The Sharing Solution - The Story of Stuff

I am inviting you to listen to a Story of Stuff Podcast with Janelle Orsi, lawyer and author of The Sharing Solution - click here.

Law, so far, has not been looking at how to 'share' with others and what to do when things go wrong.It is always about protecting one individuals and/or extracting resources from one person to the other.
Law and agreement process surrounding collaborative consumption is a new field and it can be a bit scary to start with if you are unsure about what could happen if you break the vaccum cleaner which you borrowed from your neighbour. Do you have to repay it or can you find a solution where both of you pay for half of it knowing that the vaccum cleaner ended their lifecycle.

 The Sharing Solution is a timely practical and legal guide that explains how to create and maintain successful sharing arrangements while addressing common concerns about liability, communication, and more.
The guide is US based but still can provide the appropriate steps or questions you need to ask yourself when making arrangement with others for:

• 'Meals and food, through bulk buying clubs, meal-sharing arrangements, community gardens, neighborhood fruit harvests, and more
• Household goods, from tools and toys to appliances and exercise equipment
• Cars, by sharing a car with a neighbor, starting or joining a car-sharing group, carpooling, or ride-sharing
• Caregiving, whether for pets, children, older family members, or relatives with disabilities
• Business resources, such as office supplies, equipment, space, and even employees
• Housing, whether by sharing a house, retrofitting a home to accommodate two households, or joining a cohousing community'

If you have the growing desire to not only live more sustainably, but also save money and create stronger communities.Sharing is a simple step anyone – young or old, rich or poor – can take, right now, to make a difference.

'The ultimate beauty of sharing is that it’s a solution we create for ourselves. It’s not a government program, nor is it the “latest and greatest” product marketed to us on billboards. It’s a solution based on our own needs and lifestyles, in our own communities. It’s a way for each of us to shape our own lives in positive ways and simultaneously benefit the world as a whole. In that respect, sharing is more than a simple trend: Some might even say our society is moving toward a sharing revolution'.  The Sharing Solution

Can you live over 3 months with only 33 items in your wardrobe?

Can you live over 3 months with only 33 items in your wardrobe?

If you are tempted follow the link to learn more - Click here

It is now a couple of weeks I am doing the project 333. I went through my wardrobe, accessories, shoes and bags and selected 33 items to use for the next three months. It was easier than I thought probably because I was already wearing most of the time the same outfits..Inconsciouly minimalist at heart....

I am becoming more enthused by minimalism and I shall be going to Birmingham to attend the Minimalists Tour on October 17th to hear about Josh and Ryan's journey. If you are planning to go too from Leicester, give me a shout.

As a gift to you, few line of wisdom and all the best in your journey:

Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.

Lao Tzu

StreetBank in your Town

All we needed was to put a notice on StreetBank inviting others to meet up in Café Bruxelles to share hopes, concerns and next steps to make Streetbank more prominent in Leicester. 

In just a couple of hours we received 5 replies. 

The gift economy is already present, all it need is a bit of a nudge for it to achieve critical mass.

Hope are high.

Have a go in your own town!

For more details on the Meet-up in Leicester

Click here

Designers of Money Futures - Permaculture

The latest Permaculture session I had was 'Money Futures'.

We discussed the reasons why we need Money, the impact of money on the global and living world.
Questions were asked about the other alternatives of money and whether we could do without it.

It became clear that the discussion was a difficult one to have as we recognise our needs to belong.
We recognise our needs to improve our surroundings.
We recognise how much unskilled and clueless we were.
We recognise the power of money in making our wishes reality by filling the gap of our own inabilities.

Human relationship is probably the most expensive commodity. It forces some to enter the rat-race for happiness and belonging.

It is an unfortunate conclusion. Luckily enough, it is not the end of the story. There are many alternatives to money and the gift economy is actually in scale a lot more prominent that people might think. It is not promoted on television but for sure it exists. Join a voluntary group, knock on your neighbour's door, use freecycle and streetbank, define the community you want to be part of and let go of the rest. A system cannot be changed, another one need to emerge to replace it. Let's be the designers of our destiny!

Streetbank - Collaborative Consumption is the new Black

Collaborative Consumption is the new black.

So, please give it a go!

The unfortunate thing with those new platforms such as Streetbank, timebank, landsharing etc. is that if they does not achieve critical mass, no one can rip the full benefit of its offering.

So even if you do not want to borrow anything from the various dvds collection that you can find on Streetbank, borrow still.

I ended up watching the full season of the killing, a thriller serie produced by the danish. it was absolutely awesome and I've met in turn a lovely lady.

I gave myself the target of sharing a new item once a day on Streetbank and leaflet my neighbours before the end of the month!

What about you?

Zone 00, my fish tank

Zone 00 is an attempt in Permaculture design to describe the self in vast system divided in zones.
If you were to redesign your garden for example, zone 5 could be the area for the wildlife to strive whilst zone 0 could be your house.

Zone 00 is personal and is defined by our actions, experiences, choices.

The question was asked if we had to take away from the zone 00:
- the most important relationship we have
- the object we most cherish
- the best memory we have
- the favourite part of our body
What would be left?

Some answered a feeling of pain and isolation. Other answered the soul and/or essence. I thought for a moment. For me the answer was an idea.

N'oubliez pas que dans le mensonge, il y a le songe mais dans la verité il n'y a pas grand chose

Do not forget that in a lie (fabrication), there is a fiction (a dream) but in the truth, there is nothing much.

The realisation of the truth give us greater freedom in creating our own reality. The story we tell ourselves when making hard choices is probably the most important tool we have. With it, we gain greater emotional resilience to start any grand scheme and battle.

Enjoy your gift!
Make your zone 00 your fish tank in the deep sea of possibilities...