Together we can do this. Think Local First!

It's not a hard to know folks, if we believe in our communities, if we believe in the people in our communities - together we can do this.

Cr Jenny McKay, Sunshine Coast Regional Council spoke to the Baroon Dollar Dinner Event on Saturday June 27th 2009: Ensuring a future for our Independent Businesses (The evening focussed on community strategies to focus on Thinking Local First! including the Baroon Dollar community currency.)

"Today I was at a workshop and we talked about the ` To Do Nothing Option' - and as we all know, that's not an option in today's environment. I think this project is actually about doing something towards many of the problems we face: it can bring our communities together, it provides economic and social opportunities and the ‘buy local’ concept is also very much aligned to the Sunshine Coast Regional Council’s Corporate Plan. It's okay for governments to have documents with many words around valuing small businesses and rural activities; but it is now time for these to be translated into actions.
My family has had a long history in rural activity, so I can appreciate what you're trying to do here. At all levels of government we need to encourage people to eat local. We all know what happened when Golden Circle was no longer owned by Australian farmers; and the industry opened up to overseas trade and competition. At the time my husband spoke out about the changes this bring and the impact it would have on the industry, but his amongst others warning this fell on deaf ears.
Communities need to be brave and stand up in support of our local farmers and industries and get behind "Buy Local" projects.
Resilience is more than just sustainability. Recently a key note speaker at a workshop described resilience to the ‘big trees in the forest’ and their role in sustainability, the important part is nurturing all the trees in the forest. It doesn't matter how small the shrub is, it has a place in the larger scheme of things, but it also needs nurturing to bring diversity and growth to the forest environment.
This is aligned to our local independent businesses, if we have thriving small diverse businesses we will grow to have a more sustainable community into the future. On behalf of the Sunshine Coast Regional Council I'm very supportive of the concept of the Baroon Dollar community currency and if its going to happen anywhere I am convinced it will happen in Maleny. Maleny has been the forerunner of many initiatives including community banking and the co-operative societies. This could even become a popular drawcard for tourists. "

Two great ideas came together last Saturday evening in Maleny. The importance of building up the resilience of local economies and one tool for achieving that goal. Speakers addressed a number of issues on the importance of local buying - with the launch of the campaign: Think Local First! The Baroon Dollar project team and Sustainable Maleny brought together businesses and supporters to have a night of fun and hear about why supporting local independent businesses matters.

Julie Shelton, Churchill Fellow winner spoke on her passion for locally grown food and the importance of face-to-face relationships in keeping our communities healthy. Julie is a keen organiser for the Slow Food movement - launching the Sunshine Coast - Slow Foods Convivium next month.

Barry Earsman of Sustainable Maleny spoke on the connection between a successful global economy, growing global problems and unhappiness. He spoke of the world-wide movements to re-localise communities - one the Transition Town movement has some 1200 groups across the world including the Sunshine Coast and Maleny. "There is a need for communities and businesses to start thinking local in the face of future growing energy and transportation costs for the future. This movement is about building up our real economy by building on real face-to-face relationships in communities. I think the Baroon Dollar is a real, practical way to start this process."

Darren Mitchell, Baroon Dollar Project Co-ordinator spoke on the importance of communities and businesses working together to build up the local economy. "One idea on the table is the creation of a new kind of business alliance across the Sunshine Coast hinterland - with the message `Think Local First! There has been keen interest from independent businesses across the region." Impetus for the new alliance has come from visiting economist Michael Shuman, author of the book`Small-Mart Revoultion' and Director of Research and Public Policy with the US Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE).

"The Baroon Dollar can become a great symbol to drive tourism to the area and a practical way to help build up our local economy - it's not business as usual, just better business. Combining the community currency with a Think Local First! campaign run by the businesses themselves working across towns - that where the idea is truly innovative!"

As volunteers we're all working together with business to create a better community. He commented `Last weeks ABC story on cartoonist Michael Leunig and national living treasure said it all for me. The story focused on embracing the financial crises and finding the opportunities within it. Leunig went on to say `when the going gets tough people are forced to change and act creatively', what a message!"

