Introduction
In the face of convergent social and ecological crises, cooperative solutions are essential for transitioning to a just and sustainable economy. Unfortunately, many communities lack the necessary resources and spaces to cultivate grassroots solutions. Our collective action muscles have atrophied, and the spaces that facilitate cooperation and sharing are hard to come by. We must rebuild our social infrastructure and strengthen our capacity for cooperation to effect real change in our society and environment.
Since 2009, Shareable has been a leading news and action hub for the solidarity economy. We’ve published over 4,500 stories and 300 how-to guides as inspiration for people-powered solutions for the common good. We’ve advised countless social entrepreneurs, policymakers, and organizers on how to harness the power of sharing to improve their communities.
In 2022, Shareable saw the need to shift our focus toward more intentionally empowering cooperative solutions in local communities. We are harnessing Shareable’s extensive network of solidarity economy changemakers, storytelling expertise, and convening prowess to empower communities to move from inspiration to action.
From climate change to entrenched systems of oppression to economic instability, the challenges we face can feel daunting. In the face of these convergent challenges, we choose radical optimism. We choose radical optimism because we have seen that everyday people can meaningfully address our biggest challenges. The sharing movement has shown that we can govern ourselves, build an economy that serves everyone, and create meaningful lives together. We know that another world is not just possible – much of it is already here.
Our History
In 2008, SHIFT Foundation was inspired by Annie Leonard’s viral “Story of Stuff” video about creating a less wasteful society, and approached Free Range Graphics (the film’s creators) for advice on how to mainstream a sharing lifestyle. Together they gathered a brain trust to study and recommend ideas for unifying and amplifying a fragmented, but growing, cultural trend of sharing. Shareable was launched on October 1, 2009, to uplift the movement and connect its fragments into a sharing community.
Shareable quickly became a central resource, publishing daily sharing news, creating the largest collection of online how-to guides, and hosting sharing-themed events. Shareable accomplished several notable firsts – from helping the city of San Francisco found the world’s first Sharing Economy Working Group, to hosting the first sharing economy summit, and more. In 2013 we launched the Sharing Cities Network to directly support community organizers – in just three years we initiated 50 ShareFests and 100 MapJams (mapping sharing-based resources), as well as distribute 40 Seed Grants and mentor several fellows in significantly marginalized communities. A decade later, many of these projects continue.
In 2015 Shareable began a years-long initiative to create “Sharing Cities: Activating the Urban Commons,” a publication co-written with 15 fellows in 9 countries featuring 137 case studies and model policies drawn from around the globe, and included a distributed book tour with events on six continents. Many of the partnerships forged during the Sharing Cities initiative continue today as part of Shareable’s current programming, including the award-winning “The Response” film and podcast about how communities create collective resilience, the Cities@Tufts Colloquium (an open-lecture series uplifting diverse perspectives in urban planning), and the Rural Power Coalition (an initiative successfully supporting the just transition to renewable energy for the Rural Electric Cooperatives serving 42 million member-owners across the U.S.
Our Now
Having paved the way for the global story of sharing (a beat now reaching millions of readers through publications like The Guardian, Huffpost, and more) Shareable has recalibrated for a new phase of the sharing movement. We are shifting our focus from inspiration to action. Our innovative new program, SolidarityWorks, empowers local communities to cultivate social infrastructure through collaborative education and collective action.
SolidarityWorks is a learning lab for mobilizing grassroots organizers to build new social infrastructure. Our learning and action co-labs bring together organizers for training, resources, and support to initiate impactful projects.
Coinciding with Shareable’s programmatic shift, we’re also deepening our democratic values to “walk the talk” internally through a transition to a worker self-directed organizational structure. Additional conversations and adjustments, including bylaws changes and a redesigned website, are still to come in 2025 as we enact these changes.
FAQs
- How do I contact Shareable? Send us an email at info@shareable.net. We still get snail mail, too at: Shareable, 6101 Gushee St #1599 Felton, CA 95018-9998
- How do I follow Shareable on social media? Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
- How do I subscribe to Shareable’s newsletter? Subscribe to our e-newsletter to learn about the latest sharing innovations, events, research, and campaigns. It’s a great way to connect to the sharing movement.
- How do I pitch a story idea to Shareable’s editor? To pitch a story, please email Paige Kelly at info@shareable.net. We’ll be in touch.