Friday, March 16, 2012

HOW TO SET UP A BARTER SYSTEM NETWORK, AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR GOVERNMENT MONEY. TAKE NOTE BELIZEANS

GREECE PEOPLE BECAUSE OF THEIR LOOMING DEFAULT, EXPECTED TO OCCUR IN THE FALL MONTHS HAVE TURNED CREATIVE AND THERE ARE NOW A NUMBER OF BARTER CLUBS, ISSUING COUPONS, INSTEAD OF GOVERNMENT MONEY

A determination to ‘move beyond anger to creativity’ is driving a strong barter economy in some places

In recent weeks, Theodoros Mavridis has bought fresh eggs, tsipourou (the local brandy: beware), fruit, olives, olive oil, jam, and soap. He has also had some legal advice, and enjoyed the services of an accountant to help fill in his tax return.

None of it has cost him a euro, because he had previously done a spot of electrical work – repairing a TV, sorting out a dodgy light – for some of the 800-odd members of a fast-growing exchange network in the port town of Volos, midway between Athens and Thessaloniki.

In return for his expert labour, Mavridis received a number of Local Alternative Units (known as tems in Greek) in his online network account. In return for the eggs, olive oil, tax advice and the rest, he transferred tems into other people’s accounts.

“It’s an easier, more direct way of exchanging goods and services,” said Bernhardt Koppold, a German-born homeopathist and acupuncturist in Volos who is an active member of the network. “It’s also a way of showing practical solidarity – of building relationships.”

He had just treated Maria McCarthy, an English teacher who has lived and worked in the town for 20 years. The consultation was her first tem transaction, and she used one of the vouchers available for people who haven’t yet, or can’t, set up an online account.

“I already exchange directly with a couple of families, mainly English teaching for babysitting, and this is a great way to extend that,” said McCarthy. “This is still young, but it’s growing very quickly. Plainly, the more you use it the more useful to you it gets.”

Tems has been up and running for barely 18 months, said Maria Choupis, one of its founder members. Prompted by ever more swingeing salary cuts and tax increases, she reckons there are now around 15 such networks active around Greece, and more planned. “They are as much social structures as economic ones,” she said. “They foster intimacy and mutual support.”

The network is currently busy transforming a disused building owned by Volos university into a permanent exchange and barter space. It will host a daily market from next month at which members can meet and exchange without using cash. Several highly successful open-air markets were held throughout last summer, Choupis said, until the weather got too cold.

“They’re quite joyous occasions,” she said. “It’s very liberating, not using money.” At one market, she said, she approached a woman who had come along with three large trays of homemade cakes and was selling them for a unit a cake. “I asked her: ‘Do you think that’s enough? After all, you had the cost of the ingredients, the electricity to cook …’

“She replied: ‘Wait until the market is over’, and at the end she had three different kinds of fruit, two one-litre bottles of olive oil, soaps, beans, a dozen eggs and a whole lot of yoghurt. ‘If I had bought all this at the supermarket,’ she said, ‘it would have cost me a great deal more than what it cost to make these cakes.’”

What rules the system has are designed to ensure the tems continue “to circulate, and work hard as a currency”, said Christos Pappionannou, a mechanical engineer who runs the network’s website using open-source software.

No one may hold more than 1,200 tems in the account “so people don’t start hoarding; once you reach the top limit you have to start using them.”

And no one may owe more than 300, so people “can’t get into debt, and have to start offering something”.

Businesses that are part of the network are allowed to do transactions partly in tems, and partly in euros; most offer a 50/50 part-exchange.

“We recognise that they have their fixed costs, they have to pay a rent and bills in euros,” said Pappionannou. “You could say that their ‘profit’ might be taken in Tems, to be reinvested in the network.”

Choupis said she thought the network would have grown even faster that it has if people were not so “frozen, in a state of fear. It’s like they’ve been hit over the head with a brick; they’re dizzy. And they’re cautious; they’re still thinking: ‘I need euros, how am I going to pay my bills?’ But as soon as people see how much they can do without money, they’re convinced.”

The Greek parliament recently passed a law encouraging “alternative forms of entrepreneurship and local development”, including exchange networks such as Volos’s, giving them official non-profit status for tax purposes.

Choupis said there was a new mood abroad in Greece, a determination to “move beyond anger to creativity”.

“You are not poor when you have no money,” she said, “you are poor when you have nothing to offer – except for the elderly and the sick, to whom we should all be offering.”

6 comments:

Maria Mercedes said...

