A proposal to park three shipping containers in neighbourhoods isn’t meant to emphasize the "port" in Port Moody.
Rather, those steel boxes will give residents inexpensive access to tools, gardening implements and even sporting equipment as well as connect neighbours with one another.
That’s the vision of Chris Diplock, founder of The Sharing Project and a proponent of using a sharing economy to help build community.
On Tuesday, Diplock made his pitch to Port Moody council to place three modified shipping containers — called Thingeries — around the city to serve as lending libraries for things. Those can include recreation equipment, household items like gardening implements, tools and even musical instruments.
Residents would donate excess items to stock a Thingery, then, by paying an annual membership fee as well as a nominal usage rate, they could access items they might need for a short period of time but not long enough or frequently enough to justify an outright purchase.
The idea, said Diplock, is to make it convenient and economical for residents to access things they might need to complete a project, hold an event or try out an activity without having to make a significant financial commitment. It’s also good for the environment because neglected household items can get a second life at the lending library instead of being discarded in a landfill.
More importantly, said Diplock, the Thingeries can help build community.
“People have a desire to connect with each other through a shared interest,” Diplock told The Tri-City News. “You might actually end up meeting people with similar ideas.”
While there was a time when neighbours just leaned over the fence to ask to borrow a power saw to cut some two-by-fours or a volleyball for a backyard game, that doesn’t happen as easily in urban centres where more people are living in condos and townhomes, or they’re too busy to interact much with their neighbours. And when those kind of transactions do occur, said Diplock, they’re often complicated by the weight of expectations.
“A lot of the time, sharing can be overly complex,” said Diplock. “They expect something in return like a case of beer, or they’re worried about something being damaged. People just want to have a simple transaction.”
Diplock said Thingeries work a little like the car sharing programs that have popped up around Metro Vancouver in recent years. An annual fee gets a member a fob that will give them access to the container; they then pay a small usage fee for whatever piece of equipment they borrow. The money collected helps pay for the maintenance of the container and the items it contains.
Putting the Thingeries into modified shipping containers makes them accessible, he said. “They’re extremely convenient, they’re standardized and they’re familiar to people. People are accustomed to seeing them, and they’re great for storage.”
Diplock plans to spend the next few months engaging residents to find appropriate locations for the Thingeries and to educate them about the concept.
“We really want to build community, not just in the physical space but by linking members and users together,” he said.
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Play Box launching in Port Moody
A Play Box is being opened at Rocky Point Park next Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m.
The Play Box, which will be located between the wooden bridge and the skate park, contains toys, balls and games to promote physical activity.
“This new Play Box located in our busiest park will encourage more families to play together, be active and get outdoors more often,” Port Moody Mayor Mike Clay said in a press release.
To access the box, users must first register online at www.tricitiesunplug.com/play-boxes to get the access code that will unlock it. Equipment stored in the box must be used nearby and then returned to the box.
The Play Box is an initiative of the city of Port Moody and the Tri-Cities Healthy Living Working Group, which is comprised of representatives from a number of community organizations.
Additional Play Boxes are planned for Seaview Park in Port Moody and Sun Valley Park in Port Coquitlam.
@mbartelTC
