Evolving Vox: A Temporary Ownership Network
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto 
on 11.15.06
We love Product Service Systems, where you get what you need without having to buy it. (Read Collin here for a reminder) Dartmouth's Evolving Vox is "a new model for how college students furnish their rooms. By enabling students to “temporarily own” nearly everything they need, we envision students being able to go through college without ever having to make a large purchase for their room." It differs from straight rental companies in that it is "run by Dartmouth students, for Dartmouth students". Its founders, seniors Jack Groetzinger and Russell D’Souza, are "interested in the model of temporary ownership and the applications in which it can make marketplaces more efficient". We hope that as they grow they will get interested in design and sustainability- that would make a real difference. Who knows how far this can go- Michael Dell started in a dorm room too. ::Evolving Vox via ::Springwise
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Wow talk about an energy saver, how so? No more truck/car load or two of stuff transported to campus from 10's or 100's of miles away in many cases. A huge reduction in shopping trips could also result.
Who knows how far this can go- Michael Dell started in a dorm room too.
This isn't anything new - students have been renting things forever. Clever marketing, though.
If everything is brand new, what happens after the cycle? Is it sold second-hand to non-students?
I'd love to see a "store 'til next year" option, so you get your same suite of stuff back the next Fall in whatever new digs you're in (still a money-maker for the proprieters, but a money-saver for the clients), as well as an option to select used items at a discount based on, say, a 5-star condition rating.
I guess this eats into the business model, but it would be more cyclical than inputing new items every year and shunting all the used stuff somewhere else at the end of the year. It might also mean that the stuff would be maintained better--if you're renting and getting new stuff next year, you're not likely to take very good care of what you've got.