Image courtesy Collaborative Labs

We learn in school that sharing is a virtue and that it is best practiced with pencils, glue and maybe a homemade treat in our lunchbox. But what if this simple concept were extended to much of what we own? Take a look around your house or apartment. How much of what you see is used regularly or even a second time? It is likely that your neighbor is in the same predicament and that both of you could benefit if you only knew what was needed/available. This is the essence of collaborative consumption, a trend that is sweeping the globe and offers an alternative to the customary accumulate-and-hoard model.

In an interview with Greentech Media, Laura Anderson of Collaborative Lab claims that collaborative consumption could lead to the most significant shift in the global economy since the Industrial Revolution. Anderson serves as the innovation director at the company, which is a leading advocate of the idea. One example provided by the group is home power tools. About half of U.S. households own an electric power drill that is used between 6 and 13 minutes in its lifetime. Power tools is but one of many categories that is well suited for collaborative consumption. Let’s take a look at how the concept works and how everyone can benefit.

Sharing has traditionally been restricted to family and friends, for obvious reasons. Technology and online platforms have changed the game. It is now possible to collaborate with anyone, anywhere and at anytime, although the system works best in a local context. The first concern is for the well being of the items in question. Profiles on online platforms allow users to develop reputational capital, which is key to guaranteeing smooth transactions. Just as with trusted sellers on Amazon or Ebay, you can find trusted sharers, swappers and renters, complete with feedback. Below are some popular swapping/borrowing/renting sites:
1. Swap.com (formerly SwapTree) – I just created an account here. There are many media items (books, DVDs, etc.) available, and it’s free. This is useful for permanent swaps.
2. Swapbabygoods.com – self explanatory.
3. Zipcar – great idea, difficult to implement in the ‘Boro, given the low population density, lack of urban planning and low access to mass transit.
4. Craigslist – mostly for money sales, but sellers might be open to a trade offer.
5. Ziloc.com – good renting site, with some items in Murfreesboro.
6. Portland Tool Library – a great model to follow.
7. SnapGoods – okay for item rental, service fee of $.50 + 7 percent of rental price, option for deposit security.

A quick search will show you that Tennessee is not exactly a hotbed of swapping activity. Let’s change that! A shift in how we consume will not only benefit the environment, but also your pocketbook. Imagine that 20 households were able to collaboratively own the drill in the example above, and that a drill kit costs $100. That’s $1,900 that 20 households have saved, and 19 drill sets that have not required plastic, metal and fabrication/shipping from Asia. That’s $1,900 that could be spent at farmer’s markets or at other locations that support the local economy. The person that did buy the drill will not have to buy the tiller or hedge trimmer that another neighbor owns. The sky is the limit, as they say. I haven’t seen labor listed as a swappable item, but it seems like it would work.

Friends of Linebaugh Library Vice President Raina van Setter is an active media swapper and recommends swap.com for its ease of use and popularity, especially for content not available at the library. Some other sites require the accumulation of swapping credit, which can be more trouble than it is worth. An attractive feature of the swap.com site is school wish lists. For the price of postage, an individual can help an aspiring reader. The library bookstore, located on parking level P2, can also be seen as a form of collaborative consumption. Books are donated from the public and sold at fairly low prices, the earnings from which are used directly by the library for books, for programs and for the new energy efficient lighting at branch locations.

Trading of non-media items (can’t be shipped) works best in areas with a high population density, which is a rare find in the suburbs of Murfreesboro. Suburbs are the opposite of community by design and are a key culprit in the trend towards isolation and accumulation. Real estate sales do well, home builders do well, car companies do well and retailers do well, all at the expense of the community and the environment. To get around this, we have to be smart about how we trade, and adapt the concept to our particular circumstances. No one wants to drive 30 minutes in Murfreesboro traffic to borrow a drill, and then return it again the next day. If you were renting your drill for $4 a day, $4 might not cover the expense of the pickup. One option could be to create a common toolshed for 20 or so neighbors, with one volunteer in charge of checkouts. This idea could actually work well for an entire neighborhood. Another option is to organize with neighbors or members of groups that meet regularly, such as religious groups. Items could be swapped at the regular meetings, which avoids the necessity of a home pickup.

Trading instead of buying new relates to sustainability in a big way. For a great video on how consumer goods are the direct cause of a host of environmental issues and social inequality, invite friends over to watch The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard. I remember being both inspired and disturbed as I first watched that 21-minute clip on YouTube. I’d wager that you won’t be able to stop and will go on to watch her other paradigm-shattering videos on the electronics industry, cosmetics, bottled water, cap and trade and more. Another glimpse into the intense resource use demanded by commonplace goods can be seen in any of the interviews with Thomas Thwaites, the British student who made his own toaster from scratch (really from scratch: he procured and manufactured his own iron, copper, plastic, and mica). He’s a bit quirky, in a good way, so the interviews are never boring.

Collaborative consumption could eventually transition into a collaborative lifestyle, which offers a much needed solution to the present and future environmental crisis, as well as a way to strengthen local communities during a difficult economy. When the great blizzard of January 2009 hit Louisville, my apartment was without power for 10 days. An amazing thing happened. I lived not far off of Bardstown Road, a prime location for coffee shops, restaurants, pubs and local bookstores, which had power before the densely-packed residential area surrounding it. The frozen street was alive with heavily-clothed pedestrians making paths through the thick blanket of snow. That ever present blue flickering of the TV was temporarily extinguished from home windows. People were talking, instead of being talked to. For a short period of time, I had a glimpse of what it felt like to live in a neighborhood that communicates. Collaborative consumption offers a real opportunity to bring communities together in a similar way and in one that hopefully lasts longer than a blizzard.

Problem:
Half of U.S. households own power drills, but most of them are used only 6 to 13 minutes during their lifetime.
Solution:
Zilok.com offers peer-to-peer daily rental of tools, camcorders and other goods.

Problem:
Americans discard 7 million tons of cardboard annually.
Solution:
Usedcardboardboxes.com “rescues” and resells boxes to movers.

Problem:
Millions of houses and spare rooms around the world are sitting empty and have “idling capacity.”
Solution:
Airbnb.com allows anyone from private residents to commercial property owners to rent out their extra space.