Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak at the Thriving Neighbourhood Conference in Melbourne about collaborative consumption, and why I think it has a role to play in our future thriving neighbourhoods and communities. Here is a little of what I had to say…

As a business model, Collaborative Consumption has the potential to change the way we consume. It represents a fundamental challenge to the prevailing top-down consumption model - there is no merchant or middle man and individual private ownership is no longer the end goal, rather “access” is.

In regards to online peer-to-peer marketplaces the platform does not itself have an inventory, rather its primary role is to optimise what YOU as a member have - be that time, space, skills or tools. If a marketplace is working effectively it can match online what you have, with someone that needs it offline.

…what I see as the ‘secret sauce’ of collaborative consumption businesses, and why I believe they have the potential to play a transformational roles in our communities, is that their very basis is people. And the primary purpose of these platforms (and the hallmark of whether they are a successful business or not) is to connect people so that their needs can be meet in an efficient way. I believe this flows directly into some of the elements that I think are crucial to a thriving community - connectedness and collaboration. …

As a social movement I believe collaborative consumption has the potential to change the way we live offering us greater flexibility, a greater sense of empowerment over our own lives and far more daily connections.

Duncan and I have just returned from two weeks in the US. The trip was part of the Ignition Labs accelerator program that we have been part of since mid July.

We headed over with the four other Ignition Lab businesses and a couple of the mentors. In the first week we headed down to Silicon Valley for a pitching event and lunch with a couple of investors. Then it was off to Austin, Texas for SxSw Eco. You can check out a number of the sessions here. A highlight for me was hearing the keynote by Anne Leonard (from The Story of Stuff) talking about their new movie The Story of Change.

On day 2 of SxSw Eco Duncan and Nic Lowe (one of Ignition Labs mentors and co founder of Go Get) combined forces in the 24 hour hackathon. Check out what they created…Danger Zone!!

Then it was back to SF where Duncan and I took the opportunity to catch up with the SF Collaborative Consumption consumption community:

• Monday we grabbed a coffee with Jeremy from Legit and chatted about the reputation economy.

• Tuesday we headed into the Zimride / Lyft office and caught up with Emily Castor, Community Manager of Lyft and the co founder of Collabchats. It was fantastic to hear all about Lyft and how far its come in just a few short months. We absolutely loved the on demand ride sharing service and highly recommend you give it a go if you are ever in SF. An easy to use app, fist bump on pick up and a pink moustashe - what’s not to love!

• Wednesday night I was super excited to have the opportunity to head to a Collabchats at Wheelz HQ. I had watch all previous chats online, so it was great to be in the audience for this one. The theme for this chat was “Sharing Economy Power Users” and sitting on the panel were 4 power users of Lyft, Taskrabbit, Sidecar, Zimride, Threadflip and Urbansitter. Check out Shareable’s summary of the evening here.

• On Thursday it was fantastic to have lunch at Getable HQ and traded start up stories with Tim and the team. Then on our way to the airport we stopped into HUB SF and caught up with Neal Gorenflo, Co founder and publisher of Shareable and chatted about how the San Francisco Sharing Working Group came about and picked up some tips to help with encouraging collaboration between collcons businesses and government.

Throughout our US stay Duncan and I stayed with three fab AirBnB hosts. If you are visiting SF or Austin we highly recommend - Eva (SF- Oakland), Megan (Austin), Kermit (SF -Mission)

Anyone who has ever scurried around the neighbourhood looking for boxes to help with the move then felt the guilt of shoving all the cardboard into the bin afterwards, listen on. There’s a new friend in town called BeetleBox and they are helping you move your stuff safely, directly and via Open Shed! We got the skinny from Glen at Beetlebox as to why he’s a fan of collaborative consumption and has chosen Open Shed as a way to reach customers for his business.

What inspired you to start using Open Shed?

I came across Open Shed when reading some articles about collaborative consumption. I thought it would be a great match for BeetleBox.

What is it about collaborative consumption that appeals to you?

The idea of using things that would otherwise be idle or under used really resonated with me. Environmentally, re-using things makes much more sense. Like Beetlebox, collaborative consumption is another way to keep things out of landfill. 

What kinds of things have you listed on Open Shed?

I’ve put some beetle boxes, a moving trolley and a package called the studio package which includes boxes and bubble wrap and all kinds of things people need when they move. 

Tell us about a time one of the items you have listed on Open Shed has saved your bacon.

Not necessarily me but there was an Open Shed member who was packing up to leave the country and had packed everything into suitcases and so on but still had stuff left. They found I had listed 1 to 100 boxes as a multiple item and he needed 5 boxes to get the job done. We used the conversation feature to figure out the finer details, worked out a delivery and pick up situation that was flexible enough to suit us and we got the job done.

What do you say to people that worry about things like stuff being damaged?

There is always a risk of that but there are a couple of safeguards in place on Open Shed that really help. Using the conversation feature you can communicate and get to know another person, develop a rapport and can choose not to go ahead if you don’t feel right about it. You’re always on control. Like eBay you can also look for the people with feedback too. For me, the most important part is having the conversation and using the social networking aspect of it to get a sense of a person before you commit to sharing.

What kinds of adventures would you like to see your items go on?

I’m in the early stages of marketing so it would be great to see my boxes take a drive up the coast to Queensland. Sending them on a backpacking journey up to the Gold Coast when I am ready to expand would be great.

If you could hire anything in the world off Open Shed, what would it be and why?

I am still looking for the lawn mower. In the future, considering I do run a small business and some days are slow and others are very busy so it would be great to borrow some expertise, assistance- a person basically!

Why do you think it’s better to share then buy?

You are able to save money. In the past you were forced to go out and buy an item and now you have greater freedom of choice. You can find elegant solutions to small, common problems.

If you are on the move and want your stuff to reach the new place safe and sound get in touch with Glen! 

This year 1 Million Women want to assist you to SAVE $1000 or more through cutting pollution, reducing waste and saving energy. Each month focuses on a different lifestyle area – FOOD, DRIVE, POWER, WEAR, SHOP & INVEST. We think its an awesome practical campaign and we want to help too! So we have asked some of our friends to also give their tips each month. This month’s focus is DRIVE and we thought it was a perfect opportunity to introduce you to Meemeep

Have you ever had one of those moments where you’ve felt powerless, insignificant and ineffective against a large and overwhelming problem? I know I have. Believing that we can ‘make a difference’ is one of the biggest challenges in this complex world of ours. I have often wondered what it would take to be able to turn this around, to become empowered and feel like something we do actually matters. Well in my case, as it turns out, all it took was ONE REALLY GOOD IDEA.

Our story begins with my husband, Rob Emmett, who was looking out his car window one day as he sat in traffic, frustrated by all those empty cars, trucks and vans choking our roads. Everyone sitting there in isolation, oblivious to each other’s needs and wants. Unaware that a small amount of goodwill and planning could reduce the amount of traffic and pollution on our roads.

He had a light bulb moment, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could harness all that commuter movement, that amazing people power and put it to good use?”, he thought. “What is stopping us from connecting the physical power of the people with the digital power of the internet?”

So Rob quickly decided to do two things: 1. buy a scooter and, 2. start MeeMeep.com. Buying a scooter went part way to solving his traffic frustration and meemeep.com is going that one step further!

So working with the idea of helping people to help each other – MeeMeep was born. A type of social moving; MeeMeep harnesses the energy of people, trucks, cars, vans and bicycles already in motion and connects them to people who need stuff moved. So for people who are on the move, they can make a little extra money and for people with things to move, they can save time and money. And it helps everyone help the environment, by reducing the number of vehicles making the same trip.

Very early on, our research indicated some specific activities contributing to our traffic and pollution issues:‐

• Courier vans and removalist trucks spend half their time on the roads empty or close to empty.

