Ep. 222 Unpacking Currencies and the world of LETS with Michael Linton

Todays guest is Michael Linton who unpacks the topic of money, currencies and Local Exchange Trading Systems.

A local exchange trading system (also local employment and trading system or local energy transfer system; abbreviated LETS) is a locally initiated, democratically organized, not-for-profit community enterprise that provides a community information service and records transactions of members exchanging goods and services by using locally created currency. LETS allow people to negotiate the value of their own hours or services, and to keep wealth in the locality where it is created.

In the 21st century, the internet-based networks haves been used to link individual LETS systems, into national or global networks. In the Green Planet Blue Planet Community we have explored the topic of alternative currencies with SEEDS Cryptocurrency and Beliive Time Exchange...

Michael Linton lives on Vancouver Island in Canada.  He has 3 children and more grandchildren. In his 20s, Michael was interested in physics, engineering, computers, business and school teaching, and trained to become a teacher of Alexander Technique in 1979.

In 1982 he found / discovered / designed LETSystems | Local Exchange Trading | and has since been active in community currencies for approaching 40 years. We will be talking about money and community currency development.

Similar trading systems around the world are also known as Community Exchange Systems, Mutual Credit trading systems, Clearing Circles, Trade Exchanges or Time Banks. These all use 'metric currencies' – currencies that measure, as opposed to the fiat currencies used in conventional value exchange. These are all a type of alternative or complementary currency.