Project in the spotlight

A transition project that builds towards a better future with a local currency

Money guides our choices and our behaviour. That’s why, together with LoREco, an acronym for Local Regenerative Economy, we are developing a new monetary system embedded in a local currency to strengthen sustainability.

This is an ESF (European Social Fund) transition project that will run until the autumn of 2022, and our ambition is to act on the very foundations of our economy.

Building on our Sustainable Money System, we are exploring the possibilities of using a local currency to encourage sustainable consumption and production.

Who is working on LoREco

Happonomy has joined forces with the following three other organisations, all of which are committed to sustainable transition:

Howest

University West Flanders, a pioneer in
network economy education.

Muntuit

The Flemish knowledge centre
for community currency.

Fairfin

A Belgian non-profit organisation that
has been promoting a fair financial industry for years.

In addition to all of our partners, we can count on the support of a group of academics and field experts from Flanders, Brussels, Wallonia and the Netherlands.

Our goals

Our goal is clear: LoREco aims to provide a concrete lever for the transition to a climate-positive, people-oriented economy and society. To achieve this, we will pragmatically integrate a complementary currency and a guaranteed income.   

As a learning process that we undertake together with governments, organisations, businesses and citizens, we want to identify any barriers to change. Naturally, the ambition is to deliver results in addition to learning.

If we can manage to set up a pilot project with 400 participants in a city or municipality, the project will be a success. We will be able to tell you about that in the autumn of 2022.

Three LoREco building blocks

Building Block 1
We visualise economic changes

You want to know more about the complex processes that will change, as well as assessing the impact on the local economy to the best of your abilities.

That is why we are working on an ‘agent-based modelling software’, which visualises behaviour and economic consequences. Although we realise that it’s a bit nerdy, it is nevertheless essential for working in a strategic way.

Building Block 2
We build the open source technology

Our unique approach meant that we could not turn to existing solutions to organise complementary currencies. Therefore, we set about building the IT platform and including a payment app that would allow local economies and citizens to roll out the currency locally.

Building Block 3
We get to work with cities and municipalities

Explaining the benefits and exploring the concerns and questions of governments are, of course, all part of the pilot project. Getting to work together with citizens, traders and voluntary organisations is also part of the process.

Are you motivated by this?

Are you a policy maker looking for innovative solutions for the socio-economic wellbeing of the inhabitants of your town or city?

Do you dream of setting up a project that stimulates short supply chains, sustainability and the climate, as well as local wellbeing? Contact us, without any obligation, to see how we can strengthen your sustainable mission.