Читать книгу Circular Economy For Dummies - Eric Corey Freed - Страница 96

Sometimes, it makes little sense for a single person to purchase a tool or item that they’ll use for only a short time. This is why you’ll find that hardware stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot provide their customers with a variety of rental opportunities for tools, carpet cleaners, and even trucks. Imagine if you had to buy a moving van every time you wanted to move into a new home — it just doesn’t make sense. With this understanding, many cities now offer exchange programs or co-ops to provide their community members with access to a wide array of items — but without the cost of owning them. The Station North Tool Library in Baltimore, Maryland (www.stationnorthtoollibrary.org) is a great example of this successful platform. It offers not only a range of tools but also educational programs, at very little cost, to teach homeowners how to fix a wide range of items in their homes. The main goal of community cooperatives is to primarily keep usable items out of the local landfill and at the same time provide access to those items to a wide range of people at minimal cost (typically, via a membership fee).