The Center for Biological Diversity fights not only to protect wildlife and wildlands but also to address the underlying causes of the extinction crisis, including the excessive production and consumption of new products.
That’s why we’re working with Shareable and other partners to establish “libraries of things” on college campuses and in communities across the country.
A library of things is a shared community resource where useful items can be borrowed just like books that are in circulation for years, reducing the demand to produce new goods that destroy habitat, generate greenhouse gases, create pollution, and harm wildlife.
Sharing also disrupts the current U.S. economic model, which demands endless growth through the constant purchasing of new things. It challenges the traditional consumerist mindset that drives overproduction and leads to items getting thrown away after only a few uses.
In collaboration with Shareable and the University of North Florida, the Center opened a library of things on the University of North Florida campus. We worked with a student fellow, campus community members, and the University of North Florida’s Department of Housing and Residence Life to create the university’s first library of things.
You can read about our efforts — and learn how to create a library of things at a college in your community — in our Starting a Campus Library of Things how-to guide.
Want to build a library of things that’s not on a college campus? Check out Shareable’s Library of Things Toolkit.
If you have any questions about starting a library of things, please don't hesitate to contact us. To keep up to date on our projects to promote cooperative, wildlife-friendly communities, subscribe to our newsletter.
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Contact: Kelley Dennings
