by Jessica Dur Taylor from "Northbay Bohemian" [http://www.bohemian.com/northbay/the-best-food-money-cant-buy/Content?oid=2410949]: For more information, visit [www.whoafarm.org].
---
At the Santa Rosa Health Center in Roseland, 50 percent of Dr. Patricia Kulawiak's adolescent patients are obese. "There is an epidemic of diabetes in this area," Kulawiak tells me over the phone, "and since good, healthy food is expensive, poverty severely limits your options."
Thanks to the Work Horse Organic Agriculture (WHOA) Farm, dozens of these families receive bags of fresh, organic produce every week—for free.
Started two years ago by Eddie and Wendy Gelsman, WHOA Farm's motto is "The best food money can't buy," a tidy summation of their mission to provide fresh, organically grown food to those who can't afford it. "It's not a crime to be poor," says Eddie. "Everyone has the right to eat well."
Located on 16 acres on Petaluma Hill Road, WHOA Farm began with six months' worth of nonprofit application paperwork and a few raised beds, which the Gelsmans cultivated themselves. In January of 2012, they hired young farmers Balyn and Elli Rose to live on the property and run the farm, which, as the name indicates, is one of the few in the area that harnesses the power of draft horses to plow the fields. "Horses," says Wendy, "are the ultimate piece of the sustainability puzzle."
Even though they were just a few weeks from having their first child, and even though they had never before worked with draft horses, the offer to work on the farm "was an opportunity we just couldn't pass up," says Elli, who met Balyn in an agro-ecology class at UC Santa Cruz, where they both graduated in environmental studies.
"They are two highly educated and highly skilled agriculturalists," Eddie says of the couple, who prior to WHOA ran a farm and CSA program called Wild Rose Ranch for four years.
Together with Dan Evans, the only other full-time WHOA Farm employee, the Roses grew and donated 15,000 pounds of organic produce, 876 baskets of strawberries and 556 dozen eggs to health clinics and food banks across Sonoma County last year. (According to Cathryn Couch of the Ceres Community Project, WHOA provided $14,000 worth of food to their organization alone.)
While plenty of farms and supermarkets donate their leftover produce once it is no longer marketable, WHOA is unique in its practice of growing food specifically to give away. Produce is harvested in the morning and delivered that same afternoon in order to "give people food with the highest nutritional value," says Eddie.
Anyone who's ever inherited a surplus of fennel or radicchio understands that fresh produce is a wonderful thing—as long as you know what to do with it. Which is why education is at the heart of WHOA's mission. "We are committed to giving away food responsibly," explains Wendy, "which means that we want people to be comfortable with the produce and understand the nutritional value of what they're eating."
click to enlarge
To that end, health centers in Santa Rosa and West County offer nutrition classes (some taught by Ceres) in which patients learn how to turn things like kale and rutabaga into healthy, delicious meals. All who attend—many of them at-risk, uninsured and low-income—are given a bag filled with WHOA produce to take home.
Ever ambitious, the Gelsmans want to do even more. "Our goal is to be able to give away teams of draft horses to young farmers," says Eddie, whose plans for WHOA also include hosting educational workshops and internships. Of course, nothing is possible without funding. In addition to private donations, grants, fundraisers, monthly volunteer days, and an outreach booth at the Santa Rosa farmers market—where customers receive a jar of Elli's sauerkraut or fruit preserves for a ten-dollar donation—WHOA is also cultivating creative financial solutions.
The Gelsmans are leasing the Crane family's 11-acre vineyard (conveniently situated smack-dab in the middle of WHOA's property), and with the generous help of winemakers Guy and Judy Davis, will soon make WHOA Pinot Noir. Beginning in the fall of 2014, they hope to sell 600 to 800 cases annually, which could provide over 50 percent of WHOA's operating budget.
On a recent Friday afternoon, I walk around the farm with Elli and 11-month-old Olivia, who mimicked the sound of the hens clucking outside their mobile chicken coop; every couple of days they move it to fresh, new grass. Using expert Doc Hammill's "gentle horsemanship" approach, Balyn, who calls this his "ideal job," harnesses Chip and Mark, whose shiny blonde manes and tails belie their dude-like monikers.
