SPEAKER_01 0:00

BBHD, the Frequency. Happy Friday, Frequency Listeners. Welcome to the show. Today, we're re-releasing an interview I did back in February with the president of Boulder Time Bank. This week, we introduced you to Carmi, a platform that rewards your good deeds with discounts, coupons, and gift cards to local businesses. Type banking is another way to get free stuff for helping out your neighbors. Instead of businesses, you can exchange goods and services with one another. We'll get to that interview in just a second. But first, a word from our sponsor. Calling on science and nature lovers, Steve Boulder's Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, also known as INSTAR, is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. In honor of this milestone, the institute will host a science-each celebration for all ages at its mountain research station, just north of Netherlands off the Peak to Peak Highway. For more than a century, the station has fostered mountain field science and education. On Wednesday, August 19th, get a peek into its inner workings through guided hikes and tours, hands-on activities, dinner with a scientist, and an evening seminar from ecologist Catherine Tooting. Sign up now at tinyurl.com slash MRSopen. Or find more info on the events section of InStar's website. We'll put both links in our show notes.

SPEAKER_00 1:35

All right, cool. Tell me who you are. I'm Heather Goldsboro and I'm the current president of Time Bank Boulder. What is Time Bank Boulder?

SPEAKER_01 1:43

How does it work?

SPEAKER_00 1:44

Time Bank Boulder, it's been around since 2003, and we are a community that helps people help each other. We trade time and everyone's time is valued equally. So if I spend an hour helping you clean out your refrigerator, I get a time credit, and then I can use that to get help with something else.

SPEAKER_01 2:07

Yeah, I think that's one of the neatest things is that time is valued equally, which is so not the case in our society at large. And also the tracking of the time specifically makes it different from bartering, which is one of the alternative economies that people are most familiar with. And also I didn't know until I joined the time bank, bartering is not tax exempt, but time banking is.

SPEAKER_00 2:31

Yeah, a lot of people they barter, but they don't realize that they're supposed to pay taxes on that. Time banking is not taxable because there's no guarantee that you'll get anything in return for what you do. Because that's not, it's not direct. I don't have to get help from the same person that I help. And that also makes it a lot more convenient.

SPEAKER_01 2:51

What's some of the help you've gotten from Time Bank? And I don't know if you also have memorable help that you've given on Time Bank. I have this list.

SPEAKER_00 2:58

I call it how to use 60 hours a year, because that's what I've averaged so far. I've received firewood, canning jars, pulls, tea, potash for my garden. I borrowed chocolate molds to make Christmas candy. I borrowed gardening tools, canning equipment, an apple picker, a folding table, a squeegee, a food dehydrator. I've gotten multiple cat sits out of the time bank and help clipping my cat's nails. Don Parcher, he came to my house and held my cat for me so that I could clip her nails. He's a secret cat whisperer, but now everybody's gonna know. I got a ride to the doctor after a car accident. I've had clothes mended and altered, I've gotten counseling on like difficult issues I couldn't figure out. I got woodworking advice, a photography lesson, and a ride to the airport before 5 a.m.

SPEAKER_01 3:56

Okay, yeah, the before 5 a.m. part is incredibly impressive.

SPEAKER_00 4:02

Oh, and I I've also borrowed a camping tent. Helping others. Well, the most memorable way I've helped the time bank is serving on the board and becoming president, but that's a whole story to itself.

SPEAKER_01 4:15

Well, let's hear it if you've got time.

SPEAKER_00 4:17

I'd love to know what that entails and what it looks like. I joined the time bank because I was trying to balance my household budget. And I I didn't have a job yet. I had just moved to Boulder a few months prior. And when I saw the Time Bank website, I was really excited because it just looked like fun. And as soon as I joined, I just made it my mission to get as much out of it as possible. And so I became very active, and that got the attention of the current board. And they six months in said, Hey, would you like to serve on the board? And I said, Okay, sure. And then a few months later, I was in a car accident and I had a pretty bad concussion. And then uh just a couple months after that, our president and vice president both stepped away to do other things, and there was this big vacuum, and I was asked to fill the space, and I said yes because by that point, a year in, I was really starting to get the idea that this was something important. I also really just wanted to run the board meetings on time. It's really why I said yes, but I would not have been able to do that and serve that role if it hadn't been for everyone else, because I could barely look at my computer screen. And all our meetings are held on Zoom. I was having memory trouble and trouble with my speech, and so our new vice president, Malcolm, he got on the phone with me every month and talked me through making the meeting agenda and did all the typing for me. I didn't come to the time bank to make friends, but that's what it's like the biggest thing has ended up giving me.

