 48-49

Kickstarter.com, 160

GrowFriend.org, 152

Kiva.org, 162

Grubwithus.com, 153

knowledge, sharing of, 105-110

guarantees, 77

laCocinasf.org, 158

Guidehop.com, 118-119

Landshare.net, 151

LAXCarShare.com, 134

hacker spaces, 157-158

legal issues, 76-77, 78

HiGear, 74-75

LendingClub.com, 162

The History of Money,
10

Leonard, Annie, 65

HomeExchange.com, 123-124

LETS, 14

HomeExchangePlace.com, 121

Lietaer, Bernard, 8

Horowitz, Sara, 61

Liss, Alexandra, 168

hospitality exchanges, 124

Listia.com, 104-105

house swaps, 120-127

local currencies, 10-12.

housing, 34, 112-129

See also by name.

Howell, Jerry, 6, 62

local economies, 12-13, 39-47

“How People Make Cash in the

Local Exchange Trading System.

Share Economy,” 51-52

See
LETS.

Hotta, Tsutomo, 14

LocalHarvest.org, 152

hyper-local issues, 58, 109-110,

lodging, 112-129

150, 156

LoveHomeSwap.com, 120-121

Index

177

Lowd, Andrew, 11

online P2P, 58-60

LuckyAnt.com, 160

OnTheCommons.org (OTC),

Lyft.me, 143

166

OpenGovernment.org, 111-112

MaestroMarket.com, 165

Ormita Commerce Network, 62

maker spaces, 157-158

Orsi, Janelle, 78, 167

MamaBake.com, 154

Massachusetts, 11, 12

Pagel, Mark, 2-3

McKibben, Bill, 168

Palmas, 11-12

MealShare.org, 153-154

Palm Bank, 11-12

meal sharing, 153-155

PaperbackSwap.com, 89-90

The Mesh,
166

ParticipatoryBudgeting.org, 111

mesh businesses, 62-64

participatory government, 42,

Meshing.it, 166

110-112

microlending, 162-163

Peerbackers.com, 161

Milaap.org, 163

peer-to-peer lending.

misrepresentation, 73

See
microlending.

Mithun, Campbell, 29

peer-to-peer sharing (P2P), 56-60.

Modo.coop, 138

See also
P2P bike sharing; P2P

money, as barrier to sharing,