• Our daily commuter activities contribute significantly to traffic congestion and pollution with over 8% of emissions occurring at these times.

• Over 12 million cars on our roads are passenger vehicles and the average number of people per car at any given time is 1.2. This leaves a significant amount of spare capacity in each vehicle.

MeeMeep is proving to be a win:win for everyone, where a small amount of foresight and preparation, is resulting in a big win for the environment. Where the idea of Driving Miss Daisy’s stuff takes on a new meaning. Why not take Miss Daisy’s package because you’re going that way anyway and you earn some money as well.

It works by people registering online to join the movement. Once registered, the network connects people who need stuff moved to others who are already out and about. An introduction is given online, a fee negotiated between the two parties, and the goods are delivered. Costly one off trips are avoided and carbon emissions reduced.

Since it’s launch (in Beta), in October last year, MeeMeep has quickly gained traction with a over 1600+ Facebook fans, 1700+ Twitter followers. This has translated into over 800 members joining up and 300 moving jobs being undertaken to date.

MeeMeep sits squarely within the new wave of “collaborative consumption”:collcon, a movement identified by TIME magazine as one of the “‘10 ideas that will change the world’”:time. This is where emerging technologies enable the direct connection of people and in doing so disrupts outmoded ways of doing business.

So if you’re looking for another tip to add to the list of ways to save the environment whilst you drive, (as part of this month’s Save on Driving initiative on 1millionwomen.com). Can we suggest that you ‐ join meemeep.com?

With our motto ‘Saving the world, one move at a time’ our grand plan is simple. Let’s reduce the amount of traffic and pollution on our roads, by tapping into people’s movements and connecting them with someone who may need something picked up and delivered. When enough of us are doing it, the number of cars and vans WILL drop and fuel, pollution and traffic congestion WILL be reduced.

About the author: Jodie Emmett is the Meemeep’s Mover and Shaker for operations and business development. You can connect with Meemeep via their blog, Facebook or twitter

This year 1 Million Women want to assist you to SAVE $1000 or more through cutting pollution, reducing waste and saving energy. Each month focuses on a different lifestyle area – FOOD, DRIVE, POWER, WEAR, SHOP & INVEST. We think its an awesome practical campaign and we want to help too! So we have asked some of our friends to also give their tips each month. This month’s focus is DRIVE and we thought it was a perfect opportunity to introduce you to Jayride.

Driving.

Lets face it. Driving doesn’t often live up to our expectations.

In our dreams, driving is on the open road, driving fast, surrounded by friends, flying past beautiful scenery with the wind streaming through our hair.

In reality, most of our time driving is in gridlock traffic, stop-go, completely alone, surrounded only by noise and air pollution in a stressful hurry to get to the office.

Growing up you probably dreamed of owning a car. Driving was to be your liberation. Freedom at last!

What you’ve got instead is a commute in traffic for up to two hours every day, that is draining, stressful, dull and expensive.

Lets be honest for a moment. Excluding the occasional awesome road trip, mostly we hate driving. It wastes our time. It wastes our money. Yet most of us own cars and believe that the only way we can get anywhere is by getting behind the wheel.

I’m here today to tell you one thing. It’s something that you might not have thought possible, but it is possible, and easy.

You can be a passenger.

That place you need to get to urgently? You don’t need to drive there, you can be a passenger. That commute you do to work? Yep, you can be a passenger. That holiday you’re taking? Yep: Passenger.

Think about traffic. Did you know that there are exactly as many vehicles on the road as there are drivers? If we want less traffic so we can drive faster, we just need more passengers.

Think about petrol. How expensive is petrol these days!? More vehicles driven means more cash spent on petrol. If we want to save cash we just need more passengers.

Think about the dream above. Fun driving was driving with friends, not alone. If we want more fun driving we just need more passengers.

You can be a passenger, and I’d recommend it.