SPEAKER_01 6:07

That's beautiful. I love the human connection there and the kindness inherent in all of these, even though some of these exchanges are transactional, not the ones with Malcolm, obviously, but it's still incredibly kind because you have so many options of how to get time and an hour to get up before 5 a.m. and drive someone to the airport and to hold someone's cat. It's still really beautiful. Things can be both. You can benefit from them and make a real human connection, which is really cool.

SPEAKER_00 6:36

That's one of the things that I prefer about the time banking economy over the monetary economy. We have a saying in Time Bank Boulder that you should only do what you love. You can't earn interest on time credits. You can collect them, but they don't have as much value when you hold them as money does. Because there's no guarantee that at any time you can go buy that thing that you want if you just have enough money. With a time credit, it's more like is there someone who wants to do this for you? And you only have so much time in a day, so you can only spend use so many time credits at once. Whereas money, you can theoretically spend as much as you want in five seconds. So there's less of the greed factor and there's less of the fear factor because you're not accumulating this because you need it. You're doing things because you genuinely want to help someone, or you really enjoy that task. And then when you ask for help, it feels really good knowing that the person who said yes is probably not doing it because they need money or they need time credit. It's because they actually want to do it. And that's how you build community, that's how you make friends, and that's how you inspire yourself and other people to follow their passions and their purpose and what they're supposed to be doing, and not just do things because they think they need the money.

SPEAKER_01 8:11

Absolutely. And that's the kind of world that I certainly want to live in. And I imagine a lot of people using Time Bank do as well.

SPEAKER_00 8:19

The Time Bank uh it attracts a very interesting mix of people. The best ones and the ones that stick around the longest tend to be the ones who just really enjoy helping others.

SPEAKER_01 8:30

Can we talk a little bit about what the Time Bank Boulder community looks like? So there are time banks all over the world. It's this is not just a boulder phenomenon. Do we know how many active members there are? How much exchanging is happening?

SPEAKER_00 8:43

This year, the Time Bank has really seen a resurgence in activity. Like most things, it experienced a deep lull during COVID. And we've been working to bring it back from that. We have over 100 active members, and already this year, they've completed 128 exchanges for a total of 301 hours. That is a huge increase from last year. Last year was only 60 exchanges and 95 hours by this time.

SPEAKER_01 9:16

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 9:17

So we're growing, and I'm really happy about that.

SPEAKER_01 9:20

Yeah, and I'll say for the record, it's February 10th. So we're not very far into the like barely more than a month into the new year.

SPEAKER_00 9:28

Thank you for that. That's a good point. Yeah, I'm so excited to see what the annual total is going to be. Our coordinator, Howard, he shared at our annual meeting that we are one of the most successful time banks in existence. So I hope that other time banks will follow our growth lead and that this will really become something bigger soon.

SPEAKER_01 9:51

Is there, I know you said the best kind and interesting people on Time Bank, but are there certain demographics that are more represented on Time Bank than others? And I guess to that same question, are there certain demographics that maybe you're trying to get to to join Time Bank? I guess I'm thinking mostly in terms of age of the people.

SPEAKER_00 10:10

Yeah, age is something we've been focused on recently. Because this Time Bank is so old, um, a lot of our members have aged up. And it's important for Time Bank to have a mix of age groups for practical reasons. Those older people often need help with physical tasks, and the younger people often need skills that are acquired over time. So we have been working on recruiting more younger members. We do have an age limit of 18. You do have to be 18 to join. And we have we've greatly improved that. Our average age has dropped by like a decade in the past year.

SPEAKER_01 10:52

Wow, that's significant, especially when you consider Boulder County's average age, not in the last year, but it's trending up. So you're really bucking the trend there. We're fighting an uphill battle, but it's working. I guess the other demographic, the way to think about demographics is are there certain skills that are highly represented? Are there other skills that you're trying to maybe bring on? And I know skills might not be the right word, but you know what I mean. Are there any that you're like, hey, we're really missing this sector or something?

SPEAKER_00 11:20

There are a few things that are always hoped for and in demand. One of them is massage. Who doesn't like a good massage? And if you can give somebody a ride and then get a massage, then hey, that that feels like a really great thing to most people. I would love to do that. I personally am hoping for some people with mechanic skills. I would like someone to help me learn to change my brakes and give me a place where I can do that so that I can use their tools and not have to store them myself because I don't have a place to put those. A lot of the exchanges, though, that occur are common everyday things, like give me a ride to the store. Can you pick up this loaf of bread from this specific place for me because I can't get there in time. Some people cook for other members. I know one member who had someone prep like a week's worth of salad for them because they just don't like chopping vegetables. It's really the little, the small quality of life things that happen most often. There's also a group that gets together through the time bank for Spanish language practice, another group that plays Scrabble once a week. But we are working to try to bring in more of those, what the monetary system would call high-value skills, just because it's good to have a mix. And those people need help with things too. And it's nice to have someone do it because they want to, not because you're paying them.

