Community Currency Systems have been around for many years, dating back as far as some barter type systems developed in Europe during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Their more modern incarnations go back over ten years to Vancouver, Canada, where the LETS - Local Employment and Trading System - was developed, followed soon after by Ithaca Hours. In its most basic usage, a Community Currency System as we discuss it here is simply an alternative form of exchanging one's work for goods or services provided by others, rather than being dependent on often-in-short-supply national currencies and those who control those currencies. The system also functions as a way to keep people working when traditional jobs aren't available.

A CCS is currently being promoted in various regions of Thailand - read about the Thai CCS - by Jeff Powell and Menno Salverda

And here we have an overview of the Ithaca Hours ideas.

For more information on Community Currency Systems, check out the following sites:

LETS Systems, the Home Page - from Manchester England, the leading site explaining the LETS systems in the world.

Transaction Net - Complementary Community Currency Systems - many articles on money, banking systems, alternative economics, etc.

Ithica Hours Home Page - The site and archives of Ithaca Hours.

Local and Interest-Free Currencies, Social Credit and Informal Credit Systems - another well-planned site on alternative economics, with leads to many branches and articles on CCS and alternative economics.