The places David Brancaccio visited include Maine, Baltimore, Cleveland, Austin, North Dakota, Santa Fe, Lummi. The names and roles of the people he interviewed include Robert Ellis of Hour Exchange Portland, Richard Rockafeller of Time Banks, Jeff Dixon of Baltimore Green Currency Association, Susan Weis-Bohlen owner of Breathe Books, Medrick Addison owner of Evergreen Cooperative Laundry, Jeanette Monsalve owner of Yo Mama's Catering, and Adrianne Mccurrach of Santa Fe Time Bank.
The main street economic approaches discussed are time banks, B-Notes, cooperatives, sharing economy, and community garden. Time banks are where people exchange one hour of service for another hour of a different service. One hour is equal to one hour no matter what the service is. B-Notes is a local currency used in Baltimore to keep money circulating in the local economy instead of outside. Cooperatives are companies operated by its owners who share all the profits. Sharing economy is where people share things like cars for free like sharing a car. Community garden is a shared garden where people use time exchange to create jobs.
It's inspiring to see all these locals create opportunities to help the local community find jobs and keep local businesses afloat. Through B-Notes, I learned that spending on local businesses doesn't always keep money circulating through the local economy. I'm intrigued by the concept of time banks and I realized that it is a term that can be used to describe what occurs in provinces in the Philippines. Although there is no entity keeping track of these activities, people just help their neighbors plant crops in exchange for help in repairing their homes. These examples has inspired me to think creatively and find ways to help local economies, not just local businesses, thrive.
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