I blogged about the Bijlmer Euro before, and today I'd like to introduce you to the Brixton Pound (or B£). It's another example of a local community coming together to grow their own money and to stimulate their local economy. It doesn't have to be either/or: either fiat currencies or local currencies - right now we need as much monetary diversity as we can muster in order to make local and national economies more resilient to the shocks ahead. The Brixton Pound can even be used as an electronic payment system via text. Again, a nice hybrid of smart technology and local activity, just like the Bijlmer Euro.
And the really cool thing: the B£10 note features a local lad made good - one David Bowie.
I really like the idea of LETS systems. Sooner or later the tax man does come along and want his cut though, but it is very difficult to pin down an agreed value to tax.
ReplyDeleteAlso the 'Bark-Share' scheme in Massachusetts, highlighted by the BBC recently. It's been up and running for many years and the locals credit it with protecting them from the worst effects of the global recession. Great idea.
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