Sharing Economy

Good news: participating in sustainability efforts on campus can be as simple as sharing.

Zero Waste and Circularity, one of the focus areas of UB’s Climate Action Plan, is tasked with reducing waste on campus and rethinking the way we produce and consume goods. Part of these efforts include strengthening UB’s sharing economy by creating new ways for materials to circulate among students, faculty, and staff.

In their article in Journal of Cleaner Production, scholars Maryam Faraji, Mohammad Hasan Seifdar, and Babak Amiri define the sharing economy loosely as “an economic model primarily powered by peer-to-peer exchanges of goods and services.” These exchanges frame sharing, rather than ownership, as “a new mode of customers’ consumption.” By maximizing the use of existing resources, the sharing economy has the potential to cut down on unnecessary consumption and reduce waste. 

This is the logic behind one of UB Sustainability’s newer projects: the Care to Share carts in Student Union and Harriman Hall. Made with repurposed book carts from Lockwood, the Care to Share carts are places where people can leave things they no longer need or pick up something they might have a use for. Anything that fits on the cart, except for food, is fair game. The hope is that the cart will keep usable items in use and out of the trash, as well as allowing people to save money and to easily get rid of unwanted objects.

Beyond the Care to Share Cart, there are many other ways you can participate in the local sharing economy:

·      UBReUSE is a yearly market where donated materials from spring move-out are sold at a discounted price. 

·      Buffalo and Erie County Public Libraries (Audubon Library is a half hour walk and a five minute drive from campus) offer books and other media for free. Several BECPL locations also house the WNY Seed Library. 

·      The Tool Library on Main Street gives members access to over 5,000 tools for a small yearly fee. 

·      Little Blue on the ground floor of Capen Hall is similar to the Care to Share Cart, but specifically for books.

·      Many neighborhoods have Buy Nothing groups that allow neighbors to easily exchange unwanted goods. 

Next time you’re in Student Union or Harriman Hall, check out a Care to Share cart. Giving a usable item a second chance is an easy way to support sustainability efforts on campus. And keep in mind this quote from Aristotle, which Faraji, Seifdar, and Amiri use to contextualize the sharing economy: “On the whole, you find wealth much more in use than in ownership.”