ClosestCloset.Com - Self sustaining communities by sharing locally.
Closest Closet unites members from any community around the globe to "share" household or business items and skills for free. Members can also recycle unwanted and recyclable materials directly to the local people who need them. The more items and skills shared, the less a community needs, thus building strong, self sustaining communities at no cost. As a byproduct of shared goods, the need for mass production of new goods decreases, and global carbon emission rates drop.
About You
About You
First Name
Joanna
Last Name
Basinger
Website
Organization
Closest Closet
Country
United States, ME, Cumberland County
About Your Organization
Organization Name
Closest Closet
Organization Website
Organization Phone
207-590-0238
Organization Address
P. O. Box 111 Scarborough, ME 04074
Organization Country
United States, ME, Cumberland County
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Your idea
Name Your Project
ClosestCloset.Com - Self sustaining communities by sharing locally.
Country your work focuses on
United States, XX
Describe Your Idea
Closest Closet unites members from any community around the globe to "share" household or business items and skills for free. Members can also recycle unwanted and recyclable materials directly to the local people who need them. The more items and skills shared, the less a community needs, thus building strong, self sustaining communities at no cost. As a byproduct of shared goods, the need for mass production of new goods decreases, and global carbon emission rates drop.
Website URL
Innovation
What makes your idea unique?
Closest Closet is the one stop web-service for communities. Members connect with neighbors or local businesses to borrow or lend items, give away unwanted items directly to those who need them, collect or save recyclable materials for others, or ask someone near them for help with a particular task, all for free.
Closest Closet works when "requiring" that all members "share" ten items and/or skills, in any combination of their own choosing with classified ads. In a community of 100 active members, that provides 1,000 items and/or skills remaining listed at any given time. By requiring members to participate, we remind people that we ALL have something to offer our communities, no matter what society has said about what our skills are worth. It also teaches us what it means to live in a community, and reminds us that we are all responsible for giving AND taking.
Closest Closet will also have a member mandatory feedback system after any interaction with a community member, thus building an online presence and reputation by those who have directly interacted with members. This will build trust within communities, and allow members to gauge the reputation of those around them, thus increasing member willingness to loan items or provide services for free.
Closest Closet will also track member activity, also creating an online presence and reputation. Members will be able to see how many items any member has donated, received, loaned, borrowed, or how many times a skill has been shared with or from others.
By using a mandatory ten item requirement, a mandatory feedback system, and activity tracking, members will be able to conserve resources, finances, and build long term trusting relationships within their own local communities.
We also act as a portal connecting people to local businesses. If a skill or item is unavailable, a directory to the local business or food supplier who can meet their need is available, thus supporting local economies.
Do you have a patent for this idea?
Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
What impact have you had?
Members of the service are donating items through the web service already. Schools and non-profits are placing "wish lists" for recyclable items. I have hosted swap meets over the last several months, and approximately 20-50 people have attended at each event, with hundreds of items being exchanged at no cost. A local church has donated space for the events.
Members are volunteering to provide skills such as reading to children at libraries, hosting tea parties, providing child care, teaching cooking or sewing, providing meals to the elderly, painting, photography, and more.
Members have made items such as books, college textbooks, baking supplies, craft supplies, party supplies, games, tools, pet supplies, and even space for use available to their communities.
The impact to community empowerment can't be denied. The service will enable communities to remain sustainable by combining the contributions of its members. It encourages people to work together and utilize one another as a "lifestyle," not as a passing trend.
The economical impact to families, individuals, communities, and businesses will be felt as contributions are made and received free of charge, thus alleviating the financial burden of making purchases for items only needed temporarily, or skills needed occasionally.
The environmental impact will be enormous. By sharing more physical items within communities, we become self-sustaining. A self-sustaining community purchases less. By purchasing less, a simple supply and demand effect would suggest less mass production. Less mass production means less global carbon emissions forced upon our environment.
By only offering directory services to locally owned and operated providers of goods, services, or foods, we encourage even more community strength by supporting our local economies. As businesses become involved as members, they also have a unique opportunity to connect with the communities they serve.
Problem
Funding for technical development: The service currently allows members to post ads moderated by myself ad lib. The minimum requirements, activity tracking, and member feedback systems have not been developed or implemented. I have spoken with developers confirming that this work can be done.
Current attitudes in communities concerning "sharing" presents a serious problem. Although the general consensus among early members is that the concept is fantastic, individuals living in societies that "compete" with one another to "have more" or "look better" than those around them struggle with actually being able to take the steps necessary to "let go" of their property and trust that it is coming back. Building the member feedback system is crucial to building the trust necessary to network with unknown community members.
