The Shared Economy: Doing Business with the Joneses

INFORUM at The Commonwealth Club is tackling the economy -- The Shared Economy on Aug. 16th in San Francisco. The Shared Economy: Doing Business with the Joneses is a pioneering event bringing together companies and thinkers who are modernizing the age old idea of sharing.

The night will start off with a panel conversation featuring Lisa Gansky, author of "The Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing," Shelby Clark founder and CCO of RelayRides, Leah Busque, founder and CEO of TaskRabbit, and CEO of Hub Bay Area and SOCAP Cory Smith, moderated by Liz Gannes ofAllThingsDigital. After the discussion, stick around for INFORUM's Trading Post, for an even more comprehensive look into The Shared Economy, featuring Shareable, Burning Man Project, TechShop, Getable, Solar Mosaic, LiquidSpace, ThredUP, Vayable, Mesh Labs, RelayRides, TaskRabbit, and Hub Bay Area.

The truly innovative companies are using the connectedness of the internet to minimize waste and extract maximum value from existing goods. This movement has adopted many names -- collaborative consumption, shared economy, peer to peer marketplace, freelance nation -- the central idea is accessing rather than owning. Why struggle to put together an IKEA dresser when a seasoned pro on TaskRabbit could put it together in a jiffy? Why buy an electric screwdriver when you only really use it once? The benefits of an economy that utilizes this method of interaction touch many of the unsavory aspects of our modern economy -- underemployment, environmental degradation, planned obsolescence. In 2009 alone, global use of car sharing diminished carbon dioxide emissions by negating the energy use of about 40,000 houses for a year.

It's a trend, revolution, a step towards repairing the economy; it's the newest genius in business, and humankind's oldest mantra -- sharing is caring. Join INFORUM for the unique opportunity to engage with the most exciting companies and innovators who are changing how we go about our lives and interact as consumers.

The program takes place at The Blue Room at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on Thursday, Aug. 16, at 6:30 p.m. PT. For more information and to register for tickets, call (415)-597-6705 or register online at www.commonwealthclub.org/inforum.