Synopses & Reviews
From cars and tools to housing and childcare, many people would like to share resources but don't know how-or where-to start. The Sharing Solution is a timely practical and legal guide that explains how to create and maintain successful sharing arrangements while addressing common concerns about liability, communication, and more.
This book will help anyone share:
Meals and food, through bulk buying clubs, meal-sharing arrangements, community gardens, neighborhood fruit harvests, and more
Household goods, from tools and toys to appliances and exercise equipment
Cars, by sharing a car with a neighbor, starting or joining a car-sharing group, carpooling, or ride-sharing
Caregiving, whether for pets, children, older family members, or relatives with disabilities
Business resources, such as office supplies, equipment, space, and even employees
Housing, whether by sharing a house, retrofitting a home to accommodate two households, or joining a cohousing community
The Sharing Solution speaks to Americans' growing desire to not only live more sustainably, but also save money and create stronger communities. Sharing is a simple step anyone - young or old, rich or poor - can take, right now, to make a difference.
Who can benefit from sharing?
Busy parents looking for help with meals or pet care
Retirees who are looking to share needed services
Anyone concerned about the environment and wants to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.
Anyone who wishes to purchase property but can't afford a single-family home
Professionals who work in community development
Low-income families or those who require - or desire - a purchase that they cannot single-handedly afford
The authors, attorneys Janelle Orsi and Emily Doskow, bring a visionary spirit to developing practical, logistical, and legal frameworks for many types of sharing arrangements.
In the book, you will find:
Sample written agreements for many kinds of sharing arrangements
Step by step instructions for creating a sharing plan and sorting out logistics
Legal explanations that are clear and accessible
Ideas and examples of the creative ways that groups around the country have formed successful sharing arrangements
Tips for communicating with your sharing partners and handling disputes
Resources to help you find sharing partners, join existing sharing groups, and learn about helpful groups and organizations
Useful checklists, charts, tables, and much more
The ultimate beauty of sharing is that it's a solution we create for ourselves. It's not a government program, nor is it the latest and greatest product marketed to us on billboards. It's a solution based on our own needs and lifestyles, in our own communities. It's a way for each of us to shape our own lives in positive ways and simultaneously benefit the world as a whole. In that respect, sharing is more than a simple trend: Some might even say our society is moving toward a sharing revolution. We hope you'll use The Sharing Solution to become part of it.
Synopsis
From housing and childcare to cars and household tools, many people are motivated to share resources but dont know how or where to start. The Sharing Solution is a practical and legal guidebook designed to help people create and maintain successful sharing arrangements while addressing commonly held concerns about liability and individual security. Who can benefit from sharing? Busy parents looking for help with meals or pet care; Retirees who are looking to share needed services; Anyone who wishes to purchase property but cant afford a singlefamily home; Those who wish to work fewer hours, but need to reduce living expenses; Professionals who work in the field of community economic development; Lowincome residents or those who require or desire a purchase that they cannot singlehandedly afford. And, not least of all, people who are concerned about the environment and wish to find ways to make their lifestyles more sustainable. In fact, statistics tell us that many people belong to this group and that there is enormous interest in the reduction of waste and consumption with fewer tons of solid waste hitting U.S. landfills and greater numbers of people recycling and composting, with 62% of yard waste composted, and a 40% increase in container and packaging recycling in 2007.
Synopsis
From cars and tools to housing and childcare, many people would like to share resources but don't know how-or where-to start.
Synopsis
You may be motivated and committed to creating a more sustainable lifestyle in your community, but where do you start? And how can you do it without the hassle and legal entanglement that so many greener initiatives seem to require? The Sharing Solution guides you, in plain English, through the steps youll need to take to create and maintain successful sharing arrangements.
From housing to childcare, cars to lawnmowers, gardens to bike repair, The Sharing Solution gives you the tips and tools to share your resources, while addressing commonly held questions about liability and individual security with compassion. How can you benefit from sharing? Find out how to:
get help with meals and pet care share needed resources in retirement to save money buy property with others if you cant afford a single-family home work fewer hours while reducing living expenses grow your local economy with community initiatives plan to make big purchases with others to keep costs low And, if youre concerned about the environment and want to start living greener, The Sharing Solution is filled with environmentally sound ways to build a more sustainable - and affordable - lifestyle. Get the only book that provides the practical tools you can use to make sharing agreements. As noted author Alice Walker says, “Sharing is the answer…”
About the Author
Emily Doskow is a practicing attorney and mediator who has worked with families in the Bay Area since 1989. She is the author of Nolo's Essential Guide to Divorce, the co-author of Making It Legal: A Guide to Same-Sex Marriage, Domestic Partnership and Civil Unions and The Sharing Solution: How to Save Money, Simplify Your Life and Build Community, and the editor of many Nolo titles, including Divorce Without Court: A Guide to Mediation and Collaborative Divorce and the bestselling Neighbor Law: Fences, Trees Boundaries and Noise. She specializes in family law, including adoption, parentage issues, domestic partnership formation and dissolution, and divorce. She is a graduate of the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley.
