Hi all, I’m an avid user of some local gift economies and I wanted to make a little zine about them. But first I wanted to see if anyone would recommend any other local projects that I don’t know about. :) I currently participate in the Little Free Library network and the free plant stands around town (currently organized under the ‘Love it or Leaf it Chico’ Facebook group). If you know of any other local gift economies around Chico that you would recommend, I’d love to hear about them! :)
I was motivated to make a zine on these gift economies after reading ‘The Serviceberry’ by Robin Wall Kimmerer. A gift economy is: a system of exchange where valuables are not sold, but rather given without an explicit agreement for immediate or future rewards.
Beautifully explained by Kimmerer as follows: “Gratitude and reciprocity are the currency of a gift economy, and they have the remarkable property of multiplying with every exchange, their energy concentrating as they pass from hand to hand, a truly renewable resource. I accept the gift from the bush and then spread that gift with a dish of berries to my neighbor, who makes a pie to share with his friend, who feels so wealthy in food and friendship that he volunteers at the food pantry. You know how it goes.” (Link to article). I highly recommend her books, she is a fantastic writer. :)