The Gelsmans' vision is evident in the green fields of oat hay shimmering in the winter sunlight. After conditioning the soil for spring planting, the hay will be harvested and fed to the horses, who will then plow the fields where onions, lettuce and parsley sprouts will soon take root. And come September, a patient at the Santa Rosa Health Center will discover the spicy kick of mustard greens or the surprising sweetness of a just-picked carrot.
"By honoring the people who are used to getting the leftovers," Dr. Kulawiak says, "WHOA is working to dismantle health disparities. They are helping people make changes that will last for generations."
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
CODA electric car company in Benicia
2013-02-26 "CODA leaves Benicia; Poor sales cited as electric car company ends assembly in Industrial Park" by Keri Luiz from "Benicia Herald" [http://beniciaherald.me/2013/02/26/coda-leaves-benicia/]:
Benicia Economic Development Manager Mario Giuliani confirmed last week that CODA, the Los Angeles-based electric car company, has ceased its Benicia operations.
“CODA has ceased production in Benicia due to lack of sales,” Giuliani said in an email.
He cited previous news stories relating the difficulties CODA had in meeting projected timelines and sales.
“City staff was aware that CODA was not meeting their projected production/sales goals but it was confirmed this week that all CODA operations ceased last quarter,” he said Thursday.
“The company continues to operate out of their L.A. office, but no longer has a presence in Benicia.”
However, he added, “If the company’s financial viability improves, they may return to Benicia, but that is still unknown at this time.”
A CODA spokesman responded to a request for comment late Monday by saying the company “has suspended automotive production as it reviews strategic options to bolster its financing. While production is currently suspended, the company continues to provide service to its dealers and customers.
“Our desire is to secure financing that enables us to become fully operational.”
Because Benicia was not the point of sale for CODA’s operations, its departure had no sales tax implications for the city, Giuliani said.
The status of CODA workers hired in Benicia — whether they were released or reassigned to other locations — is unknown.
CODA announced Sept. 12, 2011, that it would begin assembling cars in Benicia, adding about 50 positions to its work force. The company picked Benicia for its assembly site after a year’s consideration, K. Forrest Beanum, vice president of the company’s public affairs and communications, said at the time.
Beanum said Benicia was chosen because its port has the necessary infrastructure to meet CODA’s production schedule, and because of its easy access to rail service and several interstate highways.
CODA rolled out its first commercially available electric sedans from an AMPORTS building at the Port of Benicia on March 12, 2012.
However, last September a recall was issued on 78 of the company’s electric sedans because of a side curtain airbag deployment problems, leading to speculation in the Los Angeles Times that the company’s all-electric car was selling poorly.
Beanum dismissed the Times’s report that the company had sold only 78 vehicles since launching last April, saying it “came to an erroneous conclusion.” He also said the company had not officially released sales numbers at that time, and that media guesses had been largely inaccurate.
Though CODA has ceased its Benicia operations, Giuliani said the company choosing the city for its Northern California operations was a positive development. “We are very proud that CODA chose Benicia as it its Northern California distribution point. This shows that our city is well positioned to attract new startup companies.
“The fact that Benicia was chosen is a win unto itself,” he said.
---
CODA sedans line an AMPORTS warehouse in September 2011, where company and city officials and others were on hand for the announcement that Benicia would host the assembly of up to 14,000 of the electric cars.
IN MARCH 2012, CODA executive Forrest Beanum, left, spoke at the company’s unveiling of its Benicia-assembled cars; Solano County Supervisor Linda Seifert and Mayor Elizabeth Patterson (seated) were among those in attendance.
[http://www.codaautomotive.com/]:
Benicia Economic Development Manager Mario Giuliani confirmed last week that CODA, the Los Angeles-based electric car company, has ceased its Benicia operations.
“CODA has ceased production in Benicia due to lack of sales,” Giuliani said in an email.
He cited previous news stories relating the difficulties CODA had in meeting projected timelines and sales.