Societal concepts of money are also an issue. In economically tumultuous times, it seems less of an issue than would have been a few years ago, but the belief that something, anything, holds no value unless it can be bought or sold for money holds true to many in our world. The idea of uniting to support one another for free, is sadly foreign to many.
Actions
I launched the service at an early stage allowing use ad lib.
I host swap meets to change attitudes in my area about giving and receiving items for free. As people come together and participate, the awkwardness dissipates. People realize the events are successful even without money, and the perception of "value" changes. Teaching people to see the value in what neighbors can do for one another bridges the gap between what people "think" living in a community means to what "being part" of a community entails. When people feel part of something, they respect it and take responsibility for it, and become willing to share more. Responsible, engaged community members create strong communities.
I am networking with businesses and media consistently. I blog to get ideas shared about items frequently wasted and how to save and re-used these locally. I have started discussions concerning the attitudes toward "sharing" and money that exist in our world.
I am searching out opportunities for partners with the technical skills to develop the web service as needed. I am reading and listening intently to those who have gone before me. I know that I need help, and I accept i
Results
I expect a complete service developed and implemented, with members offering what they "have to" at first, and as member feedback begins to generate, and members recognize the importance of being accountable to other members, that trust will build and members will be recognized for their trustworthiness and contributions.
As trustworthiness gains momentum, I expect that members will be willing to "share" more expensive or valuable items within their communities.
I expect a change in attitude concerning money as members begin to recognize the value in the skills of their neighbors. I believe members will also begin to feel valuable to their communities when they are called upon to lend or help.
I expect local economies to benefit from the local directory, but also as members by creating local relationships with those they serve.
I expect a major decrease in carbon emission will have a lasting effect on our planet.
I expect that people will learn and appreciate what it means to actually BELONG to a community and that communities will benefit from the sustainability that is possible by sharing resources and skills.
What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.
Year one:
Technical development of the service. I will need to find and pay or partner with a skilled web developer in order to create the function necessary for members to get the most out of their memberships. The minimum requirements, the member feedback system, and the activity tracking are the basis of the development needs, although changes in technology, updates, and improvements to the service will also be necessary on an ongoing basis, as well as continued technical support. I will need to work closely with someone who can develop these functions and maintain its performance and maintenance tasks.
I will also continue almost all of the the "actions" listed in a previous description in order to gain community involvement locally, while also utilizing the social networking integration of familiar networks like facebook and twitter.
Year two: I will continue almost all of the the "actions" listed in a previous description, as well as recruiting local businesses to become both active members and paid advertisers. Continued development and updating of the service will continue based on member feedback and needs.
Year three: I will continue almost all of the the "actions" listed in a previous description, while also networking with other locales at a national and/or global level.
What would prevent your project from being a success?
Before starting my service, I researched high and low for other services of similar nature. I found services that provided one service (recycling) or the other (skillsharing), but none that provided "lending" or "sharing" of household items. I found zero that provided more than one, in one place. I found none based on reputation, and many with their own "currencies." None were structured to promote local businesses. I certainly haven't found any with the features I have previously described.
As time has passed, I continue to research other services, and have begun to notice lending and/or renting trends. These services tend to provide one service, often fee based, and are not structured to generate revenue from supporting the local economies of its members. By launching my service prior to complete development, the project has always had the potential to be developed and implemented prior to my independent ability by another party.
Recognition of Closest Closet's individuality poses a problem. Many have made quick assumptions that the service is "just like (insert popular services here)." Closest Closet takes a minute or two to understand, and people aren't always interested in taking a minute or two to understand it's unique qualities. Closest Closet is about building long term relationships within local communities as a lifestyle, not a passing trend. It's about opening up our doors to our neighbors, and taking responsibility for our contributions. Closest Closet is different because it combines the contributions of its members, whatever they may be, and encourages the free exchange of these contributions as needed. Then, if a need is unmet, the member is directed to the local business that can help them.
If members are not willing to "participate" in their communities, this project would be considered unsuccessful.
If businesses are not willing to pay for a directory listing, this project would not be sustainable.
How many people will your project serve annually?
More than 10,000
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
Don't know
Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?
No
Sustainability
What stage is your project in?
Operating for less than a year
Is your organization a
For‐profit
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
No
If yes, provide organization name.
How long has this organization been operating?
Less than a year
Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?
No
Does your organization have a non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?
No
Does your organization have a non-monetary partnerships with businesses?
No
Does your organization have a non-monetary partnerships with government?
No
Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.
I have no organizational partnerships.
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?
Technical web development-to provide members with a complete, professional service.
