Janelle Orsi and Emily Doskow present The Sharing Solution
a new book (2009, Nolo Press) featuring cohousing, co-ops and other shared living community approaches (among other topics) with discussion of the issues and sample agreements.
Janelle writes: "The talk includes large hand-drawn cartoons and me talking animatedly about how sharing will save the world!"

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Blurb from the publisher: From cars and tools to housing and childcare, many people would like to share resources but don't know how--or where--to start. The Sharing Solution is a timely practical and legal guide that explains how to create and maintain successful sharing arrangements while addressing common concerns about liability, communication, and more.

This book will help anyone share:

• Meals and food, through bulk buying clubs, meal-sharing arrangements, community gardens, neighborhood fruit harvests, and more
  
• Household goods, from tools and toys to appliances and exercise equipment
  
• Cars, by sharing a car with a neighbor, starting or joining a car-sharing group, carpooling, or ride-sharing
  
• Caregiving, whether for pets, children, older family members, or relatives with disabilities
  
• Business resources, such as office supplies, equipment, space, and even employees
  
• Housing, whether by sharing a house, retrofitting a home to accommodate two households, or joining a cohousing community

The Sharing Solution speaks to Americans' growing desire to not only live more sustainably, but also save money and create stronger communities. Sharing is a simple step anyone - young or old, rich or poor - can take, right now, to make a difference.

Who can benefit from sharing?

• Busy parents looking for help with meals or pet care
  
• Retirees who are looking to share needed services
  
• Anyone concerned about the environment and wants to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.
  
• Anyone who wishes to purchase property but can't afford a single-family home
  
• Professionals who work in community development
  
• Low-income families or those who require - or desire - a purchase that they cannot single-handedly afford

The authors, attorneys Janelle Orsi and Emily Doskow, bring a visionary spirit to developing practical, logistical, and legal frameworks for many types of sharing arrangements.

In the book, you will find:

• Sample written agreements for many kinds of sharing arrangements
  
• Step by step instructions for creating a sharing plan and sorting out logistics
  
• Legal explanations that are clear and accessible
  
• Ideas and examples of the creative ways that groups around the country have formed successful sharing arrangements
  
• Tips for communicating with your sharing partners and handling disputes
  
• Resources to help you find sharing partners, join existing sharing groups, and learn about helpful groups and organizations
  
• Useful checklists, charts, tables, and much more

The ultimate beauty of sharing is that it's a solution we create for ourselves. It's not a government program, nor is it the "latest and greatest" product marketed to us on billboards. It's a solution based on our own needs and lifestyles, in our own communities. It's a way for each of us to shape our own lives in positive ways and simultaneously benefit the world as a whole. In that respect, sharing is more than a simple trend: Some might even say our society is moving toward a sharing revolution. We hope you'll use The Sharing Solution to become part of it.

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Reviews
"It's possible someone has published a more timely book, but I've never seen it. For a planet dealing with economic crisis and ecological limit, sharing is not only the right and moral solution, it's the necessary (and charming) one as well." -- BILL MCKIBBEN, author of Deep Economy and The End of Nature

"Sharing is the answer" -- ALICE WALKER, author of We are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For

"This canny, thorough book offeres detailed advice on how to make clear sharing agreements and minimize potential confusion and conflict." -- ERNEST CALLENBACH, author of Ecotopia and Ecotopia Emerging

"[G]reat practical advice on how to act on our best instincts toward sustaining our society as well as ourselves in the 21st century." -- BRUCE SIEVERS, Senior Fellow, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisers; Visiting Scholar, Stanford University

From the neighborhood level to the global, sharing may be the single most important strategy to reduce our environmental impact, gain financial health, promote equity and have fun. The Sharing Solution provides valuable advice and how-to tips for seasoned sharers and new converts. This book is a tremendously valuable resource for us all, and a must-read for those who want to chart a new path: a more sustainable, more compassionate and more fun one. – ANNIE LEONARD, Author and Host of The Story of Stuff; Time Magazine Environmental Hero of the Year, 2008

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About the Authors
Attorney Janelle Orsi runs a solo law practice specializing in non-profit, small business, and real estate law, focused on helping people to share resources, build community, and live more sustainably. Emily Doskow is a practicing attorney specializing in family law, including adoption, parentage issues, domestic partnership formation and dissolution, and divorce. She is the author of Nolo's Essential Guide to Divorce and the editor of many Nolo titles. Both live in the San Francisco Bay Area. And Janelle lives in a mini-retrofit-style cohousing neighborhood in Berkeley --Raines