Comparing Belize to Greece? I don't understand why you insult Belize.

I don't understand why you want the worst possible future for Belize.

You want Belize to default, to become an economic pariah like Greece. You want Belize to lose its credit rating in the world, to lose the good faith of global investors.

You want Belize to be badmouthed by global investors because of a credit default.

Now you want Belize to barter because her currency will be worthless?

You cheer when rating agencies downgrade Belize. Who understands you?

Instead of comparing Belize to Greece, you should compare Belize to Switzerland, the most creditworthy nation with the highest standard of living in the world.

If Belize's credit rating was AAA, like Switzerland's, a far better future would be in store for all Belizeans.

Anonymous said...

Instead of comparing Belize to Greece, you should compare Belize to Switzerland, the most creditworthy nation with the highest standard of living in the world.

Anonymous said...

Administrative violations in the field of accounting include Sightline Payments Kirk Sanford
casino tips

osma said...

Hello Everybody,
My name is Ahmad Asnul Brunei, I contacted Mr Osman Loan Firm for a business loan amount of $250,000, Then i was told about the step of approving my requested loan amount, after taking the risk again because i was so much desperate of setting up a business to my greatest surprise, the loan amount was credited to my bank account within 24 banking hours without any stress of getting my loan. I was surprise because i was first fall a victim of scam! If you are interested of securing any loan amount & you are located in any country, I'll advise you can contact Mr Osman Loan Firm via email osmanloanserves@gmail.com

LOAN APPLICATION INFORMATION FORM
First name......
Middle name.....
2) Gender:.........
3) Loan Amount Needed:.........
4) Loan Duration:.........
5) Country:.........
6) Home Address:.........
7) Mobile Number:.........
8) Email address..........
9) Monthly Income:.....................
10) Occupation:...........................
11)Which site did you here about us.....................
Thanks and Best Regards.
Derek Email osmanloanserves@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

"
535333a298Here are best materials for you!
BEST VIDEO ABOUT HOW TO MAKE MONEY ONLINE:
I found this is No1 video about how to make money online
Hope that it help you more
source: 12 ways to make money online in your lifetime







Jennifer Lee Mar 21, 2018 at 7:36 PM
LEARN FREE HOW TO MAKE MONEY ONLINE BY AFFILIATE MARKETING
This is a free course by affilorama, the leading internet marketing academy,rated 4.7 * by 87k+ students.
source: Free training affiliate marketing online







John Smith Mar 23, 2018 at 8:36 PM
LEARN HOW TO BECOME MILLIONAIRE ONLINE
This is one of best online course about how to become millionaire online.
It is difficult to become a millionaire, so perhaps this course is only rated 4.4*.
source: How to become millionaire online in one year







Juan Carlos Mar 27, 2018 at 8:36 PM
12 SECRETS TO GET ANY GIRL TO LIKE YOU
This is one of top secrets that help you get any girl to like you.
Rated 4.7* by 5600+ students.
Link: 12 secrets to get any girl to like you







Mike Jones Mar 29, 2018 at 9:36 PM
LEARN FREE PIANO ONLINE:
This course is organized by LearnPianoIn30Days. This site offer 14 days free training for only $1.
More details: $1 Trial to learn piano in 14 days







David Smith April 1, 2018 at 10:36 PM
13 SECRETS TO CAPTIVATE ANY MAN:
This is one of top secrets that help you get any girl to like you.
Rated 4.7* by 5600+ students.
Link: 13 secrets to captivate any man







David Hu April 2, 2018 at 10:36 PM
LEARN FREE GUITAR ONLINE:
This course is organized by LearnPianoIn30Days. This site offer 21 days free training for only $1.
More details: Trial 1$ learn guitar online in 21 days







Peter Ho April 3, 2018 at 14:36 PM
DO YOU LOVE MAGIC?
This is best course online about how to become a magician!
This training course offer free trial and 60 days money back guarantee
Link: Trial to Learn Mentalism Effects and Magic Tricks





Jennifer Tran April 3, 2018 at 19:36 PM
HOW TO LOSE 1 POUND OF BELLY FAT EVERY 72 HOURS?
yes it can. Bruce Krahn and Dr. Heinrick created this program specifically for men and woman.
The core of the program is a formula by Heinrick that is supposed to work well against belly fat and its associated health issues
Here are link: Link: Secrets to lose 1 pound of belly fat every 72 hours





"

Trikle Trade said...

Thanks for posting the useful information to my vision. This is excellent information.
Barter Exchange Network
How Pay It Forward Works