The Sharing Economy Comes Home to World Streets

*  Click here for our 226 articles on sharing.

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Support World Streets . . . because we are doing an unusual and important job. Because everything we do in support of World Streets and its numerous extensions is free for anyone who is working on sustainability issues.  Because we do not ask anyone to pay to benefit from our work.  But we do ask you to help.

Four levels of support that will help us continue to make our contribution:

• Basic tip of the hat:                  a few Euros or dollars
• Supporting subscriber:            €/$ 50.00/year
• Organization subscriber:        €/$ 100.00/year
• Sponsor:                                     €/$ 1,000.00/year

Note: Our monthly running costs are on the order of  € 4k.

To execute . . .  Click here to do your part.

Thank you for sharing. You are now officially part of the solution.

2. Why share?

It’s 2013 and these are tough times; there are as many claims for your generosity  as there are needy people and causes on this planet.  But since you are here you may want to consider this.

With more than seven  billion people already crowding this finite, gasping  planet, and close to 200,000 more pouring in every day.  Most of them poor and one way or another ready to compete.  Thus there is every reason for us all to get a lot better at sharing. In fact, and to take it at its most basic: we all must either learn to share. Or we will be destined to suffer.  And in that process no one will be spared.

If we look at the history of man since the earliest time, you will find that right after sheer survival and assuring the most basic of a human’s needs, the first social reflex that comes into play is that of sharing. We share not because our species has a particular gene of compassion or generosity (which it may well have) but because in that way we are not alone. Sharing is, in fact, a basic survival strategy.

3. are we doing our part?

So we need to start somewhere, and where better than with ourselves and our own choices. World Streets, for example, freely shares its ideas and knowledge with the world every day. This is not pure generosity, forget that. It is part of  that survival strategy.

Sharing has been one of our central themes at World Streets from the beginning in 2009, and as of this date we have published no less than 226 articles on all its many variants: sharing cars, rides, bikes, streets, sidewalks, parking places, public space, taxis, deliveries, workplaces. and of course information and ideas.

This year alone we have published 118 thought-provoking  articles, focusing like a laser on our important topic and all that with great originality and complete independence of point of view. As of today we have 4,075 signed-in readers  who freely access this content, as well as another 1,694 following  our  Facebook site.

Our readers come from an almost unbelievable 149 countries.  The following map giving a fair idea of the typical distribution pattern of our readers, showing the countries of origin of our last 80 visitors today.

Is World Streets doing its job?   You don’t have to believe what I may have to say on that subject; last year we asked 100 of our readers to tell us what they thought about our contribution.  In actual fact 101 responded and heir answers were varied, quite telling and encouraging. Click here to see what 101 of them to the time to write.

4 And beyond these pages . . .

If you are here it is because you know about Word Streets. And you may be aware of our supporting media, which includes:

– – > Word Streets on Facebook
– – > On LinkedIn
– – > On Twitter
– – > On Google+
– – > Our reading room

Excellent. But do you know about our other collaborative projects?

– – > Sustainability Master Classes
– – > Journal of World Transport Policy and Practice
– – > Nuova Mobilita (Italy)
– – > New Mobility Agenda
– – > The Streets of India
– – > Safe Streets Challenge
– – > The Equity Initiative
– – > Streets of Iran
– – > China Streets
– – > Nova Mobilidade

Or, and finally, about the social media projects which support each of these:

– – – > New Mobility Agenda
– – – > Sustainability Master Classes
– – – > xCar Futures/World Carshare Consortium
– – – > World City Bike Forum
– – – > The Equity Initiative
– – – > World Transport Policy and Practice
– – – > Zetabytes/Open Systems
– – – > Accès Universel
– – – > Safe Streets Challenge
– – – > Streets of India
– – – > Nuova Moblita (Italy)
– – – > Nova Mobilidade
– – – > Thinking about Africa
– – – > Thinking about China
– – – > Thinking about Russia
– – – > And just in case, the Worst Practices Junkyard

If you know this you know what we do, so we rest our presentation there.

5. OUR bottom line

Finally the harsh reality we face:   keeping all this afloat is a demanding process. It takes time and money, with the monthly costs hovering around € 4,000.00.  Month after month since April 2009. That is a lot for one working person.

So now you know.  Now you can share. And help keep World Streets going.

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6. how to transfer funds to support WORLD STREETS.

To make an immediate contribution via PayPal or credit card:

*  CLICK HERE.

If for any reason that does not work for you, try this::

(1) Click www.paypal.com.
(2) Enter your account (or set one up quickly (and safely) as indicated).
(3) Click “send money”.
(4) Address: association@ecoplan.org.
(5) Amount.
(6) Click “Personal”.
(7) Click “Gift”.
(8) Thank you for helping World Streets to continue in 2010.

PayPal also has provision for paying by credit card. It is fairly well explained on the site.

For direct bank wire transfers:

Account Holder: Association EcoPlan International
Account no. 00010465401
Crédit Industriel et Commercial de Paris
Succursale BR (Montparnasse)
202 Blvd. Raspail / 75014 Paris, France
SWIFT: CMCIFRPP
IBAN : FR76 3006 6106 2100 0104 6540 105

Or if you prefer, send a check to:

Association EcoPlan International
9, rue Gabillot
69003  Lyon, France

* Kindly make your check payable to “Association EcoPlan International”.

# # #

That’s it, thank you,  and now back to work.

Eric Britton

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