SPEAKER_01 12:49

As a person with a low-value skill in the monetary system, I'm just based that purely on what I've earned as a writer and editor. At least if you don't want AI to do those things for you. A lot of people, like I have no mechanical skills. I couldn't build anything to save my life. A lot of engineers I've met like really need help with the writing and editing. And if you don't want a machine to do it for you, it's like, well, I could do that. So I'd love to get some of those folks on. I actually joined not only because I think it's cool and creates a world that I want to see, but my hair clippers are like very loud and I'm afraid to put them on my scalp. And so I joined to have those repaired. And that's my only outstanding ask still that hasn't been met.

SPEAKER_00 13:31

So I did ask for toaster repair and I didn't get that one. So good luck to you. Yes. If anyone out there listening to this is good at small appliance repair, I know you're out there because there's an event at the library occasionally where people like that show up. Please join the time bank. One of the angles we're pursuing is trying to bring in people from organizations that already provide great services because we can give those people credit for their time. They're already volunteering, and we can give them time credit for that volunteering. And then they can also, if they want, offer their services on the time bank and help people one-on-one.

SPEAKER_01 14:16

Thank you for mentioning that. I totally forgot about the partnering with existing organizations aspect of the time bank, which is very cool.

SPEAKER_00 14:25

I don't think that all time banks offer hourly credit for community service, but we do. We want to be a help to the community at large, not just to each other. And that's one way that we can do that.

SPEAKER_01 14:39

And Boulder County has such a rich ecosystem of nonprofits and community service here. Feels smart to tap into that. I think we've already touched on this quite a lot. I've heard half a dozen, eight reasons to join the time bank, but I'd love to know what's your what's your pitch to people? What has it brought to your life as an individual? And what has it brought to the community, maybe on those two scales? How do you say, like, this is why time banking is good?

SPEAKER_00 15:07

Yeah, my short slogan is time banking is good for you. Helping people makes you feel good. It's just the way it is. And you can do that in isolation, or you can join the time bank and get something in return for it. One of the things that we've been discussing recently on the board is that some people feel guilty or have an aversion to receiving something in return. And I would like to encourage people that there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. And it's actually good for everyone because when people see that helping helps them directly in a physical, material way, they're more likely to join in. And that's what we need. We need everyone to participate together and help each other. And for some people, that means they need to see that they can get something out of it. And that's okay. So even if you don't feel like you need something for what you're doing, the act of receiving that is an encouragement to other people. And it's okay to get something back for what you do because we all need things. And if I don't let you help me, then you don't get to help anyone.

SPEAKER_01 16:24

That was a little long-winded, but I hope it makes sense. No, I love long-winded more information. And also that's why I like the economic framing of the time bank. In some ways, it's such a rejection of capitalism for sure and money-driven culture. But in some ways, using the framework of like time for time, it make it could make helping and accepting help feel easier. Because if you go give your money to the gas station, you expect to get gas in return, right? You know what I mean? But for some reason, people feel like they need to give their time freely and not get anything back. So when you put that economy thinking on it, it's like, yeah, your time is valuable. It can be like a slow transition into like, hey, it's okay to get help too. It's an exchange. It just makes it easier to pay it forward.

SPEAKER_00 17:14

It's more efficient. That's all.

SPEAKER_01 17:17

I was thinking when you said it's more efficient, I was like, it's more efficient, but without losing soul. It's somehow more soulful too. So I think a lot of time efficiency comes at the cost of human connection. Things that I use too, the automatic ATM and things that remove the humans from your life. It's all in the name of efficiency, but you lose those interactions.

