Project Profile: UShare - share items with your community
04/08/2009
Share more stuff with your communities and save money and the environment.
uShare is an exciting and free new website all about borrowing and lending stuff with others in your local area or chosen communities. A bit like Freecycle, but with borrowing.
It’s great for those things you might only use once, so there’s no point in buying them if someone you know has one and will lend it to you. It’s all about give and take, and saving on resources.
Why join uShare?
uShare is a movement whose time has come. There are a lot of good reasons why you should join and start borrowing and lending within your communities:
Less cost
Borrowing is cheaper than buying or hiring from a specialist hire outfit.
Keep track of your stuff
How many times have you lent something to a friend or relative, and then forgotten where it is? With uShare, you’ll be able to see exactly who has borrowed what, and for how long.
Less pollution
If you care about protecting the environment for future generations, then uShare is certainly one small step in the right direction since, through borrowing and lending, the same item can be put to good use again and again.
Less consumption
uShare is an antidote to the buy-and-throwaway culture we live in, and a drive towards more thoughtful consumption.
Better communities
uShare is a bit of a throwback to the days when neighbours found the time to talk to each other, and when local communities sustained us.
Less clutter
Instead of buying something that you’ll only need occasionally, you could be saving yourself a lot of clutter and space in your cupboards, shed and garage if you borrow it instead!
How it works
uShare sets up sharing communities based on common interests, where you get to choose who you’re willing to borrow from and lend to, whether that’s people in your local street, members of your tennis club, or that work for the same organisation as you. The choice is entirely yours. You earn points by lending and uShare operates a feedback process to increase trust in those you are sharing with.
Most of us have lent or borrowed items with friends and family. uShare expands this sharing network to bring together communities of people, so that those who have things they are willing to lend out can offer them to others within a trusted circle, for an agreed period of time.
By sharing like this, you are not only helping others in your local community, but you're also playing your part in cutting down on consumerism and lessening the impact on the earth. And saving loads of money too! So what are you waiting for? Check out the website, invite your community, and see what you can borrow today!
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