What is A2Share?

What is A2Share? 

A clothing swap held by members of A2Share. 
This image is provided by A2Share's Facebook page.

A2Share is an organization dedicated to building up the sharing economy in the Ann Arbor area. They host monthly events such as clothing swaps (see photo to left), film screenings, and Sharing Summits, when members get together and share their skills, ideas, and resources (ie, food, seeds, books, and clothes). A2Share was created in February 2013 with funding from Shareable Magazine, an international online magazine for the sharing economy. 



What has A2Share been up to?

This image is provided by A2Share's Facebook page.

Over the last year, A2Share has created an online directory to gather all of the local sharing resources onto one handy website. In August of last year, they held their first Sharing Summit at the Campus Farm (see image to right). They invited all sharing-affiliated organizations such as the People's Food Co-Op, the Inter-Cooperative Council, and the Office of Campus Sustainability to 'table' at the sharing festivals. The event was successful, with 25 organizations and roughly 80 students and community members in attendance. After a very positive response, A2Share started monthly meetings, sometimes in the form of potlucks, which are held at Hathaway's Hideaway or member's houses.
Why share?

First of all it's cost-efficient. For example, sharing a lawn mower with two other houses cuts the cost down by two-thirds. Second, it is convenient - if I need a loaf of bread, I would much rather go across the street to a neighbor's house than all the way to the grocery store. Lastly, community members have much talent they don't put to use often enough. Maybe you're a Master Gardener, but you really want to learn how to play the piano. A2Share can put you in contact with someone who can teach you how to play and you can help them with their garden. This is an example of a service A2TimeBank, a new project A2Share is working on, can do for you. A timebank is like a bank, but you exchange your time doing something (teaching someone to play piano, gardening) rather than money.

Awesome! How do I get involved with A2Share?
If you're a student here at U-M, you are in luck! A2Share just started a student group and in the fall they'll be looking for new members as well as officers for the group. If you're interested, reach out to info@a2share.org; they'll keep you updated on upcoming events and ways to get involved. If you are anyone with access to the internet, you are ALSO in luck! Go to A2Share's website and sign up for their newsletter. Don't forget to follow A2Share on Facebook and Twitter, and email them at info@a2share.org. Also, there's a link to sign up for their newsletter here.
Lastly, the greatest way to get involved is to come to an event. It just so happens that A2Share is having an event on Saturday, June 7th(see flyer below)! See you there!

This information was provided by Ryan Gourley, founder of A2Share.