Twitter

Wow, I just discovered a whole other world! Setting up my Twitter account has led me to find these things tonight just by putting in a couple of different searches first for transition towns, and then for local currency.

This is a group of people in East Anglia (UK), who are looking pretty happy about coming together to talk about relocalisation using the Transition Towns model. I reckon this is the face of the wave which is sweeping the world, where people are realising it's up to us, and rediscovering the inherent strength and wisdom and practical knowledge from which spring an abundance of creative solutions to all the prooblems which we seem to be facing. These people didn't stay home and watch Fox News and become hypnotised by the doom and fear message. They got out and had some conversations with their friends and neigbhours and no doubt made some new aquaintences. They gout out and are cocreating their own and brighter version of the future. The other pictures show they got into some serious planning, and I'm picking this was taken near the end of their get together - yeeha!

Then there were these links:

These guys are building virtual currency for social networks - check out the video !
http://www.nerdstalker.com/2008/11/offerpal-media-nerd-stalker-20.html

I wonder if this could be adapted for use as a local currency, bringing the work that has been done for the gaming and virtual world into real life?

And this link to examples of new currencies being created as I type.

http://consumerist.com/5102038/neighborhoods-propose-printing-their-own-...

Two neighborhoods in Milwaukee are considering printing their own currency, which could be bought with U.S. dollars, but would be only accepted at local businesses, in order to encourage people to shop at home instead of Walmart.

It's not a new concept — the Chicago Tribune says that lots of towns and neighborhoods relied on their own local currency during the Great Depression. It's also perfectly legal.

So what's the advantage for shoppers? Well, the currency could offer incentives — trading $100 US for $110 in the local currency would give shoppers a 10% bonus, for example.

What do you think? Would you use a local currency in order to support your community? Or are you going to shop at Walmart until they pry the cart from your cold dead hands?

I wonder how soon we will have a Waiheke currency operating?