These people turn for help to their neighbors, to local farmers, tailors, professionals, and general laborers. Life is based on quality rather than quantity, and on shared pride rather than arrogance. Well, this impossibly idealized form of community is becoming a reality, thanks to Paul Glover, founder of a local currency system based in Ithaca, New York. Glover's system is catching on, and several towns such as Madison, Wisconsin, are enjoying the fruits of local currency. Then they buy and sell their services using a locally printed money.
Businesses can advertise their services, too, using traditional advertising space.
So far, it has grown to include more than 400 people and over 35 businesses in just three months of operation. In Ithaca, New York, about 1500 people and dozens of businesses list their services. As these systems grow, more services become available and more currency circulates. In most systems, you simply send in a listing of your services, pay a small fee, and receive some local currency in order to begin participating in transactions. From there, participants can start spending and earning the money.