Local Currency in Portland

January 30, 2011 2:44 PM

Portland Filter: I've been reading a lot of Douglas Rushkoff and I'm really into the idea of alternative local currencies (something like Ithaca Hours). Is anyone in Portland, OR working on establishing something here?
posted by ohisee to Work & Money (5 answers total)

I don't live in Portland but a little Googling turns up Cascadia Hour Exchange and PDXcurrency, both of which appear to be defunct.
posted by bokinney at 3:10 PM on January 30, 2011

I know the person who recently started Davis Dollars here in Davis. He did his research, so if there's something in Portland, he could be a good person to ask. (The website is meh, but it's pretty solid if you quiz him in real life and have a look at the currency itself.)
posted by aniola at 3:13 PM on January 30, 2011

I recently learned about but have never used Supportland (I'm not local anymore), and while it doesn't seem like a full substitute currency, it appears to have similar qualities.
posted by celilo at 3:36 PM on January 30, 2011

Fourth Corner Exchange is a Pacific Northwest community currency with a branch in Portland. (See also the Wikipedia entry.) I live in Portland, and I support alternative currencies, although I'm not personally involved in any of these groups.
posted by velvet winter at 12:45 AM on February 1, 2011

I thought I'd follow up in this thread once again, since I recently stumbled across The MetaCurrency Project while doing some research on alternative, complementary, and local currencies. This group is focused on building tools and technological infrastructure to "open source the next economy." One of the founders, Alan Rosenblith, lives in Portland.

Portland strikes me as a place where alternative and locally based currencies may have a real chance of eventually reaching a critical mass, so I am always glad to hear about groups working on projects like this.
posted by velvet winter at 5:05 PM on March 30, 2011