Jayride.com.au can show you how to do it.

Get from A to B with Jayride, Australia’s marketplace for carpools, rideshares and much more!

Next time you drive, visit Jayride and list your ride for free. Jayride will find you passengers to fill your empty seats and contribute towards the cost of your trip. If you fill three empty seats you can save up to 75%, plus meet new people and have more fun on the road.

Find carpools and rideshares, plus buses, shuttles, relocation cars and much more. Visit http://www.jayride.com.au

Our friends at SpaceOut chat about collaborative consumption and how you can make money from thin air! Check them out before the end of January and you can try them for free for 2 months.

Despite all the gloomy news in the world, one shining star of the modern era is the worldwide Collaborative Consumption movement, and if you are reading this you may already be an active participant, or at least, interested in learning a bit more about it.

As a business owner in this innovative field, I am very proud to be involved, and urge all Aussies to take a participative role in this grassroots movement towards a more local and less ‘greedy’ model of consumption. And in my opinion, one of the best benefits is that money and goods get cycled at the community level. This keeps money and resources in the community, and not continuously funnelled towards the big corporations - which are not necessarily evil, but do tend to end up with lots of (our) cash!

SpaceOut was an early starter within the Collaborative Consumption movement (running since 2009) and what we do is match up people with unused space in their home or business with people who need space, but don’t want to pay commercial rates. Both sides get to benefit, and all transactions stay at the community level.

SpaceOut was set up originally to provide an alternative option for people looking for storage space, but as a result of demand from our members, quickly expanded to include parking space, office space, commercial space and pretty much any type of space you can imagine.

Collaborative Consumption is aimed at smart living in difficult times. It relies on people like you helping to spread the message. Please take a moment to think of who you know who may be able to participate. Whoever it is - the community wins every time!

About the Author: Damon Russell - one of the original founders of SpaceOut - came up with the concept of “Private Storage” when moving to Japan, and looking for somewhere in Australia to store his gear for an extended period but at reasonable cost

As we head into a new school year, Bern Alexander from FindAUniform shares with us the benefits of secondhand uniforms

The majority of Australia’s 11,000+ schools and more than 30,000+ organisations, clubs and academies have compulsory uniforms and equipment. Anecdotally, the question ‘Do you have secondhand uniforms?’ rates consistently in the top three questions that new enquirers or joiners ask a school, club, organisation, or academy. So why then do only approximately 30% of the schools, clubs, and academies provide their members with a secondhand uniform option?

Secondhand uniforms are perfect for:

• Saving money – expect to pay 20 -70% of the Recommended Retail Price

• Saving tax – secondhand uniforms can be a tax deduction governed by the rules of the Education Tax Refund

• Re-selling - with the average life of a garment estimated to be 3 years (which equates to 12 school terms and use by 3-4 kids), second hand uniforms can be re-sold to assist with ongoing school and activities costs and uniform needs.

• Reducing landfill and textile waste

• Enabling each child to be in the right uniform at an affordable cost

• Meeting and collaborating with people in your own and wider community

Based on a UK example, if everyone bought one reclaimed woollen garment each year, it would save an average of 371 million gallons of water (the average UK reservoir holds about 300 million gallons) and 480 tonnes of chemical dyestuffs.

Can you just imagine the impact for Australian landfill and textile waste if the members of our 40,000+ schools and organisations thought of purchasing secondhand uniforms as the norm? Talk about an easy way to green your School or Organisation.