Emily blogs on the ever-changing laws that affect gays and lesbians at Queer Justice: Nolo's LGBT Law Blog. She also blogs on marriage, adoption, parenting, divorce, child custody and child support at Nolo's Divorce, Custody and Family Law Blog, and on practical tips for sharing everything from lawnmowers and land to time and information at The Sharing Solution.try{F5_flush(document);}catch(e){}Janelle Orsi is an attorney living and working in Berkeley, California. Her law and mediation practice is focused on helping individuals and organizations share resources and create more sustainable communities. She specializes in nonprofit, small business, and real estate law, as well as a new field of practice -- sharing law. She has worked in a range of legal practice areas, including criminal defense, youth law, immigration, adoptions, LGBT rights, and estate planning. She attended Boalt Hall School of Law at UC Berkeley.try{F5_flush(document);}catch(e){}
Table of Contents
Your Sharing Companion Part I: Sharing Basics 1. Getting Started
What Are Your Sharing Goals? What Can Be Shared? The Triple Bottom Line: The Benefits of Sharing 2. Finding Sharing Partners Who Can I Share With? Sharing With Your Neighbors Sharing With Your Coworkers Finding Sharers Online Join Established Sharing Programs 3. 20 Questions to Ask When You Share 1. Why Are We Sharing? 2. What Are We Sharing? 3. Whom Are We Sharing With? 4. How Many People Are We Sharing With? 5. How Will the Timing of Our Arrangement Work? 6. Who Owns the Shared Items? 7. Should We Form a Separate Legal Entity? 9. What Do We Get to Do? 10. How Will We Make Decisions? 11. What Responsibilities Will Each of Us Have? 12. What Are the Rules for Using Our Shared Property or Meeting Our Shared Responsibilities? 13. How Will We Handle Administrative Matters Like Scheduling, Communication, and Record Keeping? 14. How Will We Divide Expenses and Manage Money 15. How Will We Manage Risk and Liability? 16. Are There Legal Requirements We Need to Follow? 17. How Will We Resolve Conflicts or Disputes? 18. How Will We Bring New People Into the Group? 19. How Can a Member Leave the Group? 20. How Do We End the Sharing Arrangement? 4. Thank You For Sharing: Communicating, Making Decisions, and Resolving Conflict Communication Skills for Sharing Making Decisions as a Group Handling Disputes 5. Putting Your Arrangement in Writing The Benefits of a Written Agreement Documents Your Group Might Need Preparing Your Documents Getting Legal Assistance Part II: Sharing Solutions 6. Sharing Housing Identify Your Housing Needs Legal Issues to Consider When Sharing a Home Solution 1: The Co-Owned House Solution 2: The Retrofit House Solution 3: The Group Rental House Solution 4: The Shared Vacation Home Solution 5: Cohousing Solution 6: Casual Cohousing The Triple Bottom Line: The Benefits of Shared Housing 7. Sharing Household Goods, Purchases, Tasks, and Space Solution 1: Share Household Items Solution 2: Purchase Supplies and Goods Together Solution 3: Share Services and Utilities Solution 4: Form a Work Group for Home Projects Solution 5: Share a Yard The Triple Bottom Line: The Benefits of Sharing Household Goods, Purchases, Tasks and Space 8. Sharing Food Solution 1: Share Meals Solution 2: Buy Food Together Solution 3: Community Fruit Tree Harvests Solution 4: Shared and Community Gardens Solution 5: Community Supported Agriculture The Triple Bottom Line: The Benefits of Sharing Food 9. Sharing Care for Children, Family, and Pets Issues to Consider When Sharing Care Solution 1: Form a Community Babysitting Cooperative Solution 2: Join a Cooperative Nursery or School Solution 3: Share an In-Home Nanny Solution 4: Start a Carpool Solution 5: Share an In-Home Care Provider With Another Elder or Adult With Disabilities Solution 6: Share Caregiving Responsibilities With Another Family Solution 7: Share Dog Walking Solution 8: Share Pet Care Your Triple Bottom Line: The Benefits of Sharing Family Care 10. Sharing Transportation Solution 1: Share a Car With One or Two People Solution 2: Start a Small Carsharing Club or Program Solution 3: Start a Carpool Solution 4: Share a Ride Solution 5: Share a Bicycle Your Triple Bottom Line: The Benefits of Sharing Transportation 11. Sharing at Work Solution 1: Share Work Space Solution 2: Share Business-Related Equipment and Purchases Solution 3: Sharing Employees Solution 4: Share a Job Solution 5: Sharing Things With Coworkers Solution 6: Sharing Ownership With Employees Your Triple Bottom Line: The Benefits of Sharing at Work Appendix A. Resources Resources on Sustainable Communities and Living Green Community Building Resources Legal Resources from Nolo Resources on Communication, Decision Making, and Conflict Resolution Resources on Shared Housing Resources on Sharing Household Goods, Purchases, Tasks, and Space Resources on Sharing Food Resources on Sharing Care Transportation Resources Resources on Work and Sharing Appendix B. Forms Money and Property Worksheet Time and Efficiency Worksheet Environmental Worksheet Community Building Worksheet Getting Help Worksheet What Could I Share? Neighbor Questionnaire Checklist for Discussing the 20 Questions Communication Checklist Sharing Agreement Worksheet: Rate Your Housing Priorities Goods to Lend and Borrow Sample Goods Sharing Group Member Agreement Home Improvement Group: Tools and Skills Assessment Diet Preferences for Mealsharing Fruit Harvest Agreement Information Sheet for Childrens Carpool Worksheet: Annual Car Expenses Information Sheet for Carpool Members Worksheet: Work Expenses to Consider Sharing Indextry{F5_flush(document);}catch(e){}