This Report shows that the current money system is both a crucial part of the overall sustainability ‘problem’ and a vital part of any solution. It m… - Bernard Lietaer

There are three reasons why I believe the current, ongoing monetary initiatives have a better chance of success than ever before: First and foremost, these money innovations are not attacking the official money system. What they do instead is complement the conventional money system, providing new tools that can operate in parallel with it, without replacing it. That is why I call them 'complementary currencies', and not, 'alternative' ones.

When we think about money, we tend to take for granted its basic characteristics, which have remained unchanged for centuries. We are not likely to visit the hidden assumptions embedded in our familiar money system, and we are even less likely to re-examine them in search of solutions.

In this new Millennium, we are being challenged by four megatrends that are converging upon us over the next twenty years, namely: