Messaging Opportunity in Rising Fuel Costs for Carsharing

The New York Times reviewed the Consumer Price Index on a year-over-year basis, comparing March 2010 to March 2011.  Since I love any well-organized, graphical data, I thought I would share and comment on a couple of data points that relate to and support our expanding Shared Economy.  

Source: New York Times via Uncluttered White Spaces

Volkswagen Launches Quicar, Joining Fellow Automakers

Volkswagen is helping to make carsharing programs a trend for automakers with its launch of Quicar in Hanover, Germany.  The Quicar program will include 200 fuel-efficient VW Golf Bluemotion vehicles at 50 locations throughout the city.  The program will operate as a traditional carsharing program, similar to Zipcar.  It is planned to launch later this year.

Source: Volkswagen

Solar Mosaic: Making Existing Solar Investment Model Obsolete

After finding Solar Mosaic at Shareable, my mind is sufficiently blown away.  Solar Mosaic mashes solar energy with crowdfunding to diversify the burdensome upfront capital requirements across the community.  Quoting Buckminster Fuller, Solar Mosaic believes "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete."  Based in northern California, the new company creates a marketplace that anyone can use to create solar projects and finance them through their communities, locally and online.

Source: joinmosaic.com

Buying for Buying's Sake

Annie Leonard is a longtime thought-leader of the sustainability movement who has always made a strong and compelling argument against our system of consumption.  In many ways her work makes her strong candidate to be one of the four busts on a hypothetical Mount Rushmore of Collaborative Consumption.  I just stumbled on a great little fact of hers in a image on Unstash.

Ending the Hiatus and Bringing Back the Good Blogginess

The past six weeks have been a healthy but volatile little sabbatical.  Access Trumps Ownership took a seat on the back-burner while I settled into a new job and established better continuity in my day-to-day activities.

During that time, I am happy to report that ATO has been indexed in Google and continues to amass new Twitter followers.  The support through readership and web traffic has been much appreciated.  However, there is no doubt that many, many great things have occurred in the shared economy that I will undoubtedly not report on.  The good news is that I am back and you can count on regular posts once again.

Keep on reading, sharing, and getting more collaborative!

'Ad Hoc' Fosters Community and Cooperation in Boston Co-Working Space

n Boston, Jamaica Plain has been seeing a renaissance of sorts of the past few years.  It has become a destination for many of the city's young professionals and hipsters, embracing a more progressive culture along the way.  Located on Meehan St in what used to be a horse stable, 'Ad Hoc' is located on the first floor of the the three-story multi-use building, sharing space with a yoga studio and residences on the top floor.  Ad Hoc is a co-working space committed to "creating a coworking studio for creatives and entrepreneurs."

OurGoods, Blending Bartering and Education in New York City

The New Yorker writer, Nana Asfour, uncovered a great story of bartering last week.  OurGoods offers evening classes for adults on a wide array of topics - including economics and business, canning and preserving foods, grant-writing, history, and many more.  The enthusiastic teachers are compensated by students in services of some kind.  The students can barter anything they wish, like filing receipts, running errands, or offering some other skill or handmade good as long as the teacher agrees to accept it.

Source: OurGoods via The New Yorker

BMW Joins the Carsharing Mix with 'DriveNow'

Yesterday, BMW announced its entry into the car-sharing world via a cooperative venture with Sixt AG called DriveNow. The service will pilot next month in Munich, and later expand to Berlin, to other European cities, and eventually to North America, where BMW hopes to establish a base of 1 million users by 2020.

Source: BMWBlog.com

Introducing Loosecubes: Coworking Anywhere, Anytime

Loosecubes is offering a new product that is clever and simple.  Write an easy to use mobile website that let's users leverage their Twitter account into coworking events that suit their needs so they can work where they want, when they want and be more productive with the company of fellow professionals.  This takes the traditional coworking model and flips it over to the masses.  Anyone can "host" a coworking event that can be geared toward specific themes or tasks.

