Collaborative Post
The sharing economy is still relatively young but it is growing at an incredible rate. As people wake up to the realities of the climate crisis as well as the massive downfalls of capitalism, it’s no wonder that many people are turning to new ideas.
The main principle behind the sharing economy is that you don’t have to own everything you need. It makes no sense for every person on the street to own a lawnmower they might use 6 times a year when everyone could use one lawnmower only when they need it. It also makes no sense to keep buying the same things over and over again when you could rent them, or invest in something that lasts much longer. This is about reducing waste as much as it is about changing financial habits.
Switching to the sharing economy can be daunting at first. We are so used to owning our stuff that the thought of not doing so it alien to us. There are also some problems that still need to be ironed out. The sharing economy hugely benefits the people who already own the means, giving them far more power and money.
But even if the system isn’t perfect yet, that shouldn’t put you off making tentative steps towards changing your approach to ownership and stuff.
Open Source Development
Open source development is quite literally for the people and by the people. While the tech industry builds products to sell, the open-source community collaborate to create products that anyone can use. Kodi is a great example of an open-source platform for media streaming and has a community of developers behind it creating add-ons to improve it all the time. You might need a look into Kodi and the right VPN to make it work for you but it is worth that little bit of research.
There are some pros and cons to open source products but since they are free, it’s often worth looking for what you need here, rather than assuming that you have to buy. As a collaborative space, there’s also a chance that you may be able to ask for capabilities to be developed, or you could even develop solutions yourself.
Borrowing and Lending
Borrowing things that you use rarely is a really good way to get what you need without filling your house with stuff or wasting money. The concept of the library of things is slowly catching on and there are a few online resources you can explore too. In fact, some shops are now adapting to allow customers to borrow instead of buy.
If this doesn’t quite appeal to you, there is another way. Instead of borrowing from a shop or library, you should start borrowing from friends and neighbours. If you have an online community group, this can be the perfect platform for getting what you need and implementing a free local sharing economy. It might take a bit of time to build up but once you have shown your neighbours that you are willing to share, they might be more open to sharing with you too. Ultimately, someone has to make the first step!