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The One Million Person Sharing Plan for Wales

Bid & Borrow have been awarded £10,000 to launch ‘The One Million Person Sharing Plan’ for Wales after presenting its proposal at Hay on Earth’s Green Dragon’s Den event at the 2011 Hay Festival on Thursday 2nd of June.

The One Million Person Sharing Plan is the first of its kind; a leading edge sustainable plan owned and led by communities. The project is supported by the Welsh Government’s Department for Environment, Sustainability and Housing, and will enable communities to share existing resources aimed at changing consumer behaviour forever.

The Sharing Plan encourages people to share un-used items in their homes, lofts or garages such as, a bike, breadmaker or tent either for free or for a fee. It also aims to target schools and businesses to share meeting rooms, projectors or perhaps a school bus. This re-use of existing resources reduces manufacturing, waste and landfill whilst enhancing community relations as neighbours and organisations connect through sharing.

With strong community values, Wales it is a fertile network for sharing and an ideal location for this sustainability project. Bid & Borrow will achieve the one million target over the coming year by identifying one hundred volunteers across Wales and assisting them in each setting up a Sharing Hub. Each Sharing Hub will be led by a volunteer who will be charged with spreading the sharing message amongst their local community. The Sharing Hub may be a pub, community centre or school and will act as a centre for information about the project and a nominated location to drop off and pick up items.

Kelly Scales, Bid & Borrow’s Founder, commented “We are delighted to be launching such an exciting scheme in Wales, particularly having won the Dragon’s hearts and public support! And the funding from the Welsh Government really reflects how serious they are about sustainability. We are thrilled to be part of their continued efforts toward a greener nation.”

Announcing The BIG Book Share

Bid & Borrow are teaming up with The Big Lemon to organise The Big Book Share for Brighton and Hove. The Big Book Share will operate on six Big Lemon buses from the end of April 2011 for anybody using Big Lemon buses. The aim of The Big Book Share is to get people sharing and reading all those wonderful books out there currently gathering dust on the bottom shelf!

How it works (it’s really easy!):

To borrow a book, just pick one out of the Book Share Box on the bus, fill in your name and location on the book share sticker inside the book. (If the book doesn’t already have a book share sticker in it, grab one from the box and stick it inside the front cover). Why? We’d like to know who has read the book and where they read it! Enjoy the book then, when you’re finished with it, pass it on to someone else to read or drop it back in the Book Share Box.

So that we can offer as many different books as possible through The Big Book Share, we’d love you to give us your unwanted books. Simply jump on a Big Lemon bus with a Book Share Box, put the books in the box and let them start their journey!

So next time you hop on a Big Lemon Bus remember to bring your unwanted books to share with others. Then settle down for a good read of a newly discovered book for your journey.

Kelly Scales of Bid & Borrow said, “Working with The Big Lemon is a natural fit for us. Both organisations are driven by strong environmental principles. The Big Book Share concept is a simple yet effective way to enable and encourage the re-use of books. What’s more, it’s fun and it’s free.”

Bid & Borrow promotes sustainable re-use through the sharing of resources by connecting individuals to enable lending and borrowing on a peer-to-peer basis. Items that are currently owned and stored can be shared and re-used amongst the local community.

The Big Lemon has been running buses on locally sourced waste oil in Brighton since 2007 offering affordable, environmentally-friendly bus services to students and local communities as well as bus and coach hire including Festival coaches.

We want to know whether your book travels to Hanover or Hungary and will be looking for interesting stories to report on!
Happy sharing!

BID & BORROW (www.bidandborrow.com)
Bid & Borrow is a new kind of website and a seriously affordable way to acquire, through hire, all the things and services you need. It promotes reuse rather than buying new.

Whether it’s jet-washer, party outfit, pram, lawnmower or flute you need, someone out there’s sure to have something suitable that they’re willing to let you borrow at a sensible, affordable rate. Or, you can hire out your time and talents like dog walking, tutoring or decorating.

Try Apple's iPad Before You Buy

Enjoy the Apple iPad in the comfort of your own home for £20 per day. Bid & Borrow, www.bidandborrow.com, is now taking bookings to borrow an Apple 16GB WiFi iPad for a fraction of the £429 retail price. The iPad can be borrowed, played with, tested and tickled in the privacy of your own home, in your own time.

One iPad; many users. It’s the ecologically-sound concept at the heart of Bid & Borrow that brings lenders and borrowers together so that the ‘stuff’ they own can be used time and time again. What’s more, borrowers save money on items they borrow rather than buy, whilst lenders generate themselves some income. Borrowers can also bid a lower than listed borrow fee to ensure they achieve a deal they are happy with.

Rapidly outdating technology coupled with an endless thirst to master the latest, coolest gadgets means the borrow not buy solution is the smart choice to satisfy curiosity without committing to an expensive purchase. Add to that the financial incentive for lenders and borrowers, the community nature of sharing our ‘stuff’ and Bid & Borrow is an accessible, innovative solution. All whilst taking care of our planet.

The choice of items that can be borrowed is limitless. Launched in March 2010, Bid & Borrow already offers hundreds of borrow bargains from a treadmill to a toolbox, to a gazebo, golf clubs, smoothie maker or designer handbag.

Check it out at-
www.bidandborrow.com