Do I really need to own everything?

Business students develop stickers that encourage sharing within neighborhoods.

Estella and Kira, students in the degree programs Business Administration: Rethinking Economics and Sustainable Management, developed stickers together with architecture student Nico that, when placed on their own mailbox, encourage people to share within neighborhoods.

“What do I need only today or occasionally? What do I own that I could lend?” These are the questions everyone can ask themselves. A neighbor may own a drill, while you yourself could lend out your barbecue grill. “With our tandem project, we want to raise awareness of everyday consumer behavior,” explains Estella, a student in the Bachelor’s degree program in Sustainable Management. Student Kira adds that counteracting today’s consumer society is of great importance if we want to live more sustainably. “Why always buy everything yourself when someone in the building or neighborhood already has the item you need lying around?”

The three students designed stickers showing pictograms of household items that are rarely used and can easily be shared. They would like to make these stickers available to people who want to share within neighborhoods or residential communities. “The stickers are intended for mailboxes, front doors, or doorbell nameplates, where neighbors can see which items are available for lending in which household,” explains Kira. In addition to encouraging conscious consumer behavior, this initiative strengthens the sense of neighborhood and helps people meet each other more often again.

The project was created as part of a tandem project in which business students work interdisciplinarily with students from other fields. The tandem project is part of the arts modules offered in the business degree programs to support personal development and foster creativity.

Anyone interested in the stickers is welcome to contact the students Estella and Kira: estella.cron(at)student.alanus.edu & kira.rinke(at)student.alanus.edu.