My friend Ann just turned me on to Shareable, an absolutely wonderful on-line magazine devoted to some of our favorite topics – sharing, swaps, and DIY – Do It Your Self. Started about one year ago, the magazine is full of interesting thought provoking articles by lots of interesting contributors.

I highly recommend you check it out! Recent pieces include Top Ten Ways Sharing Can Save You Money; Does Bikesharing Have A Future?; How to Barter, Give, and Get Stuff; The Tenacity of Pirate Radio; Home Renovation the Shareable Way and Reinventing the Potluck… Would anyone like to step forward to do an occasional sharing summary?

Here is the intro from their website:

Shareable is a nonprofit online magazine that tells the story of sharing. We cover the people, places, and projects bringing a shareable world to life. And we share how-tos so you can make a shareable world real in your life.

In a shareable world, solutions like clothing swaps, childcare coops, potlucks, carsharing, community gardens, and cohousing can make your life more fun, green, and affordable. When we share, not only is a better life possible, but so is a better world.

The remarkable successes of  Zipcar, Wikipedia, Kiva, open source software, Freecycle, and Creative Commons show this. They tell a hopeful story about human nature and our future, one we don’t hear enough in the mainstream media.

They show what’s possible when we share. They show that we don’t act merely for our own good, but go out of our way to contribute to the common good. They show that we can solve the social and environmental crises we face, and thrive as never before. They show that a new world is emerging where the more you share the more respect you get, and where life works because everyone is motivated to help each other.

We tell this story because a shareable world might be just what’s needed to enjoy life to the fullest today while creating a better tomorrow. And it’s being built by people from all walks of life right now. Shareable is your invitation to join these everyday innovators in building a new world.

Want to know more? Try reading these: “Four Degrees of Sharing,” by Janelle Orsi; “Ten Ways our World is Becoming More Shareable,” by Neal Gorenfo; and “Shareable’s Editorial Strategy,” by Jeremy Adam Smith.

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