SPEAKER_00 17:36

And the time bank is efficient and interactive, which is so great. I think time banking is especially important in metropolitan areas because when you live in a small town, you know everyone already, and you can just ask for help and you build, they call it social credit. You can build social credit informally in a small town. But when you're in a larger metropolitan area, even a small one like Boulder, it's hard to accumulate true social credit that you can move around to different social circles because people just don't know about what you're doing and they don't know that they can trust you. I mean, time bank members let each other into their homes. I know one time bank member recently lent their car out to another member's relative. You have to trust people to do things like that. You have to meet them, you have to know them. And when you join the time bank and you complete a few exchanges, every exchange is like a witness that says, yeah, this person is not going to steal from you. They're trustworthy, they're normal. It's okay to interact with them and you don't need to be afraid. So again, it it's another fear factor that it really helps eliminate. There's also no pressure to say yes to anyone. So you can post a request and someone might offer to fill it, and you can say, I don't think you're quite what I'm looking for. And that's okay. So I think it's really important for larger towns and cities because we don't know the people who can help us to even ask. But on the time bank, you can find them.

SPEAKER_01 19:14

I loved that everyone had to do a uh, I would say somewhat extensive application and background check, not like a criminal background check unless you're providing elder or childcare, I believe. But you ask for two references and they were contacted. I checked with them, and that made me feel so good as a, you know, a member of a somewhat more vulnerable population, as a woman. Like the internet can be a scary place, and meeting strangers online can be really scary. So to know that everyone there was verified and referenced was like, okay, I'm probably safe here.

SPEAKER_00 19:51

We recently made the references a very strong requirement. It wasn't before, but we think that that's important because we want people to feel safe enough to interact with each other, because that's kind of the point. We always encourage people to take uh Craigslist level precaution. Like ask them where you're gonna meet them. If you don't feel comfortable, meet them in a public place the first time or talk to them over Zoom. That's okay. You don't have to say yes to going to someone's house or giving someone a ride if you've never met them. Is there anything else I should be asking you?

SPEAKER_01 20:26

Anything that you think is like super critical to this conversation that we haven't touched on yet when we're talking about time banking, the experience of it.

SPEAKER_00 20:33

I've touched on the idea that some people don't feel comfortable receiving. Some people also tell me when I tell them about the time bank, I don't think I have anything to give. And I have never found that to actually be true. It makes me kind of sad that someone would say that about themselves. And if you join the time bank, we will absolutely help prove to you that that is not true. People offer the most basic things, and they're a huge help to others. Sometimes people just call on the phone and check on someone, and that's all they do, and that has value. A ride to the store has value, it's needed, it's necessary. We even have a category of exchange called companionship. Some people are just really lonely and they want someone to talk to, or it's someone to play Scrabble with. And you can also lend things if you have a piece of equipment, even just like a simple kitchen tool, like a blender. Sometimes people need those too, or a hairdryer, or an old computer that you would probably throw away otherwise. There's always, always something that you can do to help someone else. And I I hope that no one sits alone in their house and thinks I have no value because there's just no way that's true.

SPEAKER_01 21:59

The only other thing I can think of is that I feel like you can be, and this might be helpful in recruiting like working folks, is that you can be involved as much or as little as you want.

SPEAKER_00 22:10

You did 60 hours, you said? I manage to average using about 60 hours a year, which is about half of what I earn. Wow. Being the president is a pretty busy job.

SPEAKER_01 22:23

Yeah, I imagine. And obviously, the year is new, and I just joined a few months ago, but I might have three hours total. So two listeners, you can be as involved as much or as little as you want. And I really enjoyed that too, because it can wax and wane with I have certain busier times of year than others.

SPEAKER_00 22:40

And I'll get more involved when I can. One of the other things that I love about the Time Bank is I don't need to jump through a bunch of legal hoops to provide a service for some type of credit. I don't have to prove that I went to school for something. What matters is that I can do it. I don't need to buy liability insurance to start a business. I can just provide the service and get something back for it. One example for me specifically would be foraging. I love to forage and I love to teach people how to eat wild food. And I was able to offer that as a time bank event last year. And like 12 people showed up, and we spent an hour and a half walking around Boulder looking at plants. If I wanted to start that as a business, to do that on a regular basis, there would be so much work in the beginning before I would even get to do the fun part. And a lot of monetary investment too, insurance, business licenses, things like that. But if I offer it through the time bank, I could just do it.

SPEAKER_01 23:53

Thank you so much for your time and for joining me and for the work you do with the time bank. It's so, it's so cool. It's already enriched my life so much. Thank you so much for the snow driving lessons. I was so proud of myself. You have no idea. I would never have done that. My sister had offered to teach me, and I was like, if you had showed up at my door in that snow, I would have turned you around and made you go home. But because you were a stranger, I was like, well, I I can't. I can't waste her time and I have to be polite. And focusing on making conversation with you kept me calm. And yeah, I was, um, that's like very, it was very cool.

SPEAKER_00 24:27

So thank you so much. You've just taught me another advantage of time thinking. Sometimes you just need a stranger.