T here are more than 200 items on the list of services that can be purchased with the currency, such as removing snow from the roof, looking after the house during a long absence, and reading picture books to kids. She's eagerly looking forward to getting a request for help so she can earn more kurins. A mi's mother Mayumi claims she's gotten to know her neighbors better since joining the eco-money program. Kusatsu in Shiga Prefecture became the first city in Japan to use eco-money, calling it the ohmi, which is what the prefecture was called in the old days. S ome 30 more communities across Japan are now preparing to introduce such currencies, according to the Eco-Money Network, set up in May 1999.
Some municipalities plan to use the money to plant trees and reduce garbage.