Share Your Stuff

When Micki Krimmel purchased a $200 travel pack for her trip to Thailand a few years back, she realized she would probably only use it once. She took inventory of all the things she owned and realized the same was true for most of it - she spent a bunch of money to own something she only needed occasionally. She wasn't alone. People across the country are over-laden with stuff they've purchased but rarely use.

So she put together a team and launched NeighborGoods – an organization created to extract the latent value hidden in all our “stuff.” Last year, they launched nationally. NeighborGoods is like Craigslist for borrowing. Members can safely borrow a lawnmower, lend a bicycle, or earn some extra money by renting out their DVD collection. NeighborGoods provides all the tools to share safely and confidently including user ratings, privacy controls, and automated calendars and reminders to ensure the safe return of loaned items. "When we share our stuff, we get so much more for our money, we reduce waste, and we strengthen our local communities," said Krimmel. See for yourself, and be sure to share this link: www.NeighborGoods.net

No Plastic, People

Today, California became the first state in the nation to ban single-use plastic bags. Watch for other coastline states to follow, starting in the West. Why? California alone spends $25 million a year to collect and landfill the 14 billion plastic bags we use. A paltry 5% is recycled; it’s not energy-efficient and it encourages more plastic use. Plastic bags make up 2% of the overall waste in California, but they are the predominate form of marine debris. The ultimate destination for much of the plastic waste here is… (wait for it…) the North Pacific Central Gyre, where researchers say more than 300,000 plastic particles are found per square mile.

Beg, Buy or Borrow?

When Micki Krimmel purchased a $200 travel pack for her trip to Thailand a few years back, she realized she would probably only use it once. She took inventory of all the things she owned and realized the same was true for most of it - she spent a bunch of money to own something she only needed occasionally. She wasn't alone. People across the country are over-laden with stuff they've purchased but rarely use.

So she put together a team and launched NeighborGoods – an organization created to extract the latent value hidden in all our “stuff.” Last year, they launched nationally. NeighborGoods is like Craigslist for borrowing. Members can safely borrow a lawnmower, lend a bicycle, or earn some extra money by renting out their DVD collection. NeighborGoods provides all the tools to share safely and confidently including user ratings, privacy controls, and automated calendars and reminders to ensure the safe return of loaned items. "When we share our stuff, we get so much more for our money, we reduce waste, and we strengthen our local communities," said Krimmel. See for yourself, and be sure to share this link: www.NeighborGoods.net