(click book cover to go to book publisher’s website)
NBC’s Today Show stated that ‘collaborative consumption‘ is exploding.
“It has become the norm: People using online sites to share what they have – in the tangible world – with strangers,” they stated.
Beth Buczynski’s book Sharing is Good is a practical guide to collaborative consumption — a new way of living where access is valued over ownership, experience is valued over material possessions, and “mine” becomes “ours” so that humanity’s needs can be met without waste.
The book is designed to expose readers to specific services that make sharing fun and safe.
It examines the history, barriers and benefits of sharing, and provides hundreds of resources that can jump-start a sharing lifestyle.
The remarkable successes of sharing projects like Airbnb, Wikipedia, B-Cycle, Kiva, and Creative Commons are tangible proof that people are drawn to this new economic model.
They tell a hopeful story about human nature and our future, one we don’t hear enough in the mainstream media.
These success stories show what’s possible when we share.
When we don’t act merely for our own good, but go out of our way to contribute to the common good.
They demonstrate that together we can solve the crises we face, and thrive as never before.
Sharing is Good will appeal to those who are trying to cut down their cost of living but still want to have exciting and diverse experiences.
It’s also a good fit for discussion of collaboration and social responsibility in the business world, and how internet technologies and a drive to “do good” are making the world a flatter place.
Author Beth Buczynski is a freelance writer and editor living in Colorado, USA.
She covers clean technology, sustainable design and environmental issues for some of the most popular green sites on the web.
A regular contributor to Care2.com, Inhabitat.com, and Shareable Magazine (shareable.net), Beth has been named one of the top 75 Environmentalists to Follow on Twitter by Mashable.com, and one of the Top 3 Green Twitterati by At Home magazine.