“City staff was aware that CODA was not meeting their projected production/sales goals but it was confirmed this week that all CODA operations ceased last quarter,” he said Thursday.
“The company continues to operate out of their L.A. office, but no longer has a presence in Benicia.”
However, he added, “If the company’s financial viability improves, they may return to Benicia, but that is still unknown at this time.”
A CODA spokesman responded to a request for comment late Monday by saying the company “has suspended automotive production as it reviews strategic options to bolster its financing. While production is currently suspended, the company continues to provide service to its dealers and customers.
“Our desire is to secure financing that enables us to become fully operational.”
Because Benicia was not the point of sale for CODA’s operations, its departure had no sales tax implications for the city, Giuliani said.
The status of CODA workers hired in Benicia — whether they were released or reassigned to other locations — is unknown.
CODA announced Sept. 12, 2011, that it would begin assembling cars in Benicia, adding about 50 positions to its work force. The company picked Benicia for its assembly site after a year’s consideration, K. Forrest Beanum, vice president of the company’s public affairs and communications, said at the time.
Beanum said Benicia was chosen because its port has the necessary infrastructure to meet CODA’s production schedule, and because of its easy access to rail service and several interstate highways.
CODA rolled out its first commercially available electric sedans from an AMPORTS building at the Port of Benicia on March 12, 2012.
However, last September a recall was issued on 78 of the company’s electric sedans because of a side curtain airbag deployment problems, leading to speculation in the Los Angeles Times that the company’s all-electric car was selling poorly.
Beanum dismissed the Times’s report that the company had sold only 78 vehicles since launching last April, saying it “came to an erroneous conclusion.” He also said the company had not officially released sales numbers at that time, and that media guesses had been largely inaccurate.
Though CODA has ceased its Benicia operations, Giuliani said the company choosing the city for its Northern California operations was a positive development. “We are very proud that CODA chose Benicia as it its Northern California distribution point. This shows that our city is well positioned to attract new startup companies.
“The fact that Benicia was chosen is a win unto itself,” he said.
---
CODA sedans line an AMPORTS warehouse in September 2011, where company and city officials and others were on hand for the announcement that Benicia would host the assembly of up to 14,000 of the electric cars.
IN MARCH 2012, CODA executive Forrest Beanum, left, spoke at the company’s unveiling of its Benicia-assembled cars; Solano County Supervisor Linda Seifert and Mayor Elizabeth Patterson (seated) were among those in attendance.
[http://www.codaautomotive.com/]:
Monday, December 3, 2012
Inspiration: Obtanium Eletrical Generators
2012-11-28 "Self-Taught African Teen Turns Trash into Electricity" by Kristina Chew from "Care2"
[http://www.care2.com/causes/teenage-inventor-from-sierra-leone-wows-m-i-t-video.html]:
Necessity can be the mother of invention as the case of 16-year-old Kelvin Doe amply illustrates [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/19/kelvin-doe-self-taught-en_n_2159735.html].
Using things he’d found in trash bins or around his house in Sierra Leone in western Africa, Doe started making batteries and generators when he was 13 years old [http://whatsnext.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/14/diy-africa-empowering-a-new-sierra-leone/].
The generator not only provides electricity for his house — which otherwise would get power about once a week — and for his neighbors to charge their mobile phones, it also powers Doe’s own FM radio station, outfitted with a recycled CD player and antenna and a music mixer.
For his innovation and invention, Doe was invited to be part of a “Meet the Young Makers” panel at the 2012 World Maker Faire this past September [http://makerfaire.com/pub/e/9552].
He has also become the youngest person ever to be part of the “Visiting Practioner’s Program” at M.I.T.; students at M.I.T. and Harvard, and the President of Harvard, have heard Doe talk about his inventions.
Doe’s ingenuity was discovered thanks to a program called Innovate Salone [http://www.gmin.org/innovate-salone], a national “innovation challenge” for high school students in Sierra Leone sponsored by an international nonprofit, Global Minimum [http://www.gmin.org/].