Source: TechCrunch

TIME Magazine Names 'Sharing' an Idea That Can Change the World

Bryan Walsh at TIME thinks all of us who are adopting lifestyles of the sharing economy and supporting businesses in collaborative consumption are smart and helping to change the world.  The TIME magazine endorsement of our collective and collaborative efforts only helps to solidify what is already turning into a serious transformational trend across America.  As Walsh states, "Someday we'll look back on the 20th century and wonder why we owned so much stuff."

Source: TIME magazine

Check out the entire list of Ideas and more details on Bryan Walsh's article here.

Landshare and SharedEarth Announce Global Partnership at SXSW

On March 15, 2011, SharedEarth and LandShare joined forces to create the largest land sharing community in the world.  The partnership brings together the most successful land sharing organizations from Europe and the US.  Combined, the two programs have signed up more than 52,000 people who are sharing more than 5,000 acres of land.  Users are growing vegetables, chickens, fruit, herbs and flowers.

The purpose of the partnership is to expand awareness and participation in the land sharing movement.  The two non-profits share a similar vision to increase the availability of usable land and to make the world a greener place, one garden at a time.

More information about the partnership can be found at SharedEarth.com.  The original press release is from WebWire.

City of Vancouver Re-Brands Carshare Co-Op as Modo

The City of Vancouver wanted to re-energize and reposition its carsharing operation, Co-operative Auto Network, popularly known as CAN.  A local design and branding consultancy, Cause + Affect, simplified and focused the message in the new brand, Modo.  The city was concerned that consumers were not sure how to find information or use CAN.  The re-branding effort provides a great opportunity for Vancouver to take control of the conversation with consumers and increase interest in the alternative transportation mode.

Last Week in Carsharing News: Car2Go, Shared Plugs, P2P Legislation

As I have begun to follow the news across the shared economy, it's becoming increasingly apparent that it may be best to bucket together carsharing news.  Almost everyday a service is adding to its fleet, expanding operations, or a new company is popping up somewhere.  This may be a running edition every week or two, but here's my first carsharing weekly wrap-up.

Despite Improved Fleet Operations, Zipcar Reports Loss of $14.1M in 2010

On March 4, 2011 Zipcar filed annual financial results, revealing revenues of $186 million in 2010, an increase of  41% over 2009.  The gains underscore the growing investment and consumer interest in carsharing, which experts anticipate might be a $3.3 billion industry by 2016 in the North America.  Overshadowing the gains was the net loss of $14.1 million, a decline from the 2009 loss of $4.6 million.  The loss was bolstered by a nearly three-fold increase in interest expenses.

City of Chicago Pens Integrated Fleet Management Service with Zipcar

Chicago became the first city in the country to combine both FastFleet, the fleet sharing technology service from Zipcar, and Zipcar4Business (Z4B), Zipcar's business transportation solution.  The combination of the two services will provide city employees access to both city-owned vehicles through an online reservation system as well as access to Chicago's network of Zipcars.  The integrated strategy is expected to save Chicago hundreds of thousands of dollars in transportation costs over the next several years and marks a step forward for transportation services employed by municipalities.  

Source: FastFleet.net

Communauto to Add 50 Nissan Leaf to Fleet in July 2011

Nissan hopes to build stronger consumer support and better consumer education for its all-electric Leaf through a partnership with Montreal carsharing service, Communauto.  The 50 Leaf vehicles will be added to the Communauto fleet of 1,200 cars in July to help promote the vehicle sales and adoption rates in Canada.  Communauto will charge the same rates for the Leaf as other conventional vehicles in its fleet and will install fifty charging stations across to accommodate for the vehicles.