The dinner was a great success with many thanks to all or volunteers including our host Mo Darbas from Bountiful Dinners. Special thanks to all the musicians including Maleny's magnificient Noel Gardner, the splendid vocals of Eleanor Angel , whitty lyrics of Dermot Drogan and the Theatrical Comedy of Yvonne Roworth. A special thanks to Dr Kate Crawford, Sue Mihovilovich and Michael Cole-King.

Mr Mitchell is planning several workshops across the hinterland for businesses on the `workings and benefits' of the Baroon Dollar next month. He is also keen to hear from business leaders interested in joining the steering group of the new type of independent business alliance. Email: baroondollar@gmail.com

Jenny Mckay - Sunshine Coast Regional Councillor to talk on the importance of Buying Locally

Ensuring a future for our Independent Businesses
Cr Jenny Mckay, local councillor for the Sunshine Coast Regional Council, will give a short address to the launch of the hinterland's `Think Local First - Sunshine Coast' initiative on Saturday June 27th in Maleny.

The night of food and festivities is aiming to build on the hinterland community's strong `can do' attitude.

"You know we always try to give our kids financial literacy skills but now we want to give out the message we need to do the same for the economy." says Darren Mitchell, a keen advocate of economic localisation and co-ordinator of the Baroon Dollar Project.

Think Local First!

"We have the same responsibility for the economy. Fixing the GFC is about us fixing our local economy first! We can do that by shifting more of our spending to local independent businesses and in time also shifting our investments."

"It's not about people being more protectionist or parochial it's about growing our regional and rural economies in sustainable and resilient ways - so that the communities and independent businesses have a future. Our `Think Local First - Sunshine Coast' initiative aims to build a new type of regional independent business alliance along the lines of BALLE in the United States. Buying locally has always been in our psyche and culture but we need new ways to educate the community about how money and resources leak out of the economy and the damage that does."

"In the past campaigns to Buy Australian did the job but now that's not enough - we need to shift more of our spending locally - putting our own community first. "

"We are also keen to address the policy oversight of current governments in their partisan approach to local procurement and economic development. We need a public discussion of the subsidies handed out for the big end of town. We want to expose some of the myths of economic development and start discussing the real economy. The real mum and dad businesses in our home towns."

Local businessman and owner of Maleny IGA, Rob Outridge (pictured right) recently made these comments on the importance of buying locally.

"I do feel passionately about keeping local dollars in the local community however! If a community can keep it’s dollars circulating, I believe it has a beneficial multiplier effect. For example; say the IGA makes a profit and decides to repaint the interior of the store; Local Painter gets paid and makes a profit.Painter pays his employees out of the profit made.Employees spend money at local outlets.And the money re-circulates within the community. Imagine if the chain gets broken; IGA pays local painter.Local painter pays his employees.Employees shop down the Coast. The chain is broken and that money is lost to the community."

Cr Anna Grosskreutz whilst unable to attend the launch was eager to share her thoughts on our project.

"The notion of Local First is a recognition of changing times. With the need to draw back financially and reassess our lifestyles due to global recessions it is a great time to pause and do a community stock take as well. There are many reasons we could and should shop locally wherever possible. Many of these reasons support sustainability. When we purchase locally we help to grow other local businesses. Local businesses donate back to community through a wide range of organisations and community groups. There are less transport costs on buying and shopping locally. Small business is the backbone of the Australian Economy.
In agricultural regions such as the GlassHouse Country Region we could consider the "Eat Local Challenge". "

Baroon Dollar hits the media!

Over the last couple of weeks the Baroon Dollar has had great media interest across Australia, BBC and US networks. Read some of the coverage on the Baroon Dollar website.

Time to Buy Local

It's never been a better time to Think Local First when you shop, says Dr Kate Crawford spokesperson for the new hinterland initiative, the Baroon Dollar community currency to be launched across the Sunshine Coast hinterland in August this year. Kate has been a strong advocate locally for community-supported agriculture and local food. She is a keen member of Greenhills, Maleny Community Centre and the Maple Street Co-op.

