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What are the SDGs (SDGs)?

The SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), which we see so often these days, have been presented to the entire world by the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.

SDGs are guidelines for building a more sustainable future for all. There are 17 in total that aim to solve the global challenges we face, including poverty and inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, prosperity, peace and justice.

Since the announcement of this specific vision, the numerical targets and the estimation of their economic impact in 2016, companies around the world have been showing their creativity and ingenuity in what they can do to help.

Many new businesses have emerged from this trend, and existing services are also attracting attention again for their alignment with the SDGs

What is the Sharing Economy?

The term “sharing economy” emerged in this context.

It refers to an economic and social model in which space, mobility, goods, skills, money, etc. are bought and sold, lent and borrowed, jointly owned, etc.

Specifically, these businesses include offering vacant houses for overnight stays, car sharing without buying a car, and turning unused rooms into rental conference rooms.

There was once a period of rapid growth that produced many things and merged into prosperity.

However, the age of consumption, in which people use the money they earn from working long hours to buy and own many things, has reached its limits, and people’s desire to own things has begun to decline.

Amid these changing times, more than 70% of the young people born in the 1990s and 2000s, known as Generation Z, are said to be interested in social issues.

The prolonged economic stagnation in Japan and the increase in non-regular employment have made the younger generation more frugal, and the sharing economy is gaining support because it is economical and reduces the burden on the environment.

Instead of buying and owning things, you can rent them only when you need them, or share them with others. That way it’s cheaper to use, and it’s better because you don’t have to keep owning it, and you don’t have to take up space or pay for its upkeep.

One service that has been increasing recently in this climate is shared housing.

A share house is a rental property in which you live in a private room, bed, and other private space, but share a toilet, bathroom, kitchen, and other space with your share mates.

Normally, when living alone, one has to buy furniture such as a bed and table, and appliances such as a washing machine, refrigerator, and microwave oven, but in a share house, furniture and appliances are already provided. However, in a share house, furniture and appliances are already provided.

SDGs and Share House

Let’s look at these share houses through the SDGs.

The 12th goal in SDGs is “Responsibility to Create and Use.

The idea is to achieve sustainable consumption and production.

In a shared house, sharing furniture and appliances reduces the need to purchase new ones.

For example, our share houses, Living Place Kobe Hanakuma and Share House Palette Kobe Sannomiya, provide two refrigerators, two washing machines, and two microwaves for around 10 residents.

If they each lived alone, they would each be purchased 10 units, which would one day be discarded as trash.

So, the shared house setting is expected to reduce the amount of waste, CO2 emissions during its production and waste disposal, and energy consumption.

Being able to reduce CO2 emissions, which are said to be the cause of global warming, leads to the 13th goal, “Concrete Measures to Combat Climate Change”.

For those who came to Kobe for employment or higher education, or for those who work remotely and have a lifestyle that lacks social interaction with others, a shared house with a shared kitchen and other facilities will help them feel more connected to society and less isolated, and thus contribute to the 11th SDG, “Creating a City Where People Can Continue to Live”.

Shared Space

In addition to this ecological and sustainable lifestyle of shared housing, we also offer shared space.

Our shared space is equipped with a kitchen that can be used easily and freely.

If you think your house is messy and too small to invite people, shared spaces are the perfect alternative options.

Share Space Kobe Hanakuma is a space that can be rented when holding events such as girls’ parties, birthday parties, or small gatherings such as study groups or workshops.

In addition to the kitchen and cooking and eating utensils, the rooms are equipped with a table, chairs, sofa, TV, and free Wi-Fi.

This shared space is another example of the sharing economy, where people rent only when they need it, rather than buying and owning a large space and things all the time, even though they do not invite people over every day.

Not only can we be kind to our finances by using the sharing economy, which includes shared homes and spaces, but we also feel tremendous satisfaction in knowing that we are contributing to environmental preservation and building a sustainable future.