Students were asked to devise solutions to problems in their everyday lives. 300 submitted applications; ideas included new agricultural programs and ways to provide quality education through the radio.
David Sengah, a Sierra Leonean who studied biomedical engineering at Harvard and is now pursuing a Ph.D. at M.I.T., helped put together Innovate Salone. At the M.I.T. Media Lab, he is developing the “next generation of prosthetic sockets and wearable mechanical interfaces.” His own experience of Sierra Leone’s needs has fueled his work. But it has also made him aware that, when he brings his prostheses to his country, it is crucial that people there be able to use and maintain them, without the technologies available at M.I.T.
In other words, technology is great and wondrous but its recipients need to be able to use it on their own, with the materials they have readily at hand.
Doe’s batteries — made by combining acid, soda and metal in a tin cup, letting the mixture dry and wrapping tape around the cup — exemplify this goal. He made a generator from a rusty voltage stabilizer found in the trash. These creations would be the stuff of science fair projects here in the U.S.; in Doe’s case, they have play a vital role in his community and not only by providing electricity. For his homemade FM station, Doe has friends (average age 12) serve as reporters and station managers, to interview soccer game spectators and keep a calendar of requests for his DJ services.
If you’re not impressed yet (not to mention inspired to see what you can make yourself!), you can listen to Doe in a video produced by @radical.media’s THINKR YouTube channel.
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XOLOLrUBRBY]
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Products made in the Bay Area
Sonoma Valley
Landmade Bath Salts and Soaps
sold at [softshellpetaluma.com/products.html], which also sells a variety of locally made products.
School Garden Company
[schoolgardenco.com/products.html]
263 Cleveland Ave Petaluma CA 94952
707.762.5772
[info@schoolgardenco.com]
Pure Touch Theraputics
[puretouch.net]
3715 Santa Rosa Ave Ste A10, Santa Rosa, CA 95407
800-442-PURE (7873)
[info@puretouch.net]
San Francisco
SF Made
[sfmade.org]
Katie Sofis [Kate@sfmade.org] [415-987-7004]
SFMade is a California 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, established in 2010 and headquartered in San Francisco. It is the only organization of its kind focused on building San Francisco’s economic base by developing the local manufacturing sector.
SFMade’s mission is to build and support a vibrant manufacturing sector in San Francisco, that sustains companies producing locally-made products, encourages entrepreneurship and innovation, and creates employment opportunities for a diverse local workforce.
Other sovereign economics projects
Stardust Localizing
[www.stardustlocalizing.com]
Transition USA
[www.transitionus.org]
Equal Distribution
[www.equal-distribution.com/]
[equal@ohmgrownrecords.com]
Equal-Distribution is dedicated to bringing hand-crafted products to the global market that are conscious, understanding that we are the creators of our realities with our thoughts, our words and our deeds.
All items are shipped by the individual artisans, so please allow 28 days for delivery. If you are not 100% satisfied please return our products unused and we will refund your payments promptly.
More clothing, music, instruments, art, foods and general healing products are going be added to our catalog.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Sonoma Valley
2006-11-07 Election - Sonoma County, CA
[http://www.smartvoter.org/2006/11/07/ca/sn/meas/F/]
Measure F
Tax
County of Sonoma
Open Space, Clean Water and Farmland Protection Measure - 2/3 Approval Required
Pass: 126,570 / 75.7% Yes votes ...... 40,528 / 24.3% No votes
To preserve natural lands from development; protect working farms and ranches; protect drinking water sources; improve water quality in lakes, rivers and streams; create and improve parks and trails; and preserve the coastline and beaches, shall the current quarter-cent sales tax, funding the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation & Open Space District, be continued for twenty years, and bonds authorized to finance projects, with required independent audits and citizen oversight without increasing taxes?