Secondhand uniforms – why not? There really is no excuse. There are a number of ways you can create your own second hand uniform options or utilise what already exists – here are some ideas:

• a noticeboard for people to pin up their for sale and wanted ads
• providing space in newsletters for the sale of secondhand uniforms
• creation of a Facebook, or the like, site just for your Organisation’s second hand uniforms
• utilising online peer-to-peer online noticeboards (eg www.findauniform.com.au)
• providing listings on School or Organisations website
• facilitating regular swap or clothing exchange days at the change of seasons
• formation of a uniform shop – whether professional or volunteer run and charging commissions for sales or just accepting clothing donations
• Schools rent out expensive uniforms that are only used occasionally- for example, blazers needed for band performances (eg www.openshed.com)

Secondhand uniforms just make sense – so as we head into the new school year , sports season and take up activities requiring uniforms and equipment –encourage uniform affordability and landfill reduction by looking to purchase secondhand uniforms and by daring to ask your School and Organisations “Secondhand uniforms? Why not?”

*_About the author:* Bern Alexander is the Founder and Director of “FindAUniform”:find. She has four kids under 12 and knows the high cost of school/activities and the current adhoc availability of secondhand uniforms._

FindAUniform is your second-hand uniform online Peer2Peer noticeboard. FindAUniform’s mission is to make second hand uniforms as available as wearing uniforms are compulsory. Can you help spread the word?

You can connect with Bern and FindAUniform on twitter or facebook

I’m really passionate about sharing all the ways that exist for Australians to get involved with the Collaborative Consumption movement. Since Open Shed went live I have had a number of opportunities to spread the word. So if you want some ideas about how you can get involved, check these out:

• Ignite Sydney, 11 October 2011.

Here is the slide version of my presentation, a video of the night will be available in the future. For those of you new to Ignite, the premise is you have strictly 5 minutes, 20 slides which rotate automatically after 15 seconds.

• The Old Becomes New - Business Chicks, 25 October 2011 Sharing, swapping, renting and bartering are cool again! Technology is enabling these old behaviours and we are experiencing a Collaborative Consumption revolution!

• Chatting with Carol Duncan from ABC Newcastle, 31 October 2011: Collaborative Consumption - sharing our way to sustainability

What’s your favourite example of collaborative consumption? Besides Open Shed of course :-)

I know you’ve been thinking… ok, so they have had an online business idea, quit their jobs, started house sitting, created a card wall BUT what exactly are they up to??

Drum roll please…

Foxhound Developers is joining the collaborative consumption revolution! Duncan and I are developing a website that will help people lend their stuff, or rent other peoples stuff. You know what I’m talking about, that stuff that is lying idle in backyard sheds and spare bedrooms: power drills, lawn mowers, tents, sporting equipment - the list is endless.

It is estimated that every year Australians buy $10.8 billion worth of “stuff” they will never use - that’s an average of $1,250 worth of stuff lying idle in every Australian home! That “stuff” is a waste of money, takes up space and is not particularly environmentally friendly. Our site will offer Australians the opportunity to save and make money while living a sustainable and community minded life. Our site will help you to:

• lend out your rarely used stuff to other people near you. Make money lending out your power drill (how often do you really use it?) rather than just having it gather dust in your shed.
• experience things you might not otherwise experience - you don’t need to own “stuff” to experience it. Why don’t you borrow that kayak for the weekend and give kayaking a go!
• try before you buy. We hope people will put their iPads, Kindles and Digital Cameras on the site and give others the opportunity to rent them for a couple of days, have a play and see whether it really is what they need before they buy.
• build new or strengthen existing community connections.

This idea developed out of one of my favourite TED talks - The Case for Collaborative Consumption by Rachel Botsman - which you can watch here.

After listening to the talk I read Rachel’s book (written with Roo Rodgers) What’s Mine is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption, and started researching collaborative consumption and peer-to-peer businesses in Australia. From there the idea just kept on turning over in my mind, until I had a business model that both Duncan and I really liked.

So in a nutshell that is what we are up to!

In future posts I will tell you all about how the site will work, planned features etc. I will also be writing here about the growing Australian collaborative consumption marketplace and sharing with you other cool opportunities out there to be living a more sustainable and community minded life.

I’ll also keep you updated with how the start up lifestyle is treating Duncan and I!

What do you think? Got any advice/ suggestions / feedback you would like to share?