This one nearly passed me by, and not because people weren’t sharing the information with me!

Global Sharing Week this year is from 16 June to 21 June and the theme of the week is “The Power of Sharing to Change the World.” The week aims to encourage sharing but also to increase awareness of the concept of a real sharing economy – sharing goods, resources and ideas between people.

It always amazes me how much “stuff” we have that sits idle in our houses, garages and sheds. Our lifestyles and advertising encourage us to “have our own”, so I have a full size ladder, two step ladders, several power tools including two drills(!), a cupboard full of clothes I don’t wear, shelves of books I have read (and a few I haven’t) – and they all sit idle, gathering dust, until that one time in the year that I might want to use them. So much of the Earth’s resources tied up in idleness! And if we multiply that by the number of similar houses in my street then it is just plain stupid!

There are are lots of ways in which we could change this. We are involved in a car share so that our car is available for others to use rather than it being sat idle in the drive most of the time. I also joined several online groups to share my ladders and power tools and have offered them to others in my street. This hasn’t worked brilliantly so far but that is where Global Sharing Week comes in, it gives me a kick up the backside and gives me ideas as to how I can share my stuff more effectively and hopefully reduce the stuff I have sitting around idle.

So why not visit the website and see how you can share more.