1 Mar 2007
Local MP Endorses ‘Totnes Pounds’.
Anthony Steen, MP for Totnes, has thrown his weight behind a new local currency scheme in the town. A limited number of **Totnes Pounds** are being put into local circulation to launch the **Transition Town Totnes (TTT) Economics and Livelihoods** group on Wednesday 7th March. Three hundred of the individually numbered ‘pounds’ will be given out at the event which features Molly Scott Cato, a lecturer and author speaking on **Local Money, Local Skills, Local Power…the role of money in building resilience.** Her talk will be followed by a panel discussion which will explore some of the issues raised.
The Totnes pounds will be given out to people who attend the evening and will be accepted by some local businesses and at TTT events in lieu of sterling. Rob Hopkins, the originator of TTT, said “This is just a small experiment designed to get people thinking and talking about money. Totnes used to issue its own money and one side of the Totnes Pound is a facsimile of an old Totnes banknote. One day in the not to distant future Totnes might have its own local currency again.
Mark Forskitt
2 Mar 3:21am
Local currencies can work really well – the States of Jersey reckons it saves them £5million a year in interest payments on ‘foreign ‘ (ie english) pounds. Money is fascinating stuff – these days it is really just a token of trust. The governor of the bank of wherever doesn’t really promise to pay you a pound of gold any more.
Try these for a good read
http://www.opentrade.org.uk/usury1.htm
Mark Forskitt
2 Mar 3:22am
The other informative read is “I want the earth plus 5%”
http://www.federal-reserve.net/iwanttheearthplus5percent.htm
Gareth Doutch
2 Mar 1:19pm
Great stuff Rob, I’m looking forward to the launch.
And thanks for the great link Mark.
Peoples Republic of South Devon » Pound notes
3 Mar 10:18am
[…] Now, as part of the Transition Town Totnes wheeze, a limited number of Totnesian ‘pounds’ are being put into local circulation to launch the Economics and Livelihoods group on Wednesday, March 7 at St Johns Church, Bridgetown. […]
Chuck Maki
5 Jun 9:32am
I can see an interest from collectors of banknotes so that could be an unforeseen plus so better make a lot of them to cover that need. btw, how can I in America get one of these banknotes?