Share the Love

What’s not to love about the sharing economy?  This planet has a lot of people on it…and more than enough stuff to go around.  So why not share the love?  If you’re into collaborative consumption, beyond finding a place to stay on Airbnb and renting a Zipcar and finding a new (used) tent on Yerdle, you can now simply lend your support at a new organization designed to “educate our peers and community leaders about the benefits of sharing” — www.peers.org.

This post — a long overdue endorsement of the sharing economy — was inspired by a simple change to tonight’s date night.  Rather than spewing fumes into the air to drive a few short miles from happy hour to dinner, Sean and I opted to travel by bcycle, a bike sharing effort spearheaded by Trek.  Our friends lent us their snazzy access cards, and within a minute, we were on two shiny red bikes equipped with lights, baskets, and three finely tuned gears to transport us to dinner.  Not only did we get our heart rates up a bit before and after dinner, we added some novelty to our date night and saw Madison, Wisconsin in a whole new light.  It was a win-win-win.  So if there is a bcycle near you, give it a shot.  And if not, what better time than now to bring bike sharing to your city?  Or at a minimum, ride your own set of wheels to dinner.  Your body and your skyline will thank you.