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?"