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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Letter: NeighborGoods offers ways of sharing, building community

To the editor:

NeighborGoods is a new way to share our stuff and build a stronger community!

In tough times, we all want to cut our budgets while still making and doing things we enjoy. In a recent TED Talk (ted.com), Rachel Botsman spoke about collaborative consumption, which is a fancy way to say, "sharing stuff." She points out the average drill is used for 7-13 minutes in its lifetime and that what the owner was really after was the hole, not the drill. What if we had a better way think about stuff that emphasized access, not ownership?

One thing I love about the Keweenaw is that many of us already share. I know who to ask for a wheelbarrow and a rototiller on my block. I wonder who else is out there, willing to share a ladder or a Monopoly game and may live across town or in Hancock. That said, I invite you to join me on NeighborGoods (neighborgoods.net) and get sharing. It's free, can save you some money, and may help us get to know each other.

Jeremy Sandrik
Houghton

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