Rent items to and from neighbors Jaymi Heimbuch
DCL
How great might it be to rent items to and from your neighbors, all of you benefiting from a system that gives you want you need while slowing down the consumption of products?
Community based product service systems are an excellent green product service system allowing a lot of people to use one item when they need it, rather than everyone purchasing the same product only to use it once a year. But what about creating an income based on sharing your stuff? That's where Rentalic comes in.
What is Rentalic?
Rentalic is a person-to-person renting service where anyone can hop online and rent their stuff - from parking spaces to holiday decorations - and bring in a little cash, while the renters can get access to things they need for a fraction of the cost of purchasing them.
WATCH VIDEO: Get a crash course in dumpster diving with an accomplished Biology professor who demonstrates the lifestyle of a freegan.
It's a brand new program whose mission is to "Help people save money, make money, and save the environment by encouraging reuse and sharing through person-to-person renting." It's a smart system for several reasons, including that it boosts a greener life style, boosts the bank accounts of participants, and boosts community since neighbors will more often meet and interact with one another.
How does Rentalic work?
The website is a simple way for people to connect, rent just about anything, and reduce their carbon footprints. The company charges a $.99 fee from those renting, and the two community members negotiate their own rental fees and terms. The small fee charged by the company covers their overhead, as well as creates a level of trust that the person renting the items out are giving it to a real person who will (hopefully) play by the rules and give the item back in the same condition.
Rentalic is just getting started, but the more the merrier!
Rentalic was just launched a couple months ago and is still in invitation-only beta mode. However, they plan on opening up the site to everyone by late December or early 2010. They're gathering feedback from users and honing the system, learning what people do and don't like about renting from their community members through the Rentalic system. You can hop on their website right now to get an invitation, start providing feedback, and get a rental product service system going in your neighborhood.
It is a very community-based system, and the more people from one community who sign up, the bigger the pool of items to rent.
