“What we really want is the hole, not the drill”

Check out this Ted Talk by Rachel Botsman, who is passionate about what she calls “Collaborative Consumption” – traditional sharing redefined through technology and peer communities. It’s something she believes is not only transforming business, consumerism and the way we live, but also helping us move away from the hyper-consumerism that has levied such high environmental and social costs on our communities.

Botsman would describe the VTL as a “product service system” that allows users to pay for the benefit of using the product without needing to own it outright. As a member of the tool library, that is, you’ll get the hole without having to own the drill!

It’s exciting to see that our initiative is just one part of what is increasingly being recognized as a larger scale change in the way our society thinks about ownership, and to hear from a professional who agrees with our opinion that sharing is good for you, your community, and the planet. Before watching her Ted talk, take a guess as to how many minutes the average drill is used in its lifespan…