Community Currency:
Restoring Sustainable Economy...
Building Community While Making A Living

Something is wrong with our national economic system. We all know it, each one of us senses it and can find examples of this "something wrong" in our own lives, our friends' lives, and in our local economy.

But what if we could begin to SOLVE, locally, some of the economic problems we experience in our own community, and not even have to change the federal economy and monetary system to do it?

The Economy is Booming?

The 1999 inaugural address from the President assures us that the economy of the United States is supposedly booming! The indicators of this alluvial monetary boom are: the record setting highs of the stock market, the fact that we are richer than ever before in history, that for the first time in history we are not showing a deficit but are overflowing with extra money to spend.

But wait a minute! How come we read statistics that report that 358 people are worth the combined income of 2.5 billion people, 45% of the planet's population! And the welfare and education systems nationwide are crashing due to lack of funding. And protection of the environment isn't happening because there isn't any money to employ conservationists or specialists.

Where is this "wealth" in our own community? How come we know people who are poorer than ever before, holding not just one job, but two or three to make ends meet?

What's wrong with federal money?

Picture this: At any given moment in time, there are only so many federal dollars in our community - and we get to "fight" over them. For example, many people apply for a single job opening; a business may or may not make enough sales to stay open; people may not have enough money to buy what they want; low income people don't have enough money to buy what they need; our local government has to decide whether to fix roads or buy books for the library. Everybody can see what needs to be done, but there is "not enough" money to do it.

The irony here is that there are people with services to offer and people who want those services. But a lot of these transactions, which are the basis of a healthy economy, can't happen because there is not enough money.

In other words, our local economy is at the mercy of the federal monetary system. Why should this be? Is there anything we could do?

Let's print our own money!

Whoa, now there's an outrageous concept. But what if it we printed our OWN money and found that this fostered a local economy that helped build community as well as personal relationships? . .and helped nurture local businesses?. . and encouraged the development of small businesses, cooperatives, and local farms? . . .and helped create a sustainable and ecological local economy? Is this possible? Yes!

The community of Ithaca, New York prints its own money and finds it is resulting in the very effects just mentioned. Since Ithaca started it, local currencies have sprouted up in 60 other cities around the U.S. Mendocino recently started a local currency called SEED. And currently a group in Ukiah is organizing a local currency for the inland area, to be called Ukiah HOURS.

What is wealth, really?

We think of money as the source of wealth. But wealth really needs to be viewed differently than what we were raised to believe it to be. Wealth is found not in quantity of dollars but in quality of exchange - quality that a given community can relate to. It is found in a community that revolves around peoples' trust and respect for individual values - a system of exchange that honors people for their character, wisdom, and gifts to society. This type of wealth can be found in abundance in any community. And this kind of wealth is what a local currency like Ukiah HOURS can help foster.


Ukiah HOURS in action

First, lets get the legality issue out of the way. A community printing its own money is completely legal. The only requirements of the government are that the money doesn't look like federal money, and income is declared in your tax return.

Now let's see how printing and using Ukiah HOURS will work. Think of it as a well organized barter system, using paper money as an exchange medium. Once HOURS are in circulation you use them as money with anyone willing to accept them. This is true whether you are a member or not.

But becoming an HOURS member is recommended because you get some HOURS for joining, and this is how the money gets into the community. When you will sign up as a member for the $5 fee, you receive 4 HOURS of local currency, with each HOUR bill equivalent to $10. HOURS will be available in several denominations: 2 HOUR, 1 HOUR, 1/2 HOUR, 1/4 HOUR.

Also members can list up to two services in our print and online directories.
On your membership form you will write down the services you are willing to share for HOURS payment. This can be your current business or work which you are willing to do for part or whole payment in HOURS. But also for your listing you may want to dream and create a skill that you've always wanted to try as a second job or hobby. Thinking beyond a typical job resume can be refreshing and enjoyable for all involved! You might like baking pies or making cookies, or tutoring people on the computer, or finally doing something with the massage training you took last year but weren't ever going to make a "business" out of. Use your imagination. Here is your chance to share one of your "unknown" skills with your community.

Now you have the equivalent of $40. Now you can consult the quarterly print newsletter called HOUR Town which lists the services you and others are offerering, as well as listing services being requested by you or other members. Find someone you wish to do business with, phone them up and work out a trade using partial or all HOURS.

Ukiah HOURS also has a web page where, unlike the quarterly newsletter, member services will will be listed almost immediately after applying. The web site includes a membership form as well. You can go to the site at www.greenmac.com/hours right now to see a listing of people who have signed up so far. Be aware that we are just getting started signing people up.

As well as individuals being listed, businesses will also be listed willing to accept partial or all HOURS in sales transactions.

If you live in or do business in the region of Ukiah, Redwood Valley, Potter Valley, Hopland or Anderson Valley we encourage you to sign up.

When will Ukiah HOURS start?

We are hoping to get HOURS going at the beginning of 1999, at what is planned to be a well-anounced public event in Ukiah. At that time the program will officially begin, money will start being distributed, and the HOUR Town newsletter will be available.

What will make HOURS succeed?

Obviously the success of a local currency depends on the community using it and supporting it. The more people use it, the more value the money has. The more a given HOURS bill circulates, the greater the "multiplier effect" to the community. The more businesses that accept local currency it, the more customers they will get who want to use their HOURS. The more types of businesses use it, the more self-sustainable we become. Around and around, we use HOURS and help each other grow our community and our local economy.

The HOURS crew can use some help!

Setting up this local currency is a big job. The original three person group has expanded to six but we can still use the help of some enthusiastic people, as the program gets closer to actually starting. Contact us at 463-5517 or contact King at greenmac@pacific.net or Dale at dglaser@pacific.net.

Let's do it!

Local currency works, it helps local communities as well as the world! Let's work together to nurture a world based on the principle of the interconnection of all living beings. Let's begin to bring people out of their individual isolation and alienation into a world full of cooperation both locally and globally. Let's bring about a sustainable world, one town at a time.

To quote David Korten, author of When Corporations Rule the World: "To heal society we must heal the money system. This will involve a two step process of reducing money's importance and restoring it's appropriate role in service to the creation of real wealth."

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Email: Ukiah HOURS Staff

Last Update: 12/15/99