The largest compilation of case studies highlighting how the sharing economy
is saving and transforming lives — creating economic, social and
environmental value — Generation
Share has been
published to illustrate the global impact of this international phenomenon.
The book takes readers on a journey around the globe to meet the people at
the forefront of change.
Published in June,
the book illustrates the social and environmental impact of the sharing
economy for the first time, dispelling myths and demonstrating that the
sharing economy is far more wide-reaching than Airbnb and Uber.
Generation Share is comprised of over 200 changemaker case studies — from
the woman transforming the lives of slum
girls in India, to the UK
entrepreneur who has started a food-sharing
revolution;
you’ll also meet the creators of life-saving milk
banks, a crowdfunding
platform for training and employment for London’s
homeless, an urban farm tackling food
justice in Detroit, a care platform
enabling the elderly to live longer and stay in their own homes, and a
pet-sitting platform helping pets
stay safe and cared for at home.
Mike Barry, Director of Sustainable Business at Marks and Spencer,
calls the book “an indispensable guide to sharing — not just the facts,
stats and intellect that underpin the concept; but also, the joy, passion
and connection that will make it so crucial to our future.”
What is the sharing economy?
The sharing economy is a socio-economic system built around the sharing of
human and physical resources such as property, knowledge, cars, skills,
food, jobs, goods and time. The term emerged from the global crisis of
2008-09 and the need to do more with less. Fueled by technology that for
the first time matched people who had spare or idle resources with those
that wanted or needed them, the term became associated with new types of
‘peer-to-peer’ or person-to-person online marketplaces such as
Airbnb and Uber. However, Generation Share brings to life the reality
beyond Silicon Valley-backed ventures, and instead shares the
multi-faceted aspects of the sharing economy. In this new economy, three
types of value are recognized and counted — economic, social and
environmental. These include social mobility, poverty alleviation,
environmental improvement, sustainable development, advancement of
health, citizenship, happiness, human rights, animal
welfare, and many more.
A collaboration between speaker, social innovator and global sharing economy expert Benita Matofska and
photographer Sophie
Sheinwald, Generation Share
brings to life the phenomenon causing the most significant shift in society
since the Industrial Revolution. A crowdfunded Kickstarter project,
Generation Share was created through the very values it represents.
“The sharing economy is now a decade old and has become a global
phenomenon,” Matofska says. “Generation Share evidences the untold story
of the social impact created with millions of lives saved and transformed.
The book demonstrates that we have enough resources to feed, house, clothe
and educate the global population. If we can unleash our collective capacity
to share, we could end world poverty.”
Research illustrates global impacts of the sharing economy
Providing analysis into the current and forecast impacts of the sharing
economy some of many key facts available include:
-
Over 600 human milk banks are operating in 60 countries, where women share
their breast milk to provide life-‐saving support to premature, sick babies
and to mothers who are unable to feed due to illness. The World Health
Organization
recommends donor
milk for the wellbeing and development of the over 20 million infants born
with low birth weight, particularly in developing nations, every year.
-
Food sharing could end world hunger. By sharing the 1.3 billion tonnes of
food (a third) that is wasted globally each year, we could feed the 10
billion people worldwide living in food poverty.
-
There are 6 times the number of vacant homes than homeless people — the
sharing of vacant homes could help provide homes for the 150 million
homeless worldwide.
-
Shared cars could cut air pollution from vehicle
emissions,
dramatically improving air quality; car-sharing, implemented smartly, can
replace 25 cars with 1 car in
India.
"[This is] a must read for changemakers everywhere who seek lasting,
systemic change with multiple benefits,” said Neal
Gorenflo,
co-founder and Executive Director of
Shareable and Executive Editor of Sharing
Cities: Activating the Urban
Commons. “This timely, inspirational read shows through tangible examples how sharing
can bring people together, meet basic needs and reduce waste. Nothing could
be more relevant given the mounting social, economic and environmental
crises."
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Jul 31, 2019 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST