What If NDG Became a Neighbourhood Where We Borrowed Before We Bought?

 

Most of us have things sitting in closets, cupboards, basements and garages that we use perhaps once or twice a year.

A drill.

A ladder.

A folding table.

A cake pan.

A sewing machine.

Camping equipment.

A pressure washer.

Gardening tools.

A suitcase.

A set of chairs for a family gathering.

Meanwhile, somewhere three doors away, somebody may be heading to a store to buy exactly the thing we already have.

What if NDG developed a wonderfully simple new habit?

Ask a Neighbour First.

Before buying something we will rarely use, we ask:

“Does anybody nearby have one I could borrow?”

It sounds like an idea about saving money.

And it certainly could do that.

But I think something much more important would happen.

We would begin depending upon one another again.

There is a peculiar thing about borrowing a ladder from a neighbour.

You have to knock on their door.

You have to talk.

You learn their name.

Perhaps you discover they are repairing their kitchen.

Perhaps they ask what you're working on.

Perhaps you return the ladder with a couple of muffins.

And suddenly a transaction that would have taken place anonymously at a store has created something infinitely more valuable:

a relationship.

Imagine every apartment building having a little Neighbour Shelf.

A few basic tools.

A tire pump.

Board games.

Books.

A folding cart.

Things residents are happy to share.

Imagine blocks developing their own informal NDG Lending Libraries—not just for books, but for stuff.

Someone might put a little label on an item:

BORROW ME. USE ME. RETURN ME. SHARE ME.

Children could swap puzzles and toys they have outgrown.

Gardeners could share tools.

Neighbours could exchange books.

Someone hosting a birthday party could borrow six folding chairs rather than buying six folding chairs.

Someone trying a new hobby could borrow the equipment before deciding whether they really need their own.

Think about what this could mean across an entire neighbourhood.

We would spend less.

Waste less.

Store less.

Throw away less.

And perhaps most importantly—

we would interact more.

A NuVo World should not merely be a place where everybody has access to more things.

It should be a place where we discover that we don't each need to own everything individually.

Sometimes what one household owns can serve ten.

And perhaps this idea could grow.

Imagine an NDG Library of Things where residents could borrow tools, sporting equipment, kitchen appliances, games, musical instruments and dozens of other useful items.

But we don't need to wait for such a place to exist.

We can begin today.

So today's challenge is wonderfully practical:

Before buying something you will rarely use, ask one neighbour whether they have one you can borrow.

And then do the reverse.

Look around your own home and ask:

“What do I own that somebody else could occasionally use?”

Perhaps community isn't only about sharing our feelings, our stories and our time.

Sometimes it is about sharing our ladder.

And perhaps when someone knocks on our door to borrow it, we might discover that what they really brought us was an opportunity to know another neighbour.

Borrow more.

Buy less.

Share what we have.

Know one another better.

That's good for our wallets.

Good for the planet.

And very, very good for NDG.

A NuVo World — creating a NuVo, better world one day, one person and one shared thing at a time.