The Totnes Pound is far from spent

In response to the massive interest generated by the distribution of 300 Totnes pounds Transition Town Totnes (TTT) are issuing 5000 Totnes Pounds, supported by Schumacher College and Totnes and District Chamber of Commerce.

The new issue of the Totnes Pound will be launched at the Schumacher College Open Evening on 20 June. Wolfgang Sachs, acclaimed German researcher and writer on the environment and development will be presenting at the Open Evening as part of a series of lecturers by teachers on the Schumacher College course ‘The New Economics: From growth to well-being’.

The first ‘edition’ of the Totnes Pounds, endorsed by Anthony Steen MP, was put into local circulation to launch the Transition Town Totnes Economics and Livelihoods group on Wednesday 7th March. The Pound was originally inspired through an alternative economics course at Schumacher College.

Eighteen outlets signed up to the Transition Town Totnes Pound pilot. The target for the second phase is 50 outlets. The project team monitored the use of the Pound up until 1st of June, the official end of the pilot, and have decided to begin a new phase of the project, including the issuing of a new note, due to the success of the original circulation.

The organisers aim to engage many more people with the second issue of the Pound and challenge the notion of the role of money and currency in local economic systems. This is part of a wider strategy of TTT and the courses at Schumacher College of encouraging a re-examination of social systems and the practice of new ways of engaging the community in the local economy, reducing our dependence on large-scale national and international production and trade and massive carbon dioxide production.

Schumacher College Director, Karen Blincoe, said:
‘We are delighted to be supporting the Totnes Pound with TTT. We want more ideas coming out of Schumacher College, like this one, to be used and practised all over the world. It is vital that we all value our local economy – it will become essential as climate change challenges travel and transportation on a large scale.’

Transition Town Totnes, Totnes Pound Team Member, Nigel Topping said:
‘The Totnes Pound engages people in the community. The exchange of the Pound often generates a discussion or exchange of ideas about a huge range of issues of concern in the locality – including what we all need to do about climate change. So, the pound will help transition to a more localised economy and help community development grow out of economics.’

Schumacher College is part of the Dartington Hall Trust, a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and as a charity (company no. 1485560, charity no. 279756). Registered office: The Elmhirst Centre, Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon TQ9 6EL, UK.