Description:

Thingloop, a Bristol web startup that provides a free service created to help people borrow instead of buying, is promoting the idea of green living through environmental responsibility and reducing CO2.

In a recent TED talk in Sydney, author Rachel Botsman noted that the average power drill is used a total of 12 to 13 minutes during its entire lifetime. Thingloop aims to make people question whether they need to actually own something, when borrowing can suffice.

The idea is that borrowing an item reduces the need to purchase it, thus saving money and reducing CO2 emissions.

Owen Rees-Hayward, one of the Bristol people behind thingloop, described the concept behind the website: ‘thingloop helps you share easily with people you know. It provides a really quick and simple way for you to make your stuff available to your friends and find stuff to borrow from them.

You can think of thingloop like this, it’s as if all your stuff and that of your friends, neighbours, work colleagues, etc, was in one giant house. Want a tool? You go to the huge tool shed, and see what’s available. Want to watch an action DVD? Then search the massive DVD shelf.

The sharing is totally flexible so you can share stuff with a single friend, a list of friends or a group; you don’t have to share all your stuff with everyone. Plus it tracks what you are borrowing and lending, so you actually get your stuff back and don’t forget who you lent it to!

People are already sharing all sorts of items on thingloop and saving a fortune. What sort of things are people sharing? Just about everything you can imagine, from DVDs, tools and books right through to dresses!’

For more information about thingloop, visit www.thingloop.com.

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