Okay, seriously, you guys. I need your help. I've fallen victim, yet again. For years, I have protested the commercial nature of the holiday season and to no avail. I still feel obligated...

If the smattering of recent press is any indication, it seems as though the rest of the world has finally caught onto the sharing revolution being led by companies like Zipcar, Couchsurfing...

I've been working in the "green" movement for many years and I'm just as jaded about the term as many of you likely are. I have an inherent distrust for the sustainability efforts touted by corporations...

How NeighborGoods Works from sparky rose on Vimeo.

As a country, we own way too much stuff. We've been on a shopping bender for the last 50 years and now we're paying for it. Americans spend over $22 billion a year on self-storage space. According to the Self Storage Association, the amount of self storage space in this country is equivalent to 7.4 square feet for every man, woman and child. Think about all the stuff stored in all that space as well as in our closets, garages, and bookshelves.

Sharing that stuff with our neighbors obviously helps us save money and live more sustainably. By sharing stuff we already own, we are buying less stuff, getting more use out of what we've already purchased, and throwing fewer items away. The financial and environmental benefits are very plain. That's why I created NeighborGoods.net a place to help neighbors share with each other.

Lately, I've been most interested in another benefit of sharing -- it's positive impact on local communities. Working to help our members share, we've learned a lot about how that activity can bring neighborhoods together. We've learned that people do trust each other, that people are friendly, and that they want to help their neighbors. We've learned that sharing something you own is the ultimate ice breaker. Once you share a few things with a neighbor, you are friends forever. Sharing your power drill with your neighbor takes a certain amount of trust. When you get that power drill back, that trust is reinforced. Now you've helped your neighbor. You both share a feeling of accomplishment and connection. Those feelings go a long way toward recreating small town connectedness even in the most urban settings.

I've noticed this change in my own neighborhood. After months of sharing on NeighborGoods, I've also noticed a change in myself.

As the founder of NeighborGoods, it's not surprising that my neighborhood (Atwater Village in Los Angeles) has a very active sharing group on NeighborGoods. I've made really great friends using it. On top of lending stuff to each other on NeighborGoods, we now help each other with rides to the airport, moving furniture, and walking dogs. We watch each other's houses when we go out of town. We've got a built in local support group. A few of our members are very active on the neighborhood council. We often get together over a few beers and talk about all the upcoming events and neighborhood improvement projects. For the first time ever, I feel connected to where I live. I feel engaged with my neighborhood and my city. I want to help make Atwater Village a better place to live. Through NeighborGoods, I have become a more active local citizen.

When I created NeighborGoods, I knew sharing would help connect neighbors, but I didn't understand the deep and profound implications of that connection until I experienced it myself. Sharing our stuff might be just the activity we need more of to create a more engaged, connected and active citizenry, one neighborhood at a time.

NeighborGoods.net is a safe and fun community for sharing stuff with your friends and neighbors. Save money and resources while strengthening your local community by renting and borrowing instead of buying new. Create a group for your...

Those of you who follow NeighborGoods may have noticed that I've pretty much stopped promoting the Pepsi Refresh Challenge in the past few weeks because it's crazy annoying. It's annoying for you, it's annoying for me. NeighborGoods is a young startup with a very small team and...

This article, But Will it Make You Happy?, has been making the rounds today. In fact, it's currently the most popular article on NYTimes.com. We all know that buying more junk doesn't make us happy. We already know in our hearts what the science proves in this article. Not...

Before I get to begging for votes, I have to say thanks to our amazing members and Los Angeles community! With your support, our recent national launch a huge success! Thousands of...

Photo by Wildbell

I joined about 400 of my fellow Angelenos today to walk seven miles in honor of the famed "Silver Lake...

On July 15, 1979, President Jimmy Carter spoke to the American people about the "Crisis of Confidence" faced by Americans who were losing faith in the government and who increasingly feared that their children would be worse-off than them. In this famous speech, Carter laments the loss of American values...

Ever wish your neighborhood had a few more trees? Trees help make cities more livable and help reduce energy costs by providing natural shade. You can make your street a nicer place to live by organizing your own community...

Gus and Jack

I'm a dog owner. In fact, I spend so much time and energy on my dogs that I have recently taken to calling myself a crazy dog lady. I figure hey,...

Get out of your car and enjoy all that Los Angeles has to offer! Local non-profit LA Commons kicks off it's fourth season of Trekking LA this weekend. Trekking LA offers curated walking tours of under explored Los...

Comedian Russel Brand would like to encourage us to shop less. He's hosting a swap and barter event tomorrow at the Beverly Center.

Buy Love Here is a pop up exchange shop, where for one day, money will have...

Photo by Jeff Engelhardt

I'm always on the lookout for solutions that help me feel a little less commercial. I don't know about you but I don't like being defined as a "consumer." In my daily life, I'd rather spend less time fretting...

Got Saturday plans? Got shelves full of books you'll never read again? Want to help raise money for local domestic violence shelters? If you answered no, yes, yes, then Swap for Good is for you!

Bring your books, movies, games, belts,...

Alternet posted an excerpt today from Bill McKibben's new book, EAARTH: Making Life on a Tough Planet. My friend and neighbor leeleepits (no really, she lives in my neighborhood, Atwater Village) shared this link with me today via Twitter.

The Surprising Reason Why Americans Are...