Sonoma County Electric Vehicle Charging Stations [link], revised 2014-06
[http://www.smartvoter.org/2006/11/07/ca/sn/meas/F/]
Measure F
Tax
County of Sonoma
Open Space, Clean Water and Farmland Protection Measure - 2/3 Approval Required
Pass: 126,570 / 75.7% Yes votes ...... 40,528 / 24.3% No votes
To preserve natural lands from development; protect working farms and ranches; protect drinking water sources; improve water quality in lakes, rivers and streams; create and improve parks and trails; and preserve the coastline and beaches, shall the current quarter-cent sales tax, funding the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation & Open Space District, be continued for twenty years, and bonds authorized to finance projects, with required independent audits and citizen oversight without increasing taxes?
Sonoma County Electric Vehicle Charging Stations [link], revised 2014-06
Community Currencies
Davis Dollars
[http://davisdollars.org/]
Accepted at [http://davisdollars.org/businesses/]
2010-10-20 "Buy-local currency minted" by Cheyenne Cary from "The Davis Enterprise"
[http://www.davisenterprise.com/Archived-Stories-0/Buy-local_currency_minted/]:
In a push to make Davis a more self-supporting community, Nicholas Barry and his teammates at Davis Dollars have started minting a cash alternative.
As of April, Davis Dollars had printed 10,000 of the colorful buy-local bills, and now the group aims to bring its community currency project into the next phase of circulation.
“One of the central ideas of Davis Dollars is to get local people to interact and exchange more,” said Barry, a 2007 UC Davis graduate and Davis Dollars founder.
“The big benefit of community currency is that it encourages spending locally, so that money can move around many more times before leaving.”
Barry’s brainchild has been on the scene for a while — outreach efforts for Davis Dollars have been in motion since last year.
Now, the Davis Dollars project features a new Craiglist-like website (http://davisdollars.org) where users can find all the goods and services that Davisites have listed as “provided” or “wanted” for Davis Dollars. Items up for trade include composting lessons, craft supplies and, of course, bike repair.
Website visitors also can search for local businesses that accept the new legal tender. Davis Dollars users can buy a new amplifier at Watermelon Music or get a plant at Redwood Barn Nursery. With DDs in hand, they can pick up some chain lube at Apex Cycles or have a pro help fix a jumpy gear at the Bike Forth Collective.
Theoretically, anyway. As of now, only about 100 Davis Dollars have been sold into circulation and scarcely a handful of transactions have taken place. There are options, though; as of press time, 31 services are listed for sale and five businesses are confirmed supporters.
“Not many people have Davis Dollars yet, but this is something that will take time,” Barry said. “To make a community currency self-sustaining, we have to reach a critical mass.”
One of Davis Dollars’ first supporters was Watermelon Music, and store owner Jeff Simons endorses the DD mission as a buy-local kind of guy.
“When we met with Davis Dollars, they said they needed to reach a critical mass of retailers, and we signed on as a supporter,” Simons said. “It’s not that we think that we’re going to make any more money, but we benefit in the grand scheme. If the Davis downtown succeeds as a whole, then it’s better for everyone in town.”
One of the more appealing aspects of community currency, said Simons, is that it’s proved to be recession-proof. However, some issues remain for retailers. Taxes are problematic, as the IRS still would require reported income, regardless of what currency it’s in. Additionally, for stores like Watermelon Music, national vendors wouldn’t accept local bills.
Simons said he looks forward to “getting the full scoop” as the Davis Dollars movement evolves past its fact-finding phase.
Barry and his cohorts hope to have more Davis businesses sign on to give the paper bills more legitimacy. At a recent meeting in Shields Library, Davis Dollars interns brainstormed ideas for the currency’s expansion. Several interns enthusiastically described how Davis Dollars is modeled after Berkshares, a successful community currency in Berkshire, Mass.
When asked about his feelings regarding a barter economy, Barry said that DD’s overall mission is facilitating intra-community trade. Whether such trade is in DDs, barter or even U.S. dollars, Barry said, is secondary. DDs (or any currency) would work to fill in the gaps in a barter system and resolve imperfect matches; for example, if a carpenter wants payment in fresh chicken eggs, but no one selling eggs needs carpentry work. In the far-off future, Barry said he could even see Davis Dollars evolving into an online time bank, with no paper component at all.
