NeighborGoods Watch

We love to see people getting creative in the quest to lead a greener life. And the latest green idea to come out of Los Angeles this autumn is inspired. NeighborGoods is a convenient – and even profitable – alternative to buying.  It’s a city-wide network that lets you share or rent out what you don’t need, and find the things you need to borrow, all in your local area.

It’s the brainchild of Micki Krimmel, social media campaigner for An Inconvenient Truth, who came up with the idea a couple of years ago after talking to the people behind global network Freecycle. At the moment, only residents of Southern California can sign up to exchange all the underused stuff they own, but if the project’s a success the plan is to broaden it to the whole of the US.

A quick search of the site today unearthed so many useful things, from a camera tripod to a ride to work (how very handy). And then there are those things that you only ever need once in a while, like boxes to help you move house, and things that can be really hard to find, like music rehearsal space. Sharing is free, and if you upgrade to a Pro account (free for the first year) you can rent your stuff out for a profit. Now that’s what we call a win-win situation.

There’s also a built-in user-policing system so that if someone borrows something for longer than agreed, the owner can flag their account. So the community looks out for each other.  

It’s a great way to Buy Nothing and Stick With What You Got instead. Just imagine the potential if the site was to extend to the UK. Watch this space - we’ve got our fingers crossed.

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