The economy debate
of today is so focused on the lack of money that one does not realize the
resourses that actually exists.Sure there are able people whom want nothing
more then to work and sure there are people whom are in need of their services.
Likewise, things that someone really needs are thrown as garbage or lying
around taking up space for somone else.
Evidently, the means of trade-money. Should we really let all activity and creativity come to a hold because of the lack of trading-means? Our answer is no, and we are not alone, a lot of people are already confronting the problem with activity and have started so called LETSystem (LocalEconomyTradingSystem).
A local trading system is a group of people who are trading goods and services amongst themselves. There is ofcourse nothing new about the thought of trading, the new thing is that the means of trade, money, has been exchanged with a made-up currency which only exist on the paper or in the computer. The adavntage is that you can start trading without owning any money as long as you can offer something in exchange. As all the trading within a LETSystem is accounted at a central "office" it makes it easier to trade with people which you normally don't have any contact with on a regular basis.
- Social, the LETSystem increases the oppotunities to get in touch with people in your community. Probably also with people that you don't normally meet.
- Financial, the trading amongst the inhabitants of an area can make a community prosper without money. There are a lot of positive examples of this around the world as well as in Scandinavia.
- Health, the LETSystem encourages people to examine their abilities. And when people do, it always turna out that they can do /make something that others find difficult and/or valuable.
- Regional, a lot of regions in Sweden as in our own, Jamtland, are fighting for their survival. A local trading system increases the local trading as one endeavour to find the goods/service that one searches within the own LETSystem.
- Environmental, increased local trading decreases transports which ofcourse benefits our environment. This is also a financial advantage as one saves the costs of transporting.
Take a look at the page in Stockholm.
e-mail to the creator of this page: iteko@algonet.se