About Sharon
Sharon Ede, Founder
I work to build the community based sharing + collaborative movement in Adelaide and Australia, which contributes to creating more connected, resilient communities; enables households, businesses and governments to save money; and helps us use less resources by better sharing what we already have.
In 2012, I set up Share Adelaide, the first presence in Adelaide and SA about the sharing movement, and created the concept of ShareNSave, an initiative of the South Australian government which maps community sharing assets.
I am committed to strengthening the commons (the antidote to the privatisation, commodification and enclosure of the commons), and the P2P (Peer-to-Peer) Foundation lists me in its ‘100 Women Who Are Co-Creating the P2P Society’. I do this through my own initiatives, and by supporting those who are striving to progress urgent social and environmental change, steering humanity away from extreme inequality and ecological collapse, and towards a world that works for us all.
I’ve been a speaker, guest lecturer, activist, and worked at the coalface of community development and organisational change for sustainability since 1993. I cultivate extensive local, national and international networks and love playing connect the dots with a wide range of people working on environmental and social issues.
I love dogs, am a fan of 70s and 80s rock music and am going to finish the novel I’m working on any…day…now.
Outreach + Impact
2019
invited participant, 1st Global Commons Forum, Seoul, Korea - 'Making Room for the Community Based Circular Economy (virtual presentation)
co-organiser of 'What should our economy look like in 2030?' Adelaide session for New Economy Network Australia
2018
organised Adelaide launch of Sharing Cities Book as part of a global series of launches, along with Sharing City leaders Darren Sharp (Melbourne) and Ian McBurney (Bendigo)
presenter, Audience Segmentation Workshop, Strengthening the New Economy for the Common Good conference, Melbourne
interviewed along with Di Salvi from Adelaide Sustainability Centre on ABC Adelaide (from 1:38:25)
2017
established AUDAcities, a catalyst for relocalising production of food, energy and fabrication in ways that retain and distribute more wealth in the local economy
presenter, The Real Circular Economy, Building a New Economy for Australia conference, Brisbane
presenter, Urban Leadership track at Ecocity World Summit, Melbourne
invited presenter, Transforming Production Symposium, Melbourne
in formal work role, successfully advocated for State government grants for community based shared fabrication spaces
in formal work role, orchestrated Adelaide leg of Platform Co-operatives expert Trebor Scholz
2016
selected as a Shareable Fellow and part of the international Sharing Cities Book project team to produce Sharing Cities: Activating the Urban Commons
catalyst, collaborative team for Fab City, an initiative for globally connected, locally productive and self sufficient cities; self-funded attendance at Fab 12: Fabricating the Future in Shenzhen, China
in formal work role, orchestrated Adelaide leg of Cohousing pioneer Charles Durrett, and local economic development expert Michael Shuman
2015
orchestrated Adelaide leg of P2P Foundation's Michel Bauwens Australia/New Zealand tour
organising committee member of 2015 Adelaide Mini Maker Faire, an aspect of the ‘production’ side of the sharing/collaborative movement
speaker on 'Sharing Communities' at Pecha Kucha #15: ‘Sustainability: A Living Expression’
initiated Coalition of the Doing, to cross-pollinate local networks of citizen innovators
2014
in formal work role, attended OuiShare Fest in Paris, the premier global event about the sharing and collaborative economy, representing the South Australian government; also met with various organisations in London (including NESTA, FutureGov) and community organisers in Athens
organised Map Jam in Adelaide as part of the 2014 global Map Jam, kindly hosted by Sarah's Sister's Sustainable Cafe @ Semaphore
2013
Share N Save launched in November by the State Environment Minister, featured in Shareable in December
registered Adelaide as part of the Sharing Cities Network
2012
initiated the concept for a program about sharing in the South Australian government
developed what would become Share N Save, mapping sharing activities in South Australia
established Share Adelaide, the first presence in South Australia on the sharing & collaborative economy in April
2011
self-funded a year out of paid work to initiate and co-found Post Growth Institute and explore post growth ideas, including the sharing/collaborative economy
2010
founded Lost Dogs of Adelaide and supported the team building it
Activism + Community Service
Post Growth Institute
Creating Global Prosperity Without Economic Growth
In 2010, I was part of a group that co-founded the Post Growth Institute to help spark a movement for ‘the end of bigger, the start of better’.
Post Growth initiatives include Free Money Day, a global stunt designed to spark conversations about sharing; the EnRich List, a cheeky take on the Forbes Rich List, which instead celebrates those whose life and work contributes to enriching futures for all; and How On Earth, a book about how not for profit enterprise will become the primary business model by 2050.
Cruxcatalyst
Supporting Change Agents
Cruxcatalyst (crux = the heart, catalyst = change), a blog I wrote from 2011-2015, helps change agents become more effective through case studies, articles and approaches on communication and leadership.
Urban Ecology Australia
Advocating Ecological Cities Through Education + Example
I spent five years working as a full time volunteer with Urban Ecology Australia (UEA) during my university days. Based at the Centre for Urban Ecology, UEA is a nonprofit community group that promotes the development of ecological cities through education and example, and initiated Adelaide’s ‘piece of ecocity’, the internationally award-winning Christie Walk.
Lost Dogs of Adelaide
Reuniting Lost Pets + Owners
I established and supported the building of the immensely successful Lost Dogs of Adelaide Facebook page, which is now an effective, citizen-powered service for reuniting lost pets and owners, and a shining example of how peer-to-peer communities can work.
Global Footprint Network
Advancing the Science of Sustainability
In 2001, I went to the US for over a month on a Foundation for Young Australians scholarship, and studied with the co-creator of the Ecological Footprint and founder of the Global Footprint Network, Mathis Wackernagel. I worked to spread the uptake of the Footprint concept in Adelaide, delivering numerous presentations and workshops. As a result of the work of a number of people, the Ecological Footprint was eventually incorporated into the Strategic Plan for South Australia.
© 2018