The Baroon Dollar, set to launch in late August 2009, will be Australia's first regional dollar-backed community currency. Operating as a complement to the Aussie Dollar it works like a shopping voucher across a range of shops and businesses.

Darren Mitchell, Baroon Dollar team member commented `Buying locally is very timely given the recent media worldwide. But buying close to home may be more than a feel-good, support your own issue. According to last weeks Time magazine a number of researchers have shown the profound economic impact of keeping money in town—and how the fate of many communities around the nation and the world increasingly depend on it!' "The interest in buying locally and our positive story about money was demonstrated last week when we fielded 25 media interviews across the country in 24 hours!" commented Kate Crawford.

Every dollar spent at local independent businesses means that we're keeping more money in the local economy to build local jobs and a community currency like the Baroon Dollar can do it more effectively than the ordinary local buying campaign.

Typically buy local schemes have quite a short shelf life but we came up with the idea of combine a `Think Local First' campaign with the Hinterland's very own money.

"We need a focus on local independent businesses, local food and local production. We want to celebrate our regions special qualities and not end up just another development strip stamped with the same commercial over development."

The Baroon Dollar's a playful response to the recession. It works to help the local economy keeping shopping local but it can also be a great symbol of community pride - showing how we can work together. Together we're also creating a great tourist symbol of our home- the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

I quite like the slogan `Put you money where your house is!" mused Darren Mitchell. "What do you think?"

Local Artists Designing the Baroon Dollar

A great selection of prominent local artists have offered to supply artwork to be the face of the Baroon Dollar - the hinterland's new comunity currency. Steve Demmasson of Sahitya Graphics based in Maleny is currently working on designing the 1,2,5,10 and 20 Baroon Dollar notes ready for a launch in August.

It's staggering how much interest there has been in the design - with everyone just wanting a small sneak preview, said Darren Mitchell, Baroon Project Team. `We've even had requests from the UK's BBC but `mums the word' until the official launch in August.'

In on the secret are some prominent local names including David Paulson, Archibald Prize Finalist in 2009 and previously winner of the Sunshine Coast Art Prize People’s Choice Award, Di West and Lynn Cran amongst others.

Di West, (pictured in her studio) is an enthusiastic supporter of the Baroon Dollar and is contributing new works to the project: `I love the challenge and am honoured for the opporttunity to do something that I think is groundbreaking!'

`From an artists point of view I think it's something that is very special.'

If you are interested in submitting artwork for the Baroon Dollar please email us at: baroondollar@gmail.com

Community currency keeps the dollars local

Read the latest article on the Baroon Dollar in Australia's Green Magazine:

At a time when domestic and global economies are suffering a downturn, it might feel like the man on the street has little or no control over the situation. But what if we started to think outside of the conventional money box?
A growing number of social entrepreneurs are doing just that by introducing community currencies into their neighbourhoods. Essentially a form of voucher system, they offer a complementary alternative to established legal tender, but one with a deep-rooted sense of community spirit.
By championing regional business and production, they strive to keep money flowing in the local economy, which also reaps environmental benefits by keeping food miles to a minimum.
With such schemes already enjoying success in parts of the UK, Germany and North America, Australia is about to try out its own socio-economic experiment with the launch of the Baroon Dollar ($B) across the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.
"It's a playful response to the recession," said Darren Mitchell, (pictured centre) an educator in the town of Maleny (pop. 3000) and 'Currency Architect' of the initiative. "We're creating a new story about money and how we can take ownership of it."

Pictured from L to R Barry Earsman, Darren Mitchell and Sue Mihovilovich.

Read the Full Article here...
Go to Gmag Home page http://www.gmagazine.com.au/

Sunshine Coast Hinterland Community Fund

The Baroon Dollar Project is seeking Expressions of Interest from community members for the inaugural board of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland Community Fund. More info?