Putting the sharing economy to work | Aaron Krolikowski & Darren Cotton | TEDxBuffalo

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. The average power drill is used for less than 12 minutes over its lifetime. What if you could get access to common tools, so that fixing up your house, even if you're renting, was far less intimidating and costly? That's what the University Heights Tool Library does. And that was the starting point for many neighborhood-boosting projects that Darren Cotton and Aaron Krolikowski are pushing forward. Darren Cotton is founder and Aaron Krolikowski a volunteer at the University Heights Tool Library, a project that empowers homeowners and renters to borrow tools and make neighborhood-improving repairs to their homes. Krolikowski is on the project planning team for ReTree the District. He recently completed his Ph.D in Geography at the University of Oxford, where he studied how mobile technologies are being used for improved public service delivery in East Africa. In addition to his work at the UHTL, Aaron is the director of research and public policy at the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County. Cotton is the founder of the University Heights Tool Library, which he started while completing his Masters in Urban Planning from the University at Buffalo. After graduation, he began working as an associate planner at the UB Regional Institute. He focuses on the interplay between public engagement, participatory planning and graphic design to inform his professional and personal work in the field of community development. About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)