The global economic crisis of the past few years and the environmental pollution has created the opportunity for societies to use their creativity and develop schemes that will assist and improve their wellbeing. One of these actions is collaborative consumption. The concept of sharing is not a new idea but has arisen as a solution due to circumstances. In recent years, collaborative consumption has become a common term, with most known initiatives, Airbnb (accommodation), Uber (taxi services), Ebay (secondhand goods)
Apart from the ones mentioned above, we can see alternative forms of consumption in everyday life. These new ways of sharing and trading have mostly emerged through the internet. The possibilities of websites that provide services of this kind are endless.
Liftshare as described by the title is a platform that allows users to book a seat to a driver’s vehicle to reach their destination under a small amount. Instead of using public transport you could share your journey and cost with other people that are travelling in the same destination. This service could be used for long journeys or smaller routes.
MamaBake group was a pioneer in terms of collaborative consumption. The concept here was to create a network of mothers to get together and cook big batch meals, which were then shared among the participants so that everyone would go home with several home-cooked meals. That was the initial idea but along the years they have expanded through social media and also provide recipes and tips.
Swap is a free service where users could upload pictures of items that are not useful for them anymore and trade them with other items that wish to obtain. Even if you do not want to exchange any of your goods you could find affordable secondhand things. You can swap items locally or internationally. It is an initiative that not only minimizes the cost but also respects the environment.
These actions differentiate among countries, but you could find similar initiatives adjusted to the needs of each region. A sharing economy adds a more humanitarian touch to the whole concept since people need to work together, start respect each other and change their perspective towards overconsumption. Col-sumers projects examines the benefits of Collaborative Consumption and focuses on training a specific target group, people over the age of 60 into effectively using the tools of sharing economy.
Find out more about the project by clicking the official website: https://col-sumers.eu/
