BayShare

Location: S.F. Bay Area

Website: www.bayshare.org

BayShare is an advocacy organization whose mission is to make the Bay Area the best place on the planet for sharing. As this movement grows, BayShare will explore how city stakeholders and the sharing community can work together to help the Sharing Economy flourish in the Bay Area to benefit the city, businesses, and communities.

The organization looks to be a resource for the Mayor’s Working Group on the Sharing Economy and it will also serve as a resource for the public by hosting events and providing educational materials so that more residents and businesses engage with this new economy.

The Sharing Economy is a popular way for individuals, governments and businesses to access goods and services in new and less expensive ways.

Today people are bartering, lending, trading, gifting and swapping their homes, cars, power drills, skills and even extra time. Spurred by need and a shift in cultural values, and empowered by peer technologies and business models, the sharing economy is democratizing access to resources of all kinds - tangible assets, services, knowledge, capital, production technology, and decision making power.

In its many innovations - some old, some new - include car sharing, cooperatives, crowdfunding, ride sharing, coworking, open source software, participatory budgeting, and peer accommodation to name a few, the Sharing Economy provides an opportunity to explore how we can lead more connected, sustainable lives while benefitting the cities we inhabit. The Bay Area has lead the country in adopting the Sharing Economy and in recognizing its social, environmental, and economic benefits. Many new sharing businesses have headquartered in the Bay Area, making the city an incubator for new business models that create jobs, empower citizens, and creates a more robust community.
Considered to be the next billion dollar industry, the Sharing Economy can help Bay Area residents maintain a high quality of life while living in the hub of the most expensive city in the country. Individuals and businesses across the socio-economic spectrum are able to access new economic opportunities by monetizing their underutilized assets.

Conversely, those who need access to those assets can get them from their neighbors more affordably. A new service industry providing flexible jobs has also cropped up as a result. The impact of these services and new revenue streams on household budgets can be significant.

Innovative use of existing resources cultivates a more sustainable economy based on efficient use of resources. This kind of resource efficiency can significantly reduce waste and help San Franciscans maintain lighter environmental footprints. Sharing builds community and fills market gaps. The Sharing Economy gives citizens a sense of place and purpose in their neighborhoods, and connects them to where they live. This creates a more connected and resilient San Francisco that will be beneficial both now and in times of crisis.

The Sharing Economy is a popular way for individuals, governments and businesses to access goods and services in new and less expensive ways. Today people are bartering, lending, trading, gifting and swapping their homes, cars, power drills, skills and even extra time. Spurred by need and a shift in cultural values, and empowered by peer technologies and business models, the sharing economy is democratizing access to resources of all kinds - tangible assets, services, knowledge, capital, production technology, and decision making power.

In its many innovations - some old, some new - include car sharing, cooperatives, crowdfunding, ride sharing, coworking, open source software, participatory budgeting, and peer accommodation to name a few, the Sharing Economy provides an opportunity to explore how we can lead more connected, sustainable lives while benefitting the cities we inhabit.

BayShare members have already contributed to initiatives to improve the Bay Area such as participatory budgeting, democratizing access to production capacity and providing car sharing services and fleets to decrease the number of cars on the road, contributing environmental, economic, and quality of life benefits to the city of San Francisco.

The Sharing Economy and the Bay Area local government have common goals: to increase resource efficiency, to create jobs and income, to build community, and to achieve zero-waste. There is a great opportunity to combine our efforts to create a stronger, more resilient Bay Area.

BayShare members have already contributed to initiatives to improve the Bay Area such as participatory budgeting, democratizing access to production capacity and providing car sharing services and fleets to decrease the number of cars on the road, contributing environmental, economic, and quality of life benefits to the city of San Francisco.The Sharing Economy and the Bay Area local government have common goals: to increase resource efficiency, to create jobs and income, to build community, and to achieve zero-waste. There is a great opportunity to combine our efforts to create a stronger, more resilient Bay Area.