share power, dialogue and knowledge, such as workplace democracy, citizens’ deliberative councils, unconferences, open spaces and world cafés are getting more attention, aided by innovative Web 2.0 tools and other means. Scores of new websites are de- signed to help us share real stuff, and it’s possible to create a complete lifestyle based on sharing. We can live in a co-housing community, work in a co-op, grow food in a neighbor’s yard and travel to the open space town council meeting via a local car-share. Want to know about the nuts and bolts of how to build a shareable life? Read The Sharing Solution, by Janelle Orsi and Emily Doskow.
Shareable Cities
A revolution is underway in our under- standing of cities; they are becoming the focal point for our collective hopes and dreams, as well as for all kinds of innova- tion needed to avert a worsening climate crisis. In the past, we tended to see cities
SHARING OUR WORLD
Simply Sharing Can Solve Big Challenges by Neal Gorenflo and Jeremy Adam Smith
Sharing is the answer to some of today’s biggest questions: How will we meet the needs of the world’s enormous population? How do we reduce our impact on the planet and cope with the destruction already inflicted? How can we each be healthy, enjoy life, and create thriving communities?
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istorically, we are all connected by climate, roads, fisheries, language, forests, cultures and social networks as part of life on this planet. In recent decades, the rules of access and ownership have shifted in new directions, making sharing more convenient, necessary, fulfilling and even profitable.
32 Collier/Lee Counties
Sharing as a Lifestyle Ways to share in everyday life seem to be multiplying like rabbits, but perhaps the Great Recession is forcing all of us to pay more attention to its importance these days. There’s car sharing, ride sharing, bike sharing, yard sharing, co-working, co-housing, tool libraries and all kinds of cooperatives. Ways to
swfl.naturalawakeningsmag.com
as dirty, unnatural, isolating places; to- day, citizens and urban planners alike are starting to see their potential for generat- ing widespread well-being at low finan- cial and environmental cost. There’s an increasing appreciation for the benefits of public transit, urban agriculture, making room on the streets for pedestrians and bicyclists and for civic engagement. The very thing that defines a city—its popula- tion density—makes sharing things easier, from cars to bikes to homes.
Social Enterprise and Cooperatives
Social enterprises, both nonprofit or for profit, offer products or services that aim to advance social or environmental missions with benefits for all. This industry is small, relative to the overall economy, but grow- ing extremely fast in some sectors. The Social Enterprise Alliance re-
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