The next Information and Trading and Exchange Event of the REconomia Community Exchange System will be at the São Brás de Alportel Library on 22 September 2018 15:30 – 18:00
Did you know that 80 cents out of every euro spent locally leaks out of the area into the pockets of large corporations?
- Wealth creation is not just about having euros in your pocket or bank account.
- Other kinds of monetary exchange are both possible and legal.
- Local currencies – whatever form they take – make money work in the area in which the wealth is created. Local coin doesn’t roll away.
- You only need to understand that you have the power to create your own local currency.
Around the world, community exchange systems and alternative currencies are growing in popularity. Some use ‘hard’ currencies, where notes and coins are issued by the group for their own use; others use a ‘virtual currency’, where the value of goods and services exchanged is recorded online. In all cases the aim is to keep the wealth where it is created: in the local region.
In May 2018, REconomia Tavira launched a Community Exchange System. We record the exchange of goods and services using a virtual currency: the TAV. Other towns, such as São Brás de Alportel, can join this system and trade locally.
How it works. Those who join the Community Exchange System offer goods and services to trade, and/or advertise their ‘wants’. When you want something you have seen advertised, you contact the seller and a trade can take place. The seller records how much the buyer agrees to be debited. The amount is accounted for in the online system. Offers can also be advertised on the REconomia Group Facebook page.
For example, Christian, who lives near Santa Catarina, bakes bread and needs help in his garden. He lists his bread online, and also brings loaves to local trading events. He sells his bread and is credited with TAVs. He uses his TAVs to pay Pedro, who has offered gardening help. Pedro uses his TAVs for a back massage from Maria, who transfers some of her TAVs to her neighbour for looking after her dog. This is how the energy within the system flows.
Come to one of our events or contact us. Join us in creating community relationships and trust as we trade, share and help one another. This kind of exchange system creates resilience and helps to address some of the economic, environmental and community issues we face. Share your ideas and talents with us.
Email: taviratavs@gmail.com to receive an invitation to sign up for the CES
Facebook page: REconomia,Tavira https://www.facebook.com/REconomiaTaviraCES/
Website: reconomiatavira.org
REconomia, Tavira is part of the International Transition Movement: ‘Like the rest of Transition, the REconomy Project is an experiment, a real live economic laboratory at the community level, and we are all learning as we go. We don’t pretend to have all the answers, but we share stories and resources that seem to work, based on our current understanding, and with the best of intentions. Any ideas that are sparked should be considered within your own local context, taking full account of your local economic and ecological systems.’
