In tough economic times, it can make sense for consumers to be both transumers—eschewing the burdens of ownership in favour of shorter-term privileges—and sellsumers, making the most of what assets they do own. Aiming to facilitate both is NeighborGoods, a brand-new site that helps consumers borrow, lend, rent, sell and buy stuff in their community.

Focusing for now on Southern California, NeighborGoods is an online community that lets consumers save and earn money by sharing with their neighbours and friends any of the assorted tools, ladders and other things they use only occasionally. Users of the site, which just launched into beta, can decide how they want to share their stuff. They can allow their friends to borrow an item for free while charging others a rental fee, for example, or they can decide to make the item available only to friends. NeighborGoods helps facilitate transactions with a reservation calendar, automated reminders, wish-list alerts and private messaging. It also tracks and shares the transaction history of each member. Neighbours can rate each other and even flag another member's account if something goes wrong. Borrowing and lending items on NeighborGoods is free of charge. Members who want to earn money by renting or selling items must have a Pro account—currently free, but ultimately by paid subscription.

Besides the obvious financial advantages for those involved, of course, sharing tools and equipment—much like cars, bikes and boats—has distinct eco-benefits as well, minimizing the redundant things so many households typically buy. Looks like another sharing-enabled win-win-win—for borrowers, owners and the planet—and one to be emulated in communities around the world! (Related: Neighbourhood approach to renewable energy.)

Website: www.neighborgoods.net
Contact: info@neighborgoods.net

Spotted by: O Magazine

Private wine cellars are typically associated with the upper echelons of society, limited as they tend to be to large, old and expensive houses. A UK company aims to change all that, however, with a precast storage system that can be installed in virtually any room of any house.

Spiral Cellars are watertight storage spaces that can be sunk into the ground in an existing ground floor room or incorporated into the build of an extension or new property. Capable of storing almost 1,900 bottles of wine, the spiral-shaped systems rely on the surrounding earth for insulation but also employ a unique air-flow system to maintain constant temperature without requiring any power. Three size options are available, ranging from the Mini Cellar—capable of storing at least 650 bottles—up to the White Spiral Cellar, which can accommodate up to 1,870 bottles. Pricing begins at GBP 9,200. A variety of trap door styles and optional extras such as LED lighting are also available.

Spiral Cellars has installed more than 23,000 Spiral Cellars in France and the UK over the last 25 or so years; one to bring to the growing ranks of oenophiles in other parts of the world...? (Related: Urban tasting room plays host to 8 local wineries — Wine selling & storytelling.)

Website: www.spiralcellars.co.uk
Contact: info@spiralcellars.com

Much the way DesignYourDorm gives college students 3D modelling tools to customize and shop for their dorm rooms, so RoomsByYou aims to bring such capabilities to the rest of us.

The California-based company goes well beyond simply allowing consumers to mix and match existing products, however; instead, it offers a combination of customization tools and build-to-order, on-demand manufacturing capabilities to give consumers a way to personalize the textiles used in their room. Beginning with baby rooms, the site lets consumers customize quilts, baby blankets, changing pads, pillows, crib bedding, diaper stackers and more using its assorted fabrics made of cotton, linen or polyester—silk and organics are coming soon. Consumers begin by choosing whether they want a classic or contemporary room. From there, they can mix and match fabric styles created by the site's participating designers, or they can upload artwork of their own for use in creating a new design. A retail calculator keeps track of the running total cost, and rooms can be shared, tagged or used to create a registry. An assortment of precustomized rooms are also available. All items from RoomsByYou are hand-assembled on demand in the San Francisco area. Coming soon are options for designing rooms for kids, teens and others as well.

Similar in many ways to DesignMyRoom—which unfortunately got repurposed since we covered it last year—RoomsByYou is further proof that when it comes to customization, there's no such thing as too much. Keep the design-your-own innovations coming! (Related: Design-your-own duvets — More design-your-own fabric.)

Website: www.roomsbyyou.com
Contact: support@roomsbyyou.com

While recent interest in sustainable building has spurred the creation of eco-minded materials like Greensulate and Cow Dung Bricks, drywall is one building component that has remained e ssentially the same over the past 100 or so years. That's about to change, however, thanks to EcoRock, a new drywall material that's made of 80 percent recycled materials.

Due to become available from California-based Serious Materials next year, EcoRock is used the same way as traditional gypsum-based drywall, but it's made of recycled industrial materials and uses 80 percent less energy to produce. The termite-resistant material also generates 60 percent less dust than traditional drywall and is 50 percent more resistant to mold. Perhaps best of all, EcoRock is fully recyclable, and can be used as a pH additive for soil or as a raw material in the production of new EcoRock and other building materials. Using EcoRock in a building project can contribute up to 8 LEED credits, Serious Materials says.

EcoRock won a Popular Science Green Tech Grand Award last year and is priced about the same as high-end drywall, Popular Science reported, at USD 14 to USD 20 per 4-by-8-ft. sheet. Distribution of EcoRock will begin on the West Coast of the U.S.; one to partner with on availability in other parts of the world...? (Related: Library of green building materials.)

Website: www.seriousmaterials.com/html/ecorock.html
Contact: info@seriousmaterials.com

Spotted by: Murtaza Ali Patel

Anyone who's ever owned a home has probably either heard or experienced their own horror stories involving less-than-entirely-honest building contractors and the havoc they can wreak. Aiming to put an end to the uncertainty involved in such situations, Florida-based BidABuilder now offers a way for homeowners to solicit bids from only the most carefully prescreened contractors.

Homeowners with work to be done on their property simply post a project for free on BidABuilder's site, giving listed contractors an opportunity to bid for the work. Not just any contractor can participate on the site, however—to be included, they must provide photo ID, license and insurance info, as well as submit to a criminal background check revealing all infractions. Those who pass BidABuilder's stringent requirements are notified of new projects in real time via email, mobile and the web; from there, they can submit bids or request site inspections. After a one-time setup fee of USD 29.95, contractors pay bid prices based on the estimated value of the project, starting at USD 4. Once all the bids are in, the homeowner then chooses the contractor he or she would like to do the work. After the work is done, the homeowner can then rate the contractor to help guide other users of the site. A forthcoming reward-point system, meanwhile, will offer homeowners discounts and prizes for frequent use.

In a world that's positively flooded with directories and bidding boards for construction jobs—but little in the way of formal evaluation—BidABuilder's focus on prescreening is a smart strategy that offers considerable benefits for both contractors and for homeowners. Currently, however, the site serves only US users; one to partner with or emulate in other parts of the world? (Related: Handywomen take on construction.)

Website: www.bidabuilder.com
Contact: sales@bidabuilder.com

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann