The Submitted Projects

 

ACV Compartienda-Mexico

Virtual economic teamwork of unified enterprises.

 

The project ACV Compartienda combines business and economic traditions of the Indo-Mexican culture with contemporary communications technology through use of an auxiliary currency. It makes use of a unified economic method to combat growing levels of poverty due to capitalistic globalization.

 

This alternative economic model is based upon traditional trade, weekly markets, and communal teamwork.  Compartiendas are themselves the participating enterprises which, like franchises, offer goods and services from regional producers both online and in stores.

 

All participating enterprises must meet the criteria for fair trade and prove that their production principles are in line with communal work as; local endeavors, a cooperative, or a family business. Distribution, shipment, and marketing of all goods takes place over the internet.

 

All participants obligate themselves through membership in the Compartienda Network to offer their products worldwide. A portion of the price (10% minimum) is calculated in an alternative currency called Ecosoles. Regional currencies such as Tialocs and Pencas will also be accepted. For ease of use and management, chip cards will also be used, through which all regional products are exchangeable.

 

For more information, please visit the virtual market place at www.aahora.org.

 

Attac Summer Academy

 

The Attac Summer Academy provides a forum and structure for alternatives to the general financial markets by offering podium discussions, workshops and a framework for culture and publication. Roughly 300 people participated in the seminar held in Schwaz, Tirol.

 

Attac is a member of a worldwide movement critical of globalization and is working to further the goals of a democratic and socially responsible economic environment. Attac is non-partisan and is committed to non-violence.

 

For more information visit www.attac.at/soak07

 

Chiemgauer

“Friendship begins with the Chiemgauer” is the motto of the Chiemgauer organization, a group working for sustainable economics. The Chiemgauer Voucher has been circulating since 2003 in the Bavarian region of Rosenheim and Traunstein.

 

The currency has its roots in the example provided by the Wörgl independent currency movement and was founded by the Waldorf School. The initiative is currently the largest among the German speaking countries. Additionally, the “Chiemgauer” is now being accepted regionally by the banks Sparkasse and Raiffeisenbanks electronically.

 

The number of Chiemgauer’s in circulation doubled to 1.5 million in 2006. Since the projects inception, 40,000 Chiemgauer have flowed to participating organizations. This growth dynamic is possible thanks to the participation of 110 organizations. These groups are supported by the exchange fee of five percent once Chiemgauer are traded for euros. Three percent of this exchange fee goes to an organization of the consumer’s choosing.

 

For more information, see www.Chiemgauer.info

 

Comic Book Project: Michael Unterguggenberger and “The Treasure of Wörgl.”

 

In honor of the independent currency project “Freigeldjahr,” Peter Zimmerman and Ulf Theis of the workgroup NWO Dresden in Saxony, Germany have created the comic project Michael Unterguggenberger and “The Treasure of Wörgl” in order to explain the meaning of the project of independent currency to young persons in an entertaining way.

 

“The year is 1932. All of Europe is controlled by taxes and interest rates. All of Europe? No. A small town populated by stubborn alpine residents has taken up the fight against hunger, emergency and interest rates-Wörgl! On the forefront stands the intrepid Mayor Michael Unterguggenberger.” Thus begins the great illustrated adventure.

 

The story is told in a twenty four page comic that chronicles the independent money experiment with the city’s mayor in the role of the protagonist. After being story-boarded by the landscape artist Mamei (www.mamei.com), the drawings will be brought to life by the talented artist Andreas Wehrheim (www.andreas-wehrheim.de) of Hannover. To be successfully completed more donations will be necessary.

 

For more information, please visit www.nwo-dresden.de

 

Community Development Voucher Currency System

 

In 2006, the Merapi Mulia Credit Union, with the financial backing of the Strohalm Foundation of Holland, established a voucher currency system for the province Yogyakarta on the Island of Java in Indonesia. The project’s ambition is to provide start-up support for small to medium sized businesses as well as to invest in citizens’ initiatives and development projects for the community.

 

The voucher system is backed 100% for the exchange of goods and services. Members of the credit union can purchase the vouchers (the price of which flows into a reserve fund) or they may lend the vouchers interest free. The execution of monthly markets and regular public meetings are the responsibility of a market manager, who will facilitate business amongst the participants. By re-exchange of the vouchers, a fee of 15% must be paid. These fees supply a growing capital fund for lower interest loans for new businesses. The project’s long term goals include the education of participants in accountancy, entrepreneurship, and knowledge-transfer for sustainability and continued production of their agricultural products. The long term strategy also includes holding “creativity festivals” for children.

 

More info is available at www.appropriate-economics.org/asia/asia.html

 

De Pälzer fer die Pfalz

Students create regional currency

 

In 2006, the Citizen’s Endowment Pfalz initiated the creation of a regional currency based upon the “Chiemgauer” in Rhineland-Pfalz. The project’s implementation is due to the cooperation between the “De Pfälzer” Project Team of the Citizens Endowment and the organization Pälzer Regio, newly formed in March of 2007 and with two school practice firms. The first school firm, ProRegioSGmbH is located in Friedrich-Magnus-Gymnasium. The second school firm is called Regiogeld AG and is located in the Pamina Gymnasium in Herxheim.

 

The project began in fall of 2006 with the formation of the two school firms as well as the development of a pedagogical concept and the creation of an internet platform. A series of information evenings and info-events for entrepreneurs and businessmen and officials followed. Thereafter, on the 7^th of July, 2007, the first Pälzer Regional Vouchers were put into circulation within the schools. During the sessions called “Impulstagung,” the first market games began. These were developed by students of the Handelskademie Wörgl in cooperation with the Unterguggenberger Institut. The progress of the Pälzer Regional Currency Project will be followed scientifically by a university thesis project.

 

Information is available online at www.paelzer-regio.de

 

Energy-Covered Regional Currency – The SWP Model

 

Rudo Grandits model for a socio-ecological economic partnership set in regional circumstances shows that a synthesis between money and energy politics is possible. With the help of a regional currency (which supports cooperative economics), the switch to renewable energy can be forced.

 

The switch is based upon three provisions. The first step is the introduction of a regional voucher system, which is complemented by electronic charging. Second, the profits from the voucher to euro exchange are administered by an ethics fund, the purpose of which will be to finance alternative energy projects. Finally, the community must accept the regional vouchers and receive regional currency interest free. The organization of the system must be voted upon according to the laws of the collective association. The regional currency will be supplemented through an exchange circle. This circle must be organized as decentralized, democratic, and based on demand oriented money accruement. Therefore, exchange circles are instruments of economic self-empowerment. This is because an (alternative) economic transaction is not possible with the existence of euros at the forefront.

 

Information Online at: www.neuesgeld.com

 

Lernwerkstatt Zauberwinkel

A free private school for kids aged 6-15 years old.

 

The Learning Workshop is a private school in Wörgl encompassing multiple school levels that works intensively with the Talent Network of Tirol.

 

The pedagogical philosophy of the school is based upon the philosophies of, among others, Jean Piaget Maria Montessori and Heinrich Jacoby, as well as  Rebeca and Mauricio Wild, who together created a complementary currency system with the Sintral in Ecuadaor.

 

In addition to normal school fees, parents are expected to work a minimum of thirty hours per semester with the school. The Tirol Talent Network is responsible for tallying the accounting of this work time. This results in three advantages. The first advantage is that parents receive interest-free talent credit. Second, the Learning Workshop can pull from the entire talent network in Tirol in order to take advantage of the skills of persons which parents might not be able to provide. Finally, the parents work must not directly meet the needs of the school but can be used in context with the greater community at large.

 

Information online at www.zauberwinkel.at

 

The Local Currency Micro-Credit-System

 

The STRO-Group, a network of organizations located in the Netherlands with countless partners in Latin America, has developed a micro credit financing concept with the inclusion of a local currency. The micro-credit organization ICC, a division of the program “Credimicro” of the development bank of the Brazilian State Rio Grande do Sul, offers target groups tailor made micro-credit in three forms. The first form offers conventional micro-credit in the national currency under normal conditions. The second form offers micro-credit in local/regional currency. The final form is that of a micro-credit in the form of virtual accountancy, the payback of which can be in local or national currency.

 

The initiative is based upon two STRO pilot projects in Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul. Since 2006, micro-credit components have been combined with alternative financing options. Under the auspices of the project “Valuable Local Currency – VLC RS,” the local currency Rubi has been supported by the creation and strengthening of local economic circulation with the goal of fighting poverty in underdeveloped communities. With the support a tax policy based on micro-credit criteria, a fund was created to finance community projects.

 

The initiative of helping others help themselves has existed since 2005 and has also been successful in aiding consumers and producers within the alliance of CompRaS – an alliance within which all transactions are registered in an internal accountancy system. The internally accepted investments, or consumer credit, can be offered under extremely favorable conditions. These conditions are almost independent of the normal prices set by the local financial markets.

 

More information is available online at www.socialtrade.org

 

 

Styrrion – The Regional Currency of Styria

 

The “Styrrion” is a regional currency which links together the spending power of the region and supports non-profit projects. The regional vouchers are accepted at a ratio of one to one with the euro. This currency was first accepted in April of 2005 and is already being accepted at around 100 participating endeavors in Graz, the surrounding area, as well as in Ruprecht and Pischelsdorf. In addition, partnerships opportunities over the border in Slovenia are in the works.

 

The current volume of Styrrion vouchers used to date is around 85,000 euro – 25,000 of which are currently in circulation. Conversion is the responsibility of two full time employees as well as students of the Independent Waldorf School in Graz, which operates as a Styrrion service point.

 

As long as the Styrrion remains valid, it can be converted into euros with a deduction of five percent. Two percent of this deduction goes to the Styrrion organization to cover the costs for and creation and management of the regional vouchers. The other three percent go to partner organizations. Those persons wishing to support the Styrrion circulation for the long term can book a subscription at a minimum of 50 euro per month.

 

More information is available at www.styrrion.at (currently under construction)

 

“How does money work? – A Ten Point Plan to Effectively Make Use of a Planet.” A Cartoon by Max von Bock, DVD

 

Told from the perspective of an alien conqueror in a satirical manner, this short film attempts to explain the basics of money, banks and the credit system in ten easy to follow steps. The purpose of the film is to awaken interest a topic which is complex, often ignored, but important to all.

 

Max von Bock created this short film as a thesis project for the Polytechnic University of Aachen in the subject area of design. Van Bock was responsible for every aspect of the film – from concept and script to graphics and animation. The film is available online at YouTube.

The film can be found online at http://tinyurl.com/235m8k

Alternative links are also available at: (part one) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BrLrwbkQWQ

(part 2)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK2yZIHk4cA

(part 3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VOtdQrCoyk

Information about the author: www.maxvonbock.de

 

Project ACV Compatienda Mexico

The Ten Commandments of a United Economy (EcoSol)

 

1) Abundance – A different economy, which replaces capitalism, is possible. “Una economia basada en el paradigma de la abundancia.” (An economy based upon the paradigm of abundance). The earth provides everything freely and generously. The job of the economy is to evenly and fairly distribute this bounty.

2) New word, new spirit – Words are power and when we consciously remember the words and concepts of these commandments, we can show this power in our daily lives.

3) Community building – Organized and collaborative teamwork is the best way to fairly create and compensate. This formula, in one from or another, intrinsically contains an inherent democracy of unified work.

4) Work in the network – Those organizations that belong to the unified economy work horizontally within the network. In this capacity, as a unified network, the exchange and cooperation of many sectors will be connected and supported.

5) Inclusion of local cultural values – Everything created by the network members retains local cultural values. In this way, all are enriched. Values will be included as creative techniques, processes, designs, etc.

6) Responsible production and consumption – I use that which is created in the network and produce that which is needed within the network. In this way, fair trade and the sharing of the fruits are of labor are supported.

7) Own exchange mechanisms – Members of the united economic network develop their own currency, for example, a community currency and exchange system which complements the community’s financial capital.

8) Upstanding consumption and production – We respect and serve nature and her prosperity is in our best interest. The unified economy uses natural resources with respect and in an eco-friendly manner.

9) Economic Democracy – Through the existence of communal democracy and through respect for the inherent diversity of organizations and networks, the goals political and communal democracy are advanced.

10) Humane and integrating globalization – the capitalistic economy is simplistic, specialized, divisive, and exploitive. It complicates unified economics, creates new problems, is backward and enriches the few. A different world is possible.

 

 

 

Übersetzung: Rick Bateman