Source: Nissan Leaf homepage

Relay Rides CEO Shelby Clarke: "Best Gateway to Sharing Economy is Carsharing." (Video)

From a recent video interview posted on the Wall Street Journal, here is Relay Rides CEO Shelby Clarke:

Eat Good Food and Make New Friends Using EatWithMe

About a month ago I posted about a start-up in Philadelphia called MealTik, who launched a platform for neighbors to host meals for other neighbors for free or a small cost per serving.  Since its pilot launch, MealTik, has pulled down the service while a more refined website and service is in the works.  This past week a collaborative consumption blog-mate, Unstash, brought a similar company to my radar.  EatWithMe, currently  operating in primarily Australia, brings meal sharing to neighborhoods with a more socially-minded twist.

Source: EatWithMe.net

CriticalMass Combines Coworking, Innovation and Venture Capital

Five Boston area venture capitalists have joined together in forming CriticalMass, a new coworking space for entrepreneurs in Cambridge, MA.  The space is at the Cambridge Innovation Center and was launched on March 1, 2011.  Among a rising base of coworking space in Boston, CriticalMass offers a unique experience for promising entrepreneurs.  The project was created by a strong group of local venture capitalists and the New England Venture Capital Association, which will spend time at CriticalMass to provide regular programming as well as informal interaction and mentoring.

Source: CriticalMass via PRWeb

Connect by Hertz is First In Line for Renault EV

Hertz announced this week that it will be one of the first buyers of the new Twizy EV from Renault.  Connect by Hertz will add 500 Twizy units to its fleet over the next two years across its European locations.  The Twizy (pictured below) is a small, practical vehicle, designed for city-driving.  It combines motor bike and motor vehicle technologies and is priced at $9,600.

NeighborGoods Using Kickstarter to Gear Up for 2.0 Launch

NeighborGoods, the online community for local resource sharing, is reaching out to supporters online through Kickstarter to raise $10,000 for a launch of NeighborGoods 2.0.  The 2.0 platform will create the ability to establish sharing communities for organizations, companies and groups of all sizes.  Members will be able to make private or public groups to share items.

The NeighborGoods 2.0 Kickstarter campaign ends in 19 days on March 23, 2011.  As of 8:00 am on March 4, the campaign has raised 30% of its goal.  Please show your support for NeighborGoods and the continued growth of the collaborative consumption movement by making a pledge.  As with all Kickstarter fundraisers, NeighborGoods will only receive funding if the it reaches 100% of its goal.

Link to NeighborGoods on Kickstarter.

Upcoming Must-See Documentary: "The Revenge of the Electric Car"

It had been ten years since its death, but the electric car is coming back stronger than ever.  Filmmaker Chris Paine brings us its inspiring and vengeful story in the new documentary, Revenge of the Electric Car.  Paine is the maker of the 2006 documentary, Who Killed the Electric Car? The film's website offers fans the opportunity to bring a screening to their city, so sign up and vote to bring this film to a theater in your neighborhood.  The trailer is embedded below and is outstanding.  If you have seen the first documentary, you have to be excited for this upcoming release, which is slated for Spring 2011.

Zipcar adds former eBay CEO Meg Whitman to Board of Directors

On Monday February 28, 2011, Zipcar added Meg Whitman to its Board of Directors, bringing her experience with online auctions, e-commerce and electronic payments.  She led eBay from 1998 to 2008, seeing the company expand from $4 million to $8 billion in revenues.  Whitman is replacing long-time Zipcar investor and board member, Jim Gerson.

The Zipcar Board now comprises of:

Scott Griffith - CEO and Chairman of the Board
William Helman - Partner, Greylock Partners
John Mahoney - Vice Chairman and CFO, Staples Inc.
Robert Kagle - General Partner, Benchmark Capital
Philippe Bourguignon - Chief Technical Officer, Vivalaville.com
Jill Preotle - Director, Redtail Solutions, Inc.
Donn Davis - Director, Zipcar Inc.
Steve Case - Co-Founder and Chairman, Case Foundation Company

Link to original press release from Zipcar.

