The Baltimore Green Currency Association was founded in spring 2010. Its mission is to foster economic opportunity through the establishment of an alternative currency for the communities of Baltimore. BNote (short for Baltimore Note) is the new alternative or complementary currency – real money that can be used for any local transaction in the Baltimore area – issued by the Baltimore Green Currency Association.
The Baltimore Ethical Society has joined this local alternative currency movement and is now accepting BNotes as partial payment for weddings and commitment ceremonies. We are among over 140 local merchants and service providers accepting the BNote, and more are joining the network every week. As of December 10, 2011, over 19,000 BNotes were in circulation across the city.
Leaders from the Baltimore Green Currency Association are also launching the Baltimore Time Bank. A time bank is a forum where members volunteer to help each other reciprocally, keeping track of the hours they give and receive. Time banks respect the worth of individuals by recognizing that everyone has something to give. A time bank makes it possible to organize exchanges of services within a group. For instance, Alice babysits for Bob, who tutors Charlie, who drives Alice to a medical appointment.
BES members are involved with the time bank launching. If you’re interested also, talk to Richard Lewis, Lisa Alderson, or Emil Volcheck.
To learn more about the Baltimore Green Currency Association, visit baltimoregreencurrency.org – and to learn about time banks, visit timebanks.org. The Baltimore Time Bank website is LetsBmore.org.
