One of the first things we learn as kids is to share. Believe it or not, this is also a key to sustainable living. We sometimes think of sustainability as individual self-reliance, but a sustainable life takes place in a self-reliant community; because sharing conserves resources. Here are just a few easy ideas:

Share Books. Unless it's a reference book that you need to use repeatedly, think about sharing books with other people. The Seattle Public Library has a huge inventory of books and with their online system, you can order a book and pick it up at your local branch. Go to www.spl.org and "check it out," so to speak. If you need a quick fix on a book that's in high demand, buy it and then pass it on to a friend or family member. In my family we rotate books and each person writes their name on the first page so it's easy to see who has already read the book and we can pass it on to someone else. A group of friends could do the same thing. It's fun to see the path the book has taken.

Share Tools. Need to re-haul the garden or do some home repair? The Phinney Neighborhood Center Tool Bank is a good local resource. You can find everything from caulk guns to chippers, rakes to routers. It's a lot like the library in that you check out the tools and return them when you are done, for a minimal fee. And because it's neighborhood focused, it's not a bad place to ask for advice, too. Find more information about the Phinney Center's Well Home Program at www.phinneycenter.org. Another option: meet your neighbors; find someone with common interests. Do you and a neighbor both have wood shops? If you are not fully outfitted, maybe there are tools you can share with each other. You probably have expertise and time to share as well. The same applies to gardening. If you want to share garden space, time and experience, Sustainable Ballard has a Garden Matchmaker program to connect food gardeners in the Ballard area.

Share a Ride. Sharing transportation through carpools, car-share programs or public transportation is an obvious way to save gas and reduce the number of vehicles on the road. We have lots of great resources to help here in Seattle. Metro's www.rideshareonline.com is a great resource for carpooling. The City of Seattle One Less Car Challenge (www.cityofseattle.net/waytogo/onelesscar.htm) and King County's Ballard In Motion program (www.metrokc.gov/kcdot/transit/inmotion/ballard/index.htm) provide incentives for those of you who want to reduce your driving by using public or human-powered transportation. Seattle has a great car-share program with Flexcar (www.flexcar.com).

Share Food. Do you have fruit trees or extra garden produce? Share this food with neighbors, friends or the local Food Bank. Have a jam-making party! The Ballard Food Bank accepts fresh, clean fruit and vegetables you have grown yourself (www.ballardfoodbank.org) and the Lettuce Link Program (at www.fremontpublic.org) has just initiated the Community Fruit Tree Harvest program using volunteers to collect fruit from local fruit trees.

Share household items and building materials. Visit thrift stores, garage sales, antique stores, auctions. The City of Seattle has recently launched a website called www.ecodeals.org to help you find products that use recycled materials. King County Solid Waste has set up a couple of sites where you can buy, sell, trade or give away reuseable household goods or building materials (www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd). Craigslist (www.craigslist.com) also is a great place to offer or find used goods.

Share your time. Studies show that learning and staying engaged with other people help extend your lifespan, so take a class. Stay informed. Find a community group or form your own around your interests or experience and teach each other. Knitting, quilting, book and garden clubs are good models. What about a car maintenance club, or a cooking club? What is your passion? There are lots of kids who don't know some of the basics about self-reliance. Looking into a mentoring program. Visit the Sustainable Ballard "How-to Library" online to learn from or share your knowledge with your Ballard neighbors.

Share your money. - Are you a net zero Green House Gas (GHG) emitter? Opportunities abound for reducing your carbon footprint by helping larger emitters reduce their carbon emissions. Looking beyond ourselves and funding what are called carbon offset projects is cost effective and quick to implement. This can really make a difference today while we continue to drive down our personal GHG emissions. It is a convenient and relatively cheap solution. Check it out - your family could counteract or offset the your yearly GHG emissions for $100 to $300. Wow! We have a great resource in Seattle, NetGreen (www.gwef.org) that will empower you to calculate you carbon footprint and counteract your GHG emissions today.

Simplify. Are you holding on to things you don't use because you can't bear to part with them? Consider sharing some of the things you love with the people you love. How about we all "share our toys?"

Jenny Heins is the Food, Health, Medicine Guild Coordinator with Sustainable Ballard. To learn more about Sustainable Ballard, please visit our website www.sustainableballard.org.