By The Sustainability Practices Network listserve. A discussion focusing on consumption services.

Today people are reassessing the value of our consumer culture and scaling back on purchases. In response, many people are turning to collaborative consumption to save money and build community. Collaborative consumption is an economic model of sharing, swapping, bartering, renting or borrowing access to products as opposed to ownership. According to The Economist, collaborative consumption is a part of the “ thought-provoking sector of 2012″ and was identified by Time in 2010 as one of the 10 ideas that will change the world. The concept of reusing or
sharing goods and services isn’t new. For years, people have used some kind
of product sharing: libraries, laundromats, Goodwill and Salvation Army donation centers, public and private housing collectives and salvage
centers. The internet and social media communities are enabling market
behavior to be reinvented in a way, and on a scale, not possible before
their advent. The web has fueled large marketplaces such as eBay and Craigslist, as well as people-centric marketplaces such as
Tradepal and Taskrabbit, that help connect people with their neighbors for
goods and services. There are also emerging sectors, such as social lending ( Zopa), sharing residential property
with travelers ( CouchSurfing, Airbnb), and car sharing ( Zipcar,
Getaround, RelayRides). Why buy a college textbook only to sell it a few months later when you can rent one for the semester? Why pay $400 for a tiny hotel room in Manhattan when you can rent someone’s charming one bedroom in Soho or funky East Village pad via airbnb for $200 a night? As the marketplace
grows, building trust and quality metrics is critical. Come hear SPN panel experts discuss the implications of this significant social and economic
trend and the challenges collaborative consumption faces as the market
grows.

Moderator: Roo Rogers, Ozolab
Invited Panelists: Jen Abrams, Our Goods; Ron J. Williams, SnapGoods; Paul Steely White Transportation Alternatives; Danya Cheskis-Gold, Skillshare.

RSVP: events@sustainabilitypractice.net
Date: January 31, 2012
Time: 6:30 – 8:30pm
Venue: Green Spaces – 394 Broadway, 5th floor (btw Walker & White); New York, NY 10013

About SPN:
The Sustainability Practice Network (SPN) is a New-York-based forum for
professionals working with corporate responsibility and sustainability
issues to build community based on learning, discussion, information and
idea exchange. There are over one thousand members on our list-serve,
representing practitioners from industry, academia, government and NGO’s. For more information please visit: www.sustainabilitypractice.net

About Green Spaces:
We provide the infrastructure for triple bottom line companies to work and
grow. With locations in New York and Colorado, our co-working centers are
hubs for sustainable business leaders. Our offices gather social
entrepreneurs, startups and freelancers alike.