DD advocates have approached the Davis Downtown Business Association and their idea got a warm reception, but the DDBA chose not to officially endorse Davis Dollars. DDBA Director Joy Cohan said this is because the association endorses only proposals that will benefit all, and not just some, of its members.
“We’re not yet ready to embrace Davis Dollars, although we support any organization committed to furthering the concept of spending locally,” Cohan said. “While it might make a lot of sense for some businesses in our membership, it wouldn’t make sense for some others.”
Smaller, simpler businesses could really benefit from Davis Dollars, Cohan said, but chain stores are unlikely to ever use them. Cohan said the DDBA board of directors also had some concerns about administrative details, such as whether Davis Dollars are counterfeit-proof.
Already in place is the downtown Davis gift card, which, like Davis Dollars, exchanges U.S. dollars for local currency and, unlike Davis Dollars, is accepted at more than 200 downtown businesses. According to Barry, the card isn’t competition.
“The gift cards are more of what I like to see,” he said. “There’s plenty of room in Davis for people to encourage spending locally.”
As of yet, Davis Dollars is a microscopic organization. All Davis Dollars come from Barry and crew, and DDs are sold online at a rate of $9.50 U.S. for 10 DDs. Each DD is worth exactly $1 U.S. at participating businesses. Individual consumers cannot exchange DDs for U.S. currency, but businesses can redeem DDs for old-fashioned U.S. dollars at a rate of 10 DDs for $9 U.S. Businesses seeking to trade in DDs therefore would be taking a 10 percent cut off the top. The discounted rates are designed to encourage the use of local currency, but may end up discouraging low-margin businesses from using DDs at all.
But they’re not giving up hope. The people behind Davis Dollars believe Davis is an ideal town for a community currency, not only for its closely-knit and economically strong populace, but also because of the social consciousness that has townies supporting community currency on principle.
“People who live long-term in college towns do so because they value relationships,” said Kristin Stoneking, one of the Davis Empowerment and Community Organization’s four board members. “And that’s one more example of our base values: to create community and help people connect.”
Three weeks ago, Davis Dollars activists incorporated as the Davis Empowerment and Community Organization. DECO is a public benefit nonprofit and members are applying for federal tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(4).
Barry hopes that DECO will become the home base of other community commerce projects. If programs like Davis Dollars can get off the ground, DECO may well help incubate new community groups in the years to come.
Accepted at [http://davisdollars.org/businesses/]
2010-10-20 "Buy-local currency minted" by Cheyenne Cary from "The Davis Enterprise"
[http://www.davisenterprise.com/Archived-Stories-0/Buy-local_currency_minted/]:
In a push to make Davis a more self-supporting community, Nicholas Barry and his teammates at Davis Dollars have started minting a cash alternative.
As of April, Davis Dollars had printed 10,000 of the colorful buy-local bills, and now the group aims to bring its community currency project into the next phase of circulation.
“One of the central ideas of Davis Dollars is to get local people to interact and exchange more,” said Barry, a 2007 UC Davis graduate and Davis Dollars founder.
“The big benefit of community currency is that it encourages spending locally, so that money can move around many more times before leaving.”
Barry’s brainchild has been on the scene for a while — outreach efforts for Davis Dollars have been in motion since last year.
Now, the Davis Dollars project features a new Craiglist-like website (http://davisdollars.org) where users can find all the goods and services that Davisites have listed as “provided” or “wanted” for Davis Dollars. Items up for trade include composting lessons, craft supplies and, of course, bike repair.
Website visitors also can search for local businesses that accept the new legal tender. Davis Dollars users can buy a new amplifier at Watermelon Music or get a plant at Redwood Barn Nursery. With DDs in hand, they can pick up some chain lube at Apex Cycles or have a pro help fix a jumpy gear at the Bike Forth Collective.
Theoretically, anyway. As of now, only about 100 Davis Dollars have been sold into circulation and scarcely a handful of transactions have taken place. There are options, though; as of press time, 31 services are listed for sale and five businesses are confirmed supporters.
“Not many people have Davis Dollars yet, but this is something that will take time,” Barry said. “To make a community currency self-sustaining, we have to reach a critical mass.”
