Being a Conscious Commerce Studio -
Read here about Just B Yoga's views on running a donation-based practice in our current system and the importance of engaging in it as a client: "From the arts to food to alternative health we are seeing commitment and resilience across the country. That’s a commitment to serving and valuing on a personal and conscious level. We are meeting people where they are. We are not setting a dollar amount as a barrier to what we have to give and for many it’s our life work and our purpose on earth. These models of exchange offer us profound opportunities to grow spiritually and morally..." Experiments in Gift Economy - Part 1 and Part 2 - Psychologist Miki Kashtan details how she has implemented both full and semi gift economy structures in her business, and walks us through the difficulties in getting people to engage in gifting.
Unpacking Admission By Donation - columnist Tegan Kehoe looks at the pros and cons of "by donation" from the point of view of museum staff.
Whose Sharing Economy Is It? - researcher Anders Fremstad looks closely at Craigslist, Couchsurfing, and Neighborgoods to find out what kind of returns these new sorts of transactions deliver, and how we can shape the sharing economy to better serve us in the long run.
At Really, Really Free Market, Second-Hand Prevails - No bartering, no trading, no selling, no shoving: welcome to a moneyless exchange dedicated to building a free market that’s actually free (from NOW magazine)
|
Community Fridges - The Little Free Library of the Food World - “This isn’t charity,” Saiz told The Guardian of the solidarity fridge. “It’s about making use of food that would otherwise end up in the bin. It doesn’t matter who takes it—Julio Iglesias could stop by and take the food—at the end of the day it’s about recovering the value of food products and fighting against waste.”
Pay What It's Worth - Entrepreneur Tara Joyce looks at "Pay What It's Worth" vs "Pay What You Can", scarcity thinking, and how you value your services.
Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, and other digital pioneers Sour on "Pay What You Want" Music - for a different look at PWYC...Radiohead, one of the pioneers of PWYC music, changes their tune.
The Original Sharing Economy - "The sharing economy might be a significant step toward more efficiently tapping into the wealth of physical things owned by individuals—as opposed to corporations—but it’s still vastly different from the kind of sharing that defined humanity for tens of thousands of years..."
Who Needs Money? How (and why) online bartering maintains its mass appeal - With its hint of disruptiveness and easy online facilitation, bartering goods is a natural extension of the existing sharing economy - and one especially suited to a generation that is, statistically, super short on cash.
|
No Money? No Worries - Alternatives to conventional consumption are growing, such as second-hand and barter street markets, time banking, social currencies, and other hundreds of collaborative consumption projects that promote sharing and reprocessing the resources, using the Internet as a main tool. Leaving aside such approaches which, to some degree, imply a negotiation between users (in order to reach an exchange agreement), a new trend that goes a step forward is also rising up — the so called Gift Economy or Gift Culture..."
Unlocking Multiple Forms of Wealth - Much of today's society is designed through the lens of financial wealth, but is our world richer for it? Nipun Mehta uses that question as a springboard to make a compelling case for alternative forms of wealth that are often overlooked -- like time, community and attention.
Awash With Wonder - Donation Based Everything - "The donation-based model is interesting to me. It says something about the business owner's faith in people: it suggests they believe people are inherently good..."
The Moneyless Man Who Gave Up on Cash and Embraced Foraging and Farming - Is a cashless society a likely reality? Mark Boyle managed without cash for three years. He's a believer in gift economics - the idea is that you help others without the explicit promise of anything in return, but in the belief that selfless giving will encourage the recipient to in turn selflessly gift as well.
Why You Should NOT Work in the Gift Economy - An insightful look at the inner work you need to do before engaging in gift economy practices. "This article is not intended as direction to never enter into alternative economies (that would also be a tragedy! The earth needs this! We need you! The dominant paradigm must be challenged by the passionate rebels among us!) rather let it be an organic transition that comes from a foundation of (at least) a basic level of competence in business in the current economy. Let it come from solid ground and from service to the whole. Let it come from realisation."
|