Why join the Fredericton Barter Network?

This project has huge potential as a tool for sustainable community development, in a number of ways:

Economic Development

The network encourages its members to buy goods locally, paying with both barter dollars and national currency. As well as supporting local businesses, this keeps money from flowing out of the community. This is especially true of barter dollars, and the value that they represent: by their vary nature, barter dollars cannot leave a community, and thus will always circulate, perpetually building value in Fredericton.

Individual Development

Barter dollars increase the spending power of its members, and also frees up national currency to be spent on items within the formal economy. This can help people to stretch their dollars a little further, and even help some people to afford the luxuries that they usually do without.

The Barter Network is also an excellent starting point for people who are thinking of starting their own business, offering many networking and advertising possibilities. Through its informality, bartering also allows some flexibility in product development. Even for those who may not want to become entrepreneurs, the network gives people the chance to develop and maintain their skills. This can be especially valuable to people who are unemployed.

Sustainable Development

Local trade is generally better for the environment, for a number of reasons:

• Consumers can make more informed decisions when they deal directly with the suppliers of goods and services.
• Buying locally reduces the need for goods to be shipped here, this decreasing the consumption of fossil fuels, and air pollution.

Community Development

By its very nature, the Barter Network

• encourages its members to interact, to communicate, and to network.
• necessitates a certain level of trust amongst its members in order for it to function.
• brings together members of groups who may not usually have much reason to interact.
• gives its members something to belong to.

Self-determination

The Barter Network is a community development project that requires that its members participate actively for it to work. The members of the network cannot be passive or else the system will be stagnant and ineffective. In addition to trading with one another, members must also participate in the decision-making processes that govern their currency.