The Case Against the Global Economy and For a De-Growth Strategy

Andrew McKillop, an energy economist, consultant and editor, wrote a powerful argument against the growth of the Global Economy and against the support of it in general. He argues that society shoul
d build a De-Growth Strategy to supplant the Global Economy and “create a long-term stable future.” The collaborative consumption movement and expansion of the Access Economy completely supports the move toward a De-Growth Strategy. Redistribution and increased utilization of existing assets contributes to a reduction in growth of product-producing markets. Additionally, the nurturing of local community networks through increased interaction and improved trust networks help support local cultures and help support local culture and neighborhoods.

Source: TheDailyStar.net

Reducing Car Ownership Increases Income Spent in Local Economy

The National Building Museum released a fascinating infographic regarding car ownership and its relationship spending in the local economy.  Based on AAA Annual Cost of Ownership report, the annual cost to own a vehicle is $8,485, including all expenses, like loan payments, fuel, maintenance, insurance, and registration fees.  The NBM estimates that 84% of this cost is sent out of the vehicle's local economy.  Removing this vehicle from the road would keep that money in the local economy.  Between 2005 and 2009, Washington DC increased its population by 15,892 people while decreasing vehicle registrations by 15,000.

Brussels Welcomes Zen Car, an Electric-Vehicle Carshare Fleet

During March, Zen Car will launch a fleet of 29 electric vehicles in Brussels.  The vehicles can be returned across the city at one of fifteen charging stations.  The company will charge a 40 euro initiation fee, along with a monthly membership fee of 6 euro.  Vehicles can be rented for 7 euro per hour.  Zen Car will be 100% electric vehicles, adding to Brussels' effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Source: www.fastcompany.com

The Access Trumps Ownership Ethos has Arrived!

In our world today, a whisper is turning into chatter. Conscientious and younger consumers are awakening to a growing trend. The collision of social media networks, growing environmental concerns, strengthening community importance, and a massive global recession created the perfect opportunity for a new economic marketplace: The Access Economy (or Collaborative Consumption or the Shared Economy). The Access Economy changes behavior without diminishing convenience, prosperity, or quality of life. In fact, it creates a closer world, where neighbors trust one another. 

Gen Y More Utilitarian About Transportation

Generation Y is represents a major shift in mental models about driving and transportation.  As the largest generation ever in America at 80 million people, Gen Y will shape consumer and lifestyle trends for decades to come.  And these individuals view car ownership as more of a burden and a harm to the environment than a status or sex symbol.  They are proving that they would rather be heading to the bus stop than the car lot.

Source: Bryan College Station homepage

Building Buying Power Through Crowdsourcing

In an article over the weekend, Jo Thornhill at The Daily Mail in London made an effort to categorize some of the ways that the "crowd" is lending a hand to one another to increase buying power.  The focus of the article is on the collective buying power of crowds versus the individual.  When I discuss collaborative consumption models, I speak more broadly, including borrowing/lending schemes, landshare, carsharing, etc.  Thornhill's focus is primarily in the businesses that bring individual's together to save money through collective purchasing power.  The article breaks these businesses into four categories:

Mortgage merger: Stefan Canavan, left, and James Bertioli bought a flat together. Source: The Daily Mail

Landshare Updates in the United Kingdom

Over the weekend, there were a number of announcements and updates on landshare co-operatives.  Here is a rundown of those stories:

• Thirteen residents in Banff, UK register plans for a landshare in a move toward making the town less dependent on fossil fuels and a more resilient community for a future where food and energy costs may increase sharply. (via The Press and Journal)
• A landshare program is among 20 programs proposed by the Transition Evesham Vale group.  The group is among the network of Transition Towns, which began in the UK and have grown across the globe. (via the Evesham Journal)
• Villagers in Cilcain and Ffynnongroyw unite to manage community landshare projects in Flintshire.  The program currently has 150 people on a waiting list, hoping to be assigned to one of the 67 plots available. (via BBC)

Links to the original articles are above

Love it! 'The Cookie Car' Gains Notoriety Among RelayRides Members

'The Cookie Car' is attracting more renters and making its car owner more money than neighboring cars in RelayRides' Boston market.  At the core is a fundamental and obvious principle, friendlier and better service makes more money.  The owner of the "Brian's Prius" proves this principle true once again by leaving small baggies of fresh cookies for renters in his car.