Attracting and engaging an audience- Closest Closet relies on members willing to participate in their communities. Therefore, earliest members are likely already participating in some sort of community service or volunteer work. I am consistently seeking out opportunities to network and advertise within my local community of businesses and individuals who recognize the importance of promoting local business, responsible practice, and community service. As members join and attempt to respond to ads, the member is reminded that all of Closest Closet's members "participate" in their communities by posting what they are willing to share first. The member completes the requirement, and is then able to make their requests. In the meantime, these posts may very well generate further interest, and the cycle continues.
Local advertisers- appealing to locally owned and operated businesses to advertise in the local directories for a small annual fee. Most small businesses cannot afford the advertising rates that most publishers require. Our fee is $12 annually, a small fee that any business can afford. With the "green" trend of buying local and supporting local economies, individuals are seeking local businesses and local businesses are struggling to keep up with large corporations. By keeping our fee low, it encourages businesses to advertise, and as the movement spreads nationally and/or globally, will be more than a self-sustaining business. It's a win win for the members who understand what community is (whether they did before membership or not) and the businesses that are a part of them.
The Story
What was the defining moment that you led to this innovation?
I knew that there was something lacking in me, something that was missing. It was this feeling like I didn't "belong" to this community that I am in, or any community for that matter. But then I realized that a lot of people probably felt like that, because we are in a society that competes with one another to have more and be better than everyone else. It's exhausting. I wanted to live in another country.
I initially thought that I wanted to start my own "intentional community." I soon realized that the idea of living intentionally is so new to people, that maybe my mission in life was to get people to wake up and realize that EVERY community has the potential to be an "intentional community."
I also spent a great deal of time realizing what a huge amount of waste I contribute to the planet, and I really felt remorse for the blindness.
I also knew there was something for me. I just "knew" that there was something I was supposed to be doing. It was deep. Just an "understanding" within me that I had something to accomplish. I first thought it was to make money, that some idea was going to make me a ton of money and I just had to think of what it was, but when I really thought about it, it wasn't money I wanted, it was the peace and security that I thought money could give me.
That's when it hit me. Money can't buy me anything of value in a world that doesn't value anything worth valuing. Our priorities are all confused. So I stopped thinking about money, and started thinking about what I valued. I value my family. I value my planet. I value what already exists around me. I value the food that my Earth grows, and I value the people around me that can help me when I need them, and I value being able to help those that need me. It's PEOPLE, not MONEY that will change this world, and we ALL need to participate in order for that change to take place.
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
I was moved around a lot as a child of the Army. I was the subject of divorced parents, then moved again as a teenager with my mother and a step-parent. I emancipated as a minor after a family trauma, and dropped out of high school. I went back to high school one year after I would have graduated, and while living on my own and working full time, I graduated high school. I married young and had a daughter, and after a failed first marriage, went to college on welfare while raising her. It was during that time that I met my current husband. We married, combined families (he has a son) and we became foster parents shortly afterward. We adopted our foster son, and had two children of our own. I am now an RN who works per-diem to avoid the cost of daycare, while my husband works full-time as an RN also. We currently rent a townhouse and like most Americans, are living paycheck to paycheck wondering if we will ever get ahead, but we know that we make the best out of what we have. I CHOOSE to work less and have less to be home with my little girls while they are still young. I'll pay off my debt later. Maybe someday I'll own a home.
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
Through another organization or company
If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company
| Attachment | Size |
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| Courtesy of Maura Brennan | 160.07 KB |
 | 146 weeks ago Joanna Basinger said: The sunrise guide, a guide to living sustainably in southern Maine has also just notified me that I will be featured in their fall ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 147 weeks ago Joanna Basinger said: The Natural Resources Council of Maine has selected Closest Closet (Joanna Basinger) as one of three finalists in their 5th annual ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 149 weeks ago Joanna Basinger said: Thank you so much Rebecca for taking the time to read this entry and ask your questions. Any clarity to the entry that I can give will ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 149 weeks ago Joanna Basinger updated this Competition Entry. |
| 149 weeks ago Rebecca Stone said: Joanna, Your website looks great and you have a wonderful personal story. Thanks for posting your idea! I did have a few questions ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 151 weeks ago Joanna Basinger said: I've been reading a lot of these entries and I am completely interested in collaborating with anyone interested in linking up and ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 153 weeks ago Joanna Basinger updated this Competition Entry. |
| 156 weeks ago Joanna Basinger updated this Competition Entry. |
| 156 weeks ago Joanna Basinger updated this Competition Entry. |
| 156 weeks ago Joanna Basinger updated this Competition Entry. |
