GREENBACKS
The (fluoro) green back of the Greenback.
The Green Backs are a new currency for change: printed money/artworks whose sale is fuelling the building of a solar POWER STATION as template and demand for ‘every building a POWER STATION’ (50%) and feeding into an ecosystem of organisations working for social/economic/climate justice (50%).
This is not the first time we’ve issued our own money. In 2018 we opened a ‘rebel bank’ in a former high street bank and printed paper money that enabled the explosive cancellation of £1.2Million of debt (find out more here.)These banknotes are in the collections of V&A, British Museum, Fitzwilliam Museum, Bank of England Museum and Smithsonian and travelled the world.
The Greenbacks are following that trajectory travelling out across the world and both financing and building the community of POWER. They were printed in public in May 2022 in Walthamstow, NE London by a team of local people trained in the methods used (screen print,foil block, riso, uv ink and AR) and paid at London Living Wage.
MONEY PRINTING TEAM
Bank Job money printing aficionados Alistair Gentry and Alison Kay were joined in May by Tabitha Hegan, Daisy Aldridge, Rebecca Lessem, Katie Rosier, Alex Summers, Gabriel Mofambala, Sisika Aninda, Surna Khan, Tahir Khan, George Sabapathy, Lucy Sheikh and Carine Kraine.
The printing could not have happened without them and the expert support of Calverts Press, Studio Berghini, Daniel Heath, Peter Wynn, IB Gallery founders and curators for our public facing money printing space and The Mill. We continue a long term working relationship on design with Phil Seddon and are happy to begin further design/AR work with Scott Jones.
Below are the organisations featured on the notes. Each design comes in all the denominations - 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000.
ORGANIC LEA
Organic Lea are a workers co-operative growing food on London’s edge in the Lea Valley working for a just and sustainable food system. WATCH FILM
PROJECT ZERO
Project Zero is a youth project engaging young people in positive activities working for social inclusion and dedicated to zero deaths by violent crime. WATCH FILM
BARN CROFT PRIMARY SCHOOL
Barn Croft Primary School is a small and inclusive primary school emerging from the pandemic and facing the challenges of budget cuts.
WALTHAM FOREST MIGRANT ACTION & STORIES AND SUPPER
Waltham Forest Migrant Action campaigns and does community work providing direct support for migrants. Stories and Supper works to change the narrative around migration through the quiet politics of welcome.
PL84U-AL SUFFA
Pl84U-Al Suffa is a cross community, interfaith initiative providing hot food, cloths, haircuts, companionship and care. WATCH FILM
HEET & EAT OR HEAT
Eat or Heat is a food bank and HEET is an Industrial and Provident Society providing energy efficiency advice and measures to cut carbon emissions and alleviate poverty.
COPPERMILL SWIFTS
Coppermill Swifts is a grassroots community football club inclusive of all ages and abilities campaigning for and protecting public land. WATCH FILM
OPTIMISTIC FOUNDATION CIC
Optimistic Foundation CIC has no specific note but is the organisation behind the project - working on building the POWER STATION, employing local people producing the greenbacks and creating the film and constant outreach campaign around the project that increases its impact and power.
THE MAKING OF THE GREENBACKS
1B Coppermill Lane, Walthamstow, E17 8HA, May 2022.