Source: Relay Rides' Blog

New in Chicago: Coworking Evanston

On February 1, co-owners Miguel Wong and William Melody launched their new coworking space on the corner of Davis Street and Chicago Avenue.  Each owner is a software developer with the desire to work more interactively and collaboratively with other independent professionals.  A description from the Coworking Evanston website:

"Coworking Evanston is a coworking space and community in downtown Evanston, IL, close to both Metra and the Purple line. 2500 sq ft of desks, meeting space and private offices available, all with high speed internet, free coffee and shared printer. A great community of software developers, designers and telecommuters."

Source: coworkingevanston.com

Fear of Fuel Price Hikes Spur Interest in Carsharing in Dundee, Scotland

Dundee, Scotland is trying launching a carshare service.  Following the success of programs around the world and in Edinburgh and Glasgow, Dundee is planning a carshare service to provide alternative vehicular transportation for local residents that can lead to fuel consumption and cost reductions in the future.  The service is under discussion at an event today, February 17, 2011.  Details of the event have not yet been released.  

Alistair MacLeod, from Solar Cities Scotland sees the benefits of establishing a carsharing service, "What the figures are showing with these kind of car clubs is that they reduce the amount of time people use cars and can save motorists thousands of pounds a year, and — as well as being better for the environment — it will also help in areas where they are struggling for parking spaces."

Link to original article at The Courier.

Welcome the World's First Vehicle Intended for Carsharing

Carsharing must be more than a fad when you see auto manufacturers designing vehicles specifically for sales to carshare fleet owners.  EDAG, the German engineering company, will have a new version of the concept car at this year's Geneva motor show.  The vehicle is not intended for sales to individual owners but specifically for fleet operators.  The vehicle below is decked out in a number of features that make it attractive for carshare companies and more convenient for carshare members to drive.

The EDAG Light Car Concept (Source: plugincars.com)

Landshare Arrives in Australia

Landshare, the hugely successful "match-making service for gardeners" in the United Kingdom, has launched its service in Australia on January 27, 2011.  The Australia branch of the company is run by Phil Dudman, an Aussie-native and gardening expert.

Dudman commented on the launch, “There is an increased demand for people wanting fresh, seasonal produce. The way of the future is to be growing your own produce - and the things you can’t grow yourself, you buy at the local farmers' market. And access to land is only getting harder as backyards get smaller.”

Landshare Australia launches on the back of the success of the program in the UK, which has nearly 60,000 members.

Link to full press release from Northern Star.

SustainAbility Interview with Rachel Botsman: Where Big Business Fits in Collaborative Consumption

Our collaborative consumption rock-star recently sat down with Kyra Choucroun of SustainAbility.  The interview, full article and video available at the link in the bottom of this post, bounced between issues faced by collaborative consumption - including:

• How do large corporations and brands fit into the growth of collaborative consumption businesses?
• Where do consumers in developing countries fit into the collaborative consumption movement?
• When do we cross the line and begin to rent or access too much of our lives and should retain individuality and ownership?

Source: CollaborativeConsumption.com from the What's Mine is Yours book cover

Recent Momentum Gains for Coworking Space

This post was going to focus on Hub Melbourne, a new coworking space in Melbourne, Australia.  However, after a little digging, I found that there have been a lot of recent additions to the global coworking network.  I decided to write a summary of those additions, including who were the protagonists, where they are located, their purpose, and any unique or differentiating traits they have.

