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Low-impact money posts

Is money the root of all evil? Shaun Chamberlin Part 2

This is Part 2 of a conversation with Shaun Chamberlin (Part 1 is here). Shaun left the board of the Ecological Land Co-op as I joined. He’s been involved with the Transition Network – he wrote the Transition Timeline. His website is Dark Optimism. He took on the work of David Fleming after his death,… Continue reading Is money the root of all evil? Shaun Chamberlin Part 2 Read more

Happy new economy in 2022

Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 02-Jan-2022 | 2

This is a 2022 New Year’s message to everyone I know, or who uses this website, reads our blog and/or watches our videos. I’m an optimist. Eventually, I think we can turn things around. And even if we can’t, if we help the people in our network to do what they do, at the very… Continue reading Happy new economy in 2022 Read more

Explaining mutual credit to small business owners

Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 14-Nov-2021 | 2

At Lowimpact.org, we’ve been banging on about something called ‘mutual credit’ for about 3 or 4 years now – constantly trying to think of ways to explain it that can be grasped really quickly. We think it really is a world-changing idea – in that it can help keep wealth in communities, keep small businesses… Continue reading Explaining mutual credit to small business owners Read more

Does ‘system change’ advocacy mean ‘anti-capitalism’?

Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 17-Oct-2021 | 13

What I mean by system change is system replacement, rather than system tweaking (aka ‘prolonging the agony’). This raises (not begs – please, not begs) three questions: Read more

Craft production, prices and mutual credit: weaving

Eloise Sentito of These Isles | 10-Oct-2021 | 4

This is the third and final part of an interview with weaver and mutual credit enthusiast Eloise Sentito of These Isles, in which we talk about the prices of craft produce, and how mutual credit can help. Part 1 contained advice for anyone considering a career as a weaver, and part 2 was about the… Continue reading Craft production, prices and mutual credit: weaving Read more

Community energy, mutual credit and the mutualist economy

Jon Halle of Sharenergy | 18-Jul-2021 | 0

This is the third part of an interview with Jon Halle of Sharenergy, about the prospects for keeping energy production local and mutualised. Here we talk about community energy, mutual credit and mutualisation of the economy. Read more

How ‘chamas’ and mutual credit are changing Africa: Shaila Agha of the Sarafu Network

Today I’m talking with Shaila Agha of the Sarafu Network about ‘chamas’ and mutual credit, and how they’re changing Africa. Read more

A brief history of money

Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 06-Jun-2021 | 7

Here’s a quick and dirty history of money. Since I’ve been involved in the mutual credit world, I’ve been reading various ‘history of money’ texts, and so I thought I’d organise the notes I’ve taken into a blog article. It’s a half-hour read, to accompany our new ‘Low-impact money’ topic, and I think it gives… Continue reading A brief history of money Read more

Join our presentation: the Credit Commons protocol – tech agnostic, low-friction transactions for all

Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 26-May-2021 | 7

You’re invited to join our presentation on the ‘Credit Commons’ – a protocol to connect and unite mutual credit groups globally – on Friday 4 June from 4-5.30pm. Sign up here. Read more

The new Open Money exchange system: Michael Linton, founder of LETSystems

Michael Linton of Open Money | 16-May-2021 | 2

This is Part 2 of a conversation with Michael Linton – founder of LETS, the moneyless exchange system. In Part 1 we talked about LETSystems and why it didn’t grow in the way Michael would have liked, and in Part 2 we’re going to talk about his new idea – Open Money. Read more

LETS – origins, and what happened next: Michael Linton of LETSystems & Open Money

Michael Linton of Open Money | 02-May-2021 | 1

This is Part 1 of a conversation with Michael Linton – inventor of LETS, the moneyless exchange system. I want to talk about that, and he has a new idea called Open Money that we’ll talk about in Part 2. Read more

Mutual credit in Africa: interview with Will Ruddick of Grassroots Economics

I’d like to introduce Will Ruddick, who set up the Grassroots Economics Foundation in Kenya around ten years ago, that runs a very successful mutual credit network (called the Sarafu Network) there. Read more

Saving and investment in a mutual credit world

Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 04-Apr-2021 | 12

Nothing we do to try to move to a sustainable, healthy and democratic society will work as long as we have the current money system, because money has two conflicting functions. It can be used to buy and sell things, and it can be used to store, hoard, accumulate and become wealthy with. As long… Continue reading Saving and investment in a mutual credit world Read more

New money stories: the eleven dollar bill

Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 21-Mar-2021 | 7

I’m writing a book – published by Chelsea Green next January – about the possibility of building a new economy around a moneyless, mutual credit core, at a time when money is going to be scarce. I’m often told that the best way to get new ideas across is with a story. Read more

Incredible new research: how small businesses can be saved post-Covid

Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 07-Mar-2021 | 5

It seems pretty obvious that there’s a giant economic slump on the way that’s going to sweep away millions of small and medium-sized businesses around the world, so that Amazon can step in to continue to try to take over the entire global economy. Read more

The Future of Money (Part 2): with Brett Scott

This is part 2 of a conversation with Brett Scott, author and specialist in the money system. Here’s his excellent YouTube channel, and I’ll add links to other things we talk about as well. Part 1 is here. Read more

The Future of Money (Part 1): with Brett Scott

Today I’m talking with Brett Scott, author and specialist in the money system. Here’s his excellent YouTube channel, and I’ll add links to other things we talk about as well. Read more

Resources to accompany upcoming book on new economy built around mutual credit

Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 24-Jan-2021 | 1

I have a contract to produce a book about growing a new economy, in communities, with mutual credit at the core. This article is a listing of key resources: video interviews I’ve done with relevant people whilst researching the book, plus articles and websites providing additional information. Read more

What happened to LETS systems? Sue Bell of Mutual Credit Services

Today I’m talking with Sue Bell, who was involved for many years in Brixton LETS and the Brixton Pound. She’s now part of a group called Mutual Credit Services (MCS), formed to build mutual credit clubs and to federate them together to build a new kind of moneyless trading system. I want to talk about… Continue reading What happened to LETS systems? Sue Bell of Mutual Credit Services Read more

Storing value in a mutual credit world: Chris Cook

Chris Cook of Island Power | 20-Dec-2020 | 14

This is the third in a series of interviews that will accompany a book I’m writing, that will be published by Chelsea Green – an employee-owned company, and part of the new economy that the book is describing, built around a mutual credit core. Today I’m talking with Chris Cook. He was the designer of… Continue reading Storing value in a mutual credit world: Chris Cook Read more

There’s a crash coming – a slap from Mother Nature. This isn’t pessimistic; it’s realistic.

The human impact on nature and on each other is accelerating and needs systemic change to reverse.

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