One of Davis Dollars’ first supporters was Watermelon Music, and store owner Jeff Simons endorses the DD mission as a buy-local kind of guy.
“When we met with Davis Dollars, they said they needed to reach a critical mass of retailers, and we signed on as a supporter,” Simons said. “It’s not that we think that we’re going to make any more money, but we benefit in the grand scheme. If the Davis downtown succeeds as a whole, then it’s better for everyone in town.”
One of the more appealing aspects of community currency, said Simons, is that it’s proved to be recession-proof. However, some issues remain for retailers. Taxes are problematic, as the IRS still would require reported income, regardless of what currency it’s in. Additionally, for stores like Watermelon Music, national vendors wouldn’t accept local bills.
Simons said he looks forward to “getting the full scoop” as the Davis Dollars movement evolves past its fact-finding phase.
Barry and his cohorts hope to have more Davis businesses sign on to give the paper bills more legitimacy. At a recent meeting in Shields Library, Davis Dollars interns brainstormed ideas for the currency’s expansion. Several interns enthusiastically described how Davis Dollars is modeled after Berkshares, a successful community currency in Berkshire, Mass.
When asked about his feelings regarding a barter economy, Barry said that DD’s overall mission is facilitating intra-community trade. Whether such trade is in DDs, barter or even U.S. dollars, Barry said, is secondary. DDs (or any currency) would work to fill in the gaps in a barter system and resolve imperfect matches; for example, if a carpenter wants payment in fresh chicken eggs, but no one selling eggs needs carpentry work. In the far-off future, Barry said he could even see Davis Dollars evolving into an online time bank, with no paper component at all.
DD advocates have approached the Davis Downtown Business Association and their idea got a warm reception, but the DDBA chose not to officially endorse Davis Dollars. DDBA Director Joy Cohan said this is because the association endorses only proposals that will benefit all, and not just some, of its members.
“We’re not yet ready to embrace Davis Dollars, although we support any organization committed to furthering the concept of spending locally,” Cohan said. “While it might make a lot of sense for some businesses in our membership, it wouldn’t make sense for some others.”
Smaller, simpler businesses could really benefit from Davis Dollars, Cohan said, but chain stores are unlikely to ever use them. Cohan said the DDBA board of directors also had some concerns about administrative details, such as whether Davis Dollars are counterfeit-proof.
Already in place is the downtown Davis gift card, which, like Davis Dollars, exchanges U.S. dollars for local currency and, unlike Davis Dollars, is accepted at more than 200 downtown businesses. According to Barry, the card isn’t competition.
“The gift cards are more of what I like to see,” he said. “There’s plenty of room in Davis for people to encourage spending locally.”
As of yet, Davis Dollars is a microscopic organization. All Davis Dollars come from Barry and crew, and DDs are sold online at a rate of $9.50 U.S. for 10 DDs. Each DD is worth exactly $1 U.S. at participating businesses. Individual consumers cannot exchange DDs for U.S. currency, but businesses can redeem DDs for old-fashioned U.S. dollars at a rate of 10 DDs for $9 U.S. Businesses seeking to trade in DDs therefore would be taking a 10 percent cut off the top. The discounted rates are designed to encourage the use of local currency, but may end up discouraging low-margin businesses from using DDs at all.
But they’re not giving up hope. The people behind Davis Dollars believe Davis is an ideal town for a community currency, not only for its closely-knit and economically strong populace, but also because of the social consciousness that has townies supporting community currency on principle.
“People who live long-term in college towns do so because they value relationships,” said Kristin Stoneking, one of the Davis Empowerment and Community Organization’s four board members. “And that’s one more example of our base values: to create community and help people connect.”
Three weeks ago, Davis Dollars activists incorporated as the Davis Empowerment and Community Organization. DECO is a public benefit nonprofit and members are applying for federal tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(4).
Barry hopes that DECO will become the home base of other community commerce projects. If programs like Davis Dollars can get off the ground, DECO may well help incubate new community groups in the years to come.
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