In these tough times, most of us are looking to save a few dollars. And when we save money on goods that are produced far away, that means we have more money to spend right here at home promoting San Francisco’s economy. Earlier in the week, Ben Shore wrote about the tremendous economic benefits of car sharing, with thousands of dollars freed up to spend right here at home every time a family decides not to buy a car and rely instead on public transportation and car sharing. Now here’s another Web 2.0 idea that keeps local dollars in local communities.

It’s called NeighborGoods, and it’s an idea to help make our communities wealthier by sharing local goods.

The idea is to set up local networks that will promote the sharing and renting of everyday items like tools, furniture and all of those things in your basement that are still used every now and then. So if you need a wrench your neighbor already owns, don’t buy a new one, just borrow or rent hers. That’s a win/win for everyone. You save money. Your neighbor makes a few dollars. And fewer goods are created and transported, which is easier on the environment. San Francisco can and should embrace these web 2.0 communities to promote economic development. And the government can play a roll in aggregating and promoting these communities so our city and our citizens become wealthier without having to produce more. Here’s how to help NeighborGoods get even better.