Posting your event coverage article

So you want to click on 'add a post,' and then write your headline, provide byline, plug in text and some sort of image. If you took the photo, make sure to give yourself a credit line. If not, say, "Credit: Los Angeles Times' or whatever.

There appears to be a button for posting video above. It's your resonsibility to make sure you have proofed and spell-checked your copy before posting. You also need to look at it on the site once you've posted it to make sure it looks nice and fits with the format....

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But with some key enhancements, local currency systems could be so much more; in particular, they could help enable communities to generate wealth and use it for socially responsible purposes – to pay for needed programs and services that governments can no longer afford. As I propose in my book, Creating Sustainable Societies, a fully realized local currency system can be used to support green businesses, schools, nonprofits and public services.

My prototype for a local monetary/finance system is called the Token Exchange System, which I am developing through the Principled Societies Project. Tokens are an electronic currency, managed through a transparent and democratic process. Tokens complement rather than substitute for the dollar, in effect acting like an influx of money into a local economy.

The system makes use of novel crowdfunding operations [INTERNET-BASED?] to generate interest-free loans to local entrepreneurs and funding for nonprofits. A new businesses created through the exchange would be designed as a Principled Businesses, by which I mean it would bring public benefit, remain community-centric and exist in the token-dollar economy.

Solving problems locally

In addition to boosting a local economy, the Token Exchange System could also help cities reduce poverty, hyper-concentration of wealth and debt accumulation. Perhaps most surprisingly, an exchange system as I am proposing it could be a key strategy for local communities seeking to help prevent and respond to climate change. Let me explain:

In the next DECADE (?), local jurisdictions will need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, implement engineering controls to lessen local climate damage [not sure what that means, sorry], and bear the brunt of repair and rebuilding costs when FLOODS AND DROUGHTS OCCUR WITH GREATER FREQUENCY. (?)

Further, cities and counties will need to reorganize their economies to become more self-sufficient and resilient amid interruptions caused by climate events. Agricultural, industrial, retail, shipping, energy, water, and financial networks are all vulnerable. But with state and federal governments lacking the cash and the will to protect them, new sources of assistance will be needed at the community level.

Here’s where the exchange system comes into play. For example, the exchange system could generate additional funds to help local communities pay for projects that would lower greenhouse emissions, such as bicycle paths, mixed-use zoning, recycling and reuse programs, planting trees, and watershed repair. Individuals could receive help in installing solar panels and better insulating their homes. Lastly, self-sufficiency and resiliency could be increased by providing low-interest loans to small businesses, especially those that participate in local supply chains. These would include small farms and outlets for their produce.

What I’m not proposing

It’s important to keep in mind what I am not proposing. For example, I’m not proposing changes to the current monetary system. The Token Exchange System is a complement to, rather than a substitute for, conventional financial institutions such as banks and the national currency. Nor is the token system meant to be a government policy imposed top-down on unwilling participants. Rather, it is intended for implementation on a voluntary basis, managed though a democratically-controlled community membership organization.

Lastly, it’s not Utopian but rather a practical, science-based effort. The next phase of work on the exchange is to simulate the flow of dollars and tokens in a virtual local economy using a computer model. The model will be useful for examining various what-if scenarios.

It’s true that the Token Exchange System cannot offer an immediate or comprehensive fix for climate change, debt, or other problems mentioned. Several years of development are still needed, and the first implementation would be in one city only, as part of a pilot trial. But

if that trial demonstrates substantial social and economic benefits, use of the system could spread rapidly. And solutions to problems that once seemed beyond a local community’s grasp might be closer within reach.

John Boik is the author of Creating Sustainable Societies: The Rebirth of Democracy and Local Economies and is founder of the Principled Societies Project (http://www.PrincipledSocietiesProject.org)

What will a “Boston Bean” buy you? As it turns out, a lot.

The Boston Bean is a form of local currency that shoppers and merchants recently started using to make purchases. Similarly, in Washington, DC, many stores have agreed to accept bills known as “Anacostia Hours” in lieu of dollars.

As far away as Brazil and Bristol, UK, local currencies are being used successfully. Most of these initiatives can be thought of as fancy "buy local" programs, where individuals purchase denominations of the local currency at banks or other outlets, and then use them to purchase goods at participating stores.

But with some key enhancements, local currency systems could be so much more; in particular, they could help enable communities to generate wealth and use it for socially responsible purposes – to pay for needed programs and services that governments can no longer afford. As I propose in my book, Creating Sustainable Societies, a fully realized local currency system can be used to support green businesses, schools, nonprofits and public services.

My prototype for a local monetary/finance system is called the Token Exchange System, which I am developing through the Principled Societies Project. Tokens are an electronic currency, managed through a transparent and democratic process. Tokens complement rather than substitute for the dollar, in effect acting like an influx of money into a local economy.

The system makes use of novel crowdfunding operations [INTERNET-BASED?] to generate interest-free loans to local entrepreneurs and funding for nonprofits. A new businesses created through the exchange would be designed as a Principled Businesses, by which I mean it would bring public benefit, remain community-centric and exist in the token-dollar economy.

Solving problems locally

In addition to boosting a local economy, the Token Exchange System could also help cities reduce poverty, hyper-concentration of wealth and debt accumulation. Perhaps most surprisingly, an exchange system as I am proposing it could be a key strategy for local communities seeking to help prevent and respond to climate change. Let me explain:

In the next DECADE (?), local jurisdictions will need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, implement engineering controls to lessen local climate damage [not sure what that means, sorry], and bear the brunt of repair and rebuilding costs when FLOODS AND DROUGHTS OCCUR WITH GREATER FREQUENCY. (?)

Further, cities and counties will need to reorganize their economies to become more self-sufficient and resilient amid interruptions caused by climate events. Agricultural, industrial, retail, shipping, energy, water, and financial networks are all vulnerable. But with state and federal governments lacking the cash and the will to protect them, new sources of assistance will be needed at the community level.

Here’s where the exchange system comes into play. For example, the exchange system could generate additional funds to help local communities pay for projects that would lower greenhouse emissions, such as bicycle paths, mixed-use zoning, recycling and reuse programs, planting trees, and watershed repair. Individuals could receive help in installing solar panels and better insulating their homes. Lastly, self-sufficiency and resiliency could be increased by providing low-interest loans to small businesses, especially those that participate in local supply chains. These would include small farms and outlets for their produce.

What I’m not proposing

It’s important to keep in mind what I am not proposing. For example, I’m not proposing changes to the current monetary system. The Token Exchange System is a complement to, rather than a substitute for, conventional financial institutions such as banks and the national currency. Nor is the token system meant to be a government policy imposed top-down on unwilling participants. Rather, it is intended for implementation on a voluntary basis, managed though a democratically-controlled community membership organization.

Lastly, it’s not Utopian but rather a practical, science-based effort. The next phase of work on the exchange is to simulate the flow of dollars and tokens in a virtual local economy using a computer model. The model will be useful for examining various what-if scenarios.

It’s true that the Token Exchange System cannot offer an immediate or comprehensive fix for climate change, debt, or other problems mentioned. Several years of development are still needed, and the first implementation would be in one city only, as part of a pilot trial. But

if that trial demonstrates substantial social and economic benefits, use of the system could spread rapidly. And solutions to problems that once seemed beyond a local community’s grasp might be closer within reach.

John Boik is the author of Creating Sustainable Societies: The Rebirth of Democracy and Local Economies and is founder of the Principled Societies Project (http://www.PrincipledSocietiesProject.org)