In a world of 7.5 billion people, there are innumerable scenarios where individual ownership of a product or service would prove financially, environmentally, and logistically impractical. Airplanes are a good example. If every single person needing to fly had to have their own plane, crew, control tower, and runway ... well, you can picture the chaos, not to mention the immense use of resources and exorbitant costs. In the same way, providing access to - instead of ownership of - products and services can make a solution significantly more feasible and effective. Shared access has the added benefits of being arguably fairer, more efficient, more transparent and visible, and inspiring increased participation. In the age of Uber, WeWork, Airbnb, the term "sharing economy" has become commonplace, though the exact definition and what qualifies can vary widely. This collection explores a variety of ways in which entities are leveraging shared access to resources to solve complex social challenges.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/10/no-one-should-go-hungry-sidewalk-fridges-of-free-food-help-americans-survive-pandemic
Frida Garza
The Guardian
10 August 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Community refrigerators full of free food for anyone in need have popped up in the New York metro area. "Fridge keepers" help keep the fridges stocked either personally or through the help of locals and restaurants who want to help their neighbors. With federal aid ending for those who lost their jobs due to the pandemic, some locals have relied on the stocked fridges for their next meal.
http://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/cuba-weekly-package
Kim Wall
Harper's Magazine
19 June 2017
Text / Over 3000 Words
In Cuba, most access to internet is extremely limited. "The Weekly Package," solves this problem--carried by individuals who travel around on foot each week, it is a single, black market hard drive from which customers may download the content of their choice - telenovelas, news, movies, and more.
https://www.yesmagazine.org/peace-justice/food-community-detroit-garden-agriculture-20191104
Biba Adams
Yes! Magazine
4 November 2019
Text / 800-1500 Words
Whereas urban farms provide supplemental nutrition, agricultural neighborhoods make farming one of their central features. In Detroit, Michigan, the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative (MUFI) has grown from a local community garden into a nationally recognized agricultural neighborhood that has fueled transformation and investment into the area. MUFI partners with other community organizations to combat food insecurity. And while providing free food to the surrounding community, MUFI also sells products like hot sauce.
https://www.inquirer.com/life/rutabaga-toy-library-for-kids-northwest-philadelphia-20191124.html
Grace Dickinson
The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network)
24 November 2019
Multi-Media / 800-1500 Words
The Rutabaga Toy Library in Philadelphia - which was born out of a borrowed idea from Austin, Texas - helps parents afford to checkout donated toys for their kids by offering low-price memberships to families in the surrounding area. The business addresses the common trend that enables parents to throw old toys away and create unnecessary waste; instead, Rutabaga accepts donations to the toy library for other families to use while offering a space for sharing and community gathering.
https://www.devex.com/news/what-can-the-sharing-economy-bring-to-emerging-markets-89214
Catherine Cheney
Devex
9 March 2017
Text / 800-1500 Words
April Rinne, a sharing economy adviser in Portland, believes that new technology and the emergence of the sharing economy has massive potential to connect talent, resources, and ideas around the globe, particularly in the context of advancing international development initiatives. She works with clients around the world to "help the sharing economy realize its full potential" and challenge the assumptions surrounding poverty.
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