Is your home full of stuff you no longer need or use? If so you should consider de-cluttering for a cause. This September peer-to-peer rental website Open Shed is encouraging Australians to spring clean their homes, rent out their idle but useful goods and donate the fee to charity.
Open Shed has partnered with OzHarvest, the non-denominational charity that rescues excess food which would otherwise be discarded, for this initiative. Open Shed is an award-winning example of the collaborative consumption movement which has been cited in TIME Magazine as one of the 10 ideas that will change the world. The movement also fosters a sense of community and builds vital local connections.
In his book Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being, University of Pennsylvania professor Martin Seligman explains that helping others can improve our own lives. Similarly, The Grattan Institute’s 2012 Social Cities report emphasises that relationships are critical to well-being. The report cites evidence that people have fewer friendships and neighbourhood connections than they did two decades ago and looks at ways to make cities better places to live by increasing our opportunities to connect with other people. It is through those mutually beneficial relationships that Open Shed is based.
“We always intended to include a donate-to-charity option on the Open Shed site and we are so pleased to be starting with OzHarvest,” Open Shed co-founder and chief executive Lisa Fox says. “Not only will the charity feature help feed people in need through OzHarvest, we hope it will attract new altruistic users to the site. People who want to spring clean, share their stuff, foster their local community and help others, all without dipping into their pockets.”
Fox says there are five positive by-products of using the donate-to charity feature. “There are proven benefits of spring cleaning your life that can increase feelings of well-being,” she says. “These include de-cluttering your space, sharing what you own, connecting with your local community, spending on experiences rather than things and helping others.”
Whether it is renting a tent to go spring camping, clearing space to enjoy your home environment or meeting someone locally who wants to rent your kayak, Fox says you can do so knowing every dollar of your rental fee donated will feed two people through OzHarvest.
OzHarvest is committed to protecting the planet by the reduction of food waste and its founder and chief executive Ronni Kahn says there is an important parallel between the two organisations. “Just as Open Shed is a great example of giving idle equipment in the home a new lease on life, OzHarvest is all about making the most of excess food by redistributing it to those in need,” Kahn says.
“We are partnering with Open Shed because we support the concept of collaborative consumption, promotion of community relationships and environmental awareness. We love the idea that Open Shed renters can choose to support a good cause like ours while sharing what they have with others in their community. Every dollar that is donated to OzHarvest allows us to provide two meals to vulnerable Australians.”
To try out the new feature, visit www.openshed.com.au, or see the demonstration at YouTube.