From the practices of barter exchange, to the pay-it-forward movement in classrooms, to the exchange of gifts and favors, you will find many examples of non-money exchanges every day.

Social sciences have developed theories about how each of these exchanges are organized (eg. barter economy, market economy, gift economy) and how they differ from one another.

However, this is not about creating yet another economy within the SharedEx Village. Instead, it is a combination and transformation of existing practices to enable:

1) the exchange of “services” without the use of “hard currency” or money (barter economy)

2) the giving of “services” without the expectation of immediate rewards (gift economy)

3) the value of “services” to be determined by the members of the exchange (the supplier and consumer in market economy)

In order to support such as exchange, there was a need for an alternative “currency” that is not limited to conventional money exchange. This led to the creation of SEeDs (Shared Experience Dividends).

How Does It Work?

Within the SharedEx Village, members can choose to provide Services (eg. experience, knowledge, helpful activities) to other members for a mutually agreed number of SEeDs (eg. 1 hour of life coaching = 1 SEeD).

The total number of SEeDs within the Village will be the sum of the number of SEeDs given and those received. The more SEeDs are given and received, the more they multiply. Exchanges are recorded by members in the SEeDs Well.

Our vision is to make SEeDs the new “capital” for a sustainable humanity. Perhaps this will lead to the alchemy of existing economies to create abundance where sustainability is the universal solvent.

I would like to leave you with something from Seth Godin on “The Tribes We Lead” (posted on TED Talks in May 2009). He refers to a revived human social unit, the tribe, which can make the changes we need in our world.

How? According to the fellow entrepreneur and change agent, “tell a story, connect a tribe, lead a movement and make change happen.”

This is what we hope to do with SharedEx Village and SEeDs and we encourage you to do the same.

Denise Pang (founding member, http://www.sharedex.org)