We do not realize that we are complaining, but are ourselves the cause.
We tend to buy in the internet, instead of in our city.
The main street has too many empty shops.
1. We make the city so interesting, that you WANT to buy local, instead on the internet.
HOW?
1. The shop owners accept (partially) SPURT for the products they deliver. Because SPURT is used in the community they understand that it is best when they can pay for the goods and services to stock up in SPURT and get those expenses 100% compensated, they are willing to accept that. SPURT stays in the city. It is re-used.
The shop owner, having now a SPURT account, can also request his mortgage to be paid in SPURT.
You can pay for your stuff with SPURT and that opens other possibilities.
the shop owner can also provide a cheaper price as you would pay on the internet.
2. You could start a shop in one of the empty shops to sell the things you can produce yourself, or bought yourself for the purpose of selling them to your fellow citizens. Maybe you bake nice cakes or be the hairdresser you always wanted to be. Your costs are not that high, for you invested all the money to start your business using your SPURT.
3. You start a SPURT advice-shop where people can get advice on how to use their SPURT. Where they can see which shops are accepting SPURT. There are MANY cities who do the same already. There is a wonderful book, Rethinking Money: How New Currencies Turn Scarcity into Prosperity from Bernard Lietaer and Jacquid Dunne, giving many examples.
4. Also the free E-book Ch@nging Money is explaining very well why we need complementary currencies.
5. You can integrate care taking for elderly or ill people.
6. You can integrate people who are "too old" to work.
7. You could integrate the food bank, although that might close soon, for if all people can pay for food with SPURT, there is no need for the food bank anymore
It is a good idea to agree with all citizens of a small city to work three hours a week for the community. You would do that for free, because now all costs in that city are lower, because business and caretakers would have three hours a week less salary to pay. This makes it possible to produce products that are cheaper, because the costs are reduced.
For that reason products can be sold in other cities for a reduce amount, which will increase the demand for that product. Three hours a week for your community, profiting from the extra income that producer will have, because you worked there for "free".
Now that we have SPURT, they do not need to do this for free, but can get paid in SPURT.
* Another example for the possible use of SPURT is what is happening in Kenia with other digital currencies
The Bristol Pound, now called Bristol Pay, in England, is a very good example of how SPURT can be accepted.
* Another great idea is what UBUNTU is presenting: A small city can change the world.
This website was created with Mobirise