Below you will find: Hub Melbourne (Melbourne , AU); DurangoSpace (Durango, CA); General Assembly (New York, NY); Second Gear Coworking (Lansing, MI); and Share Your Office (global).

Images from General Assembly via VentureBeat

Industry Trade Group Established for Car-Sharing: Carsharing Association

Carsharing Association, the official trade group of the car-sharing industry, was established by 17 industry organizations to focus on environmental and social impact and responsibility, education, research, and ethical practices.  This story was reported by The Ithaca Journal.

ZipCar and Connect by Hertz Add Thirteen New University Campuses to Service Networks

ZipCar and Connect by Hertz have each expanded service to new university campuses this semester.  Between the two service providers, thirteen campuses are receiving service for the first time this year.  Both companies see the opportunity in the car-sharing market at universities.  As Mark P. Frissora, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Hertz stated, "The demand for car sharing is growing at universities because it's the most cost efficient way to drive a car and not worry about loan payments, insurance, maintenance, parking and other costs associated with vehicle ownership."

Image Source: Treehugger.com

Ecomodo Builds Swapping Marketplace Through Trust

Launched in March 2010, Ecomodo is an online marketplace, helping users lend or borrow everyday items, skills and space.  The service is primarily offered in London, but is available throughout the UK.  As of today, the site has more than 740 items available to borrow, from power tools to costumes, and recreational equipment to electronics.  The lender and borrower network is built around Trust Circles, or lending circles, "that use existing community connections to help feel more confident" about transactions.  These circles could be based on church groups, neighborhoods, schools or office parks.  Bridging the trust gap is a huge hurdle for the success of collaborative consumption models.  Additionally, the company offers optional insurance or deposits for any item through Royal Sun Alliance.

Source: www.redpepper.org.uk

Get Your "To Do List" Accomplished with Runners from TaskRabbit

As I begin to absorb and discover more of the innovation in the collaborative consumption niche, I am continually impressed with the creativity and intuition of many business starters.  TaskRabbit, established in the spring of 2008 originally as RUNmyERRAND, uses the power of the community to help people get everyday tasks completed.  Currently operating in Boston and San Francisco, the company allows users (Senders) to list any task that needs completing - dog-walking, packing, grocery pickup, graphic design, etc. - and pre-qualified "Runners" will sign up to do them for you.

New L.A. Seed Fund Aims at Collaborative Consumption

TechCrunch reports on a new seed fund called Collaborative Fund, established in Los Angeles, that is seeking to invest in "collaborative consumption and those which use their values as a competitive weapon." The fund is established be veteran angel investor and entrepreneur, Craig Shapiro, with the help of friends and advisors like YouTube founder Chad Hurley and Kiva co-founder and Profounder CEO Jessica Jackley.  Shapiro believes the fund will help innovative businesses focused extracting additional economic value from existing resources by making them more productive.

Meet the Craigslist of borrowing: NeighborGoods

NeighborGoods founder, Micki Krimmel, was stuck before a trip to Thailand without a proper backpack and ended up spending more than $250 when she could not find any friends to borrow one from.  This dilemma was the inspiration for her new company, Neighborgoods, which will charge a small fee ($4.99) to verify accounts in order to cover expenses.

Wired: "Rentalship is the new ownership in the networked age"

Not much I need to add to this great Wired article on the collaborative consumption movement.  It's timely in that someone at Wired noticed the same thing that myself and many others are noticing - "We are entering the access economy."

It's Music to Your Ears...From a Stranger

Take a CD, Leave a CD is more of a social experiment than a business plan, but I love the idea.  I am a not a music maven, but I do love to discover new artists.  The idea is promoting participation from ZipCar drivers to leave CD's at the end of rentals and feel free to take CD's that have been left by others.  It's promoting a behavior to share your favorite new music with strangers and discover the favorite music of others.

Chickens, Beehives, and Produce Sales are Legal for Pittsburgh Residents

If you were waiting to move to Pittsburgh until you could own chickens or a beehive in your urban backyard, wait no longer.  In recent weeks, Pittsburgh City Council passed a new Urban Agriculture Zoning Code that will expand the diversity in urban farming.  Soon it may not be strange to wake up to the sound of a rooster or a city bus.  Local NPR syndicate, WDUQ, reported on the new city ordinance here.

Repurposing Construction Materials Made Easy on Contractor Yard Sale

On Contractor Yard Sale, Andrew Pennington establishes a simple market exchange for surplus building materials.  Contractors and Suppliers are provided an opportunity to list any surplus building materials, while consumers can find these materials at great discount prices.  According the EPA, "Construction and demolition generates 160 millions of tons of waste each year in the U.S., every ton of which is an opportunity to reduce, recycle, and reuse."  Contractor Yard Sale operates primarily in Kentucky.  There are similar exchanges around the country - including Construction Junction in Pittsburgh, which operates a brick-and-mortar surplus store and a growing national chain of ReStore outlets, opereated by Habitat for Humanity.

NYT In Transit Blog: P2P Carsharing Market in Bay Area

The New York Times blogger, Sean O'Neill, wrote a quick summary of the competition that is heating up in the Bay Area.  Three companies are vying for the new person-to-person carsharing market there.

As part of a team in Pittsburgh that is going to market with a variation of this person-to-person model, I find it hard to believe that 200 vehicles are already available.  RelayRides arrived from Boston in December and currently has nine vehicles listed on its website, while the other competitors, Getaround and Spride Share, were first allowed to insure vehicles after the law went into effect in January.  Regardless, if you live in San Francisco, I would be very interested in hearing more details from the market on advertising, marketing, and vehicle availability.

Pittsburgh Explores Bike Sharing Program

Following European cities and Washington DC, Pittsburgh is in the early stages of exploring a bike sharing program. Bike PGH is leading the exploratory effort. Scott Bricker, the founder of Bike PGH, stated, "We're just learning about it. We like what we see in other cities around the world. We're just trying to build excitement here." Bricker has scheduled B-Cycle, a bike sharing company, to visit Pittsburgh in April for initial discussion.

If the neighbors cooking smells good... Eat it!

Over the weekend, Philadelphia welcomed a new start-up, MealTik.  The city hosted a local edition of a national program, called Startup Weekend, which connects entrepreneurs for a entire weekend to build, tweak and demo new business ventures.  According to a philly.com summary of the event, 16 teams presented demonstrations of their weekend work on Sunday afternoon. 

Sydney Carsharing Booming with GoGet Leading the Way

After the first cars were introduced in Marrickville (outside of Sydney) by GoGet in 2003, Sydney and its surrounding areas have more than 450 carshare vehicles.  More and more residents are foregoing or selling their vehicles to join carsharing and hopping back on public transportation.

Interview with ParkatmyHouse Founder

His idea is simple - if you live somewhere that people would like to park, you can rent your parking space in your driveway or your front yard at ParkatmyHouse.com.  And if you need affordable convenient parking for a special event or for work, check out the listings on the website for a parking space near you.  Over at Collaborative Consumption, they've recently interviewed ParkatmyHouse founder, Anthony Eskinazi.

And so it begins

Welcome to Access Trumps Ownership, a blog entirely devoted to the growth of collaborative consumption businesses and markets.  At the start of 2011, there are strong undercurrents of collaborative consumption beginning to stir that indicate we may see a future in the next few years where these business models will change the way we all interact with and participate in the economy.  Collaborative consumption is the logical direction for a future with more constrained resources and the need for collaborative communities.  

I have begun tracking news and blog activity and expect to begin posting regularly over the next few weeks. The sort of topics that are particularly active on my radar are: person to person carsharing, coworking, bicycle share, and landshare.  I welcome any additional suggestions for topics and news at anytime.