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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 24, 2015)
Page 4 News Street Roots • Dec. 24-31,2015 p viae each other with goods and services without the exchange of money. Brohman gives her neighbors organic eggs and also offers babysitting and photography. BY EMILY GREEN STAFF WRITER erry Gruber is taking a free-market approach to eliminating the market entirely. Just as the cassette tape edged out the 8-track in the early 1980s, he said his software-based system for exchanging goods and services, called Copiosis, will eventually send capitalism the way of the VCR. Like any other new technology that replaces the status quo, he said, consumers will choose his system because it’s superior to its predecessor. "We’re not fighting capitalism,” he told an audience of potential Copiosis enthusiasts earlier this year, "but allowing money and capitalism to gently retire.” . Street Roots first met with Gruber in spring when he was gearing up to get the first two “demonstration projects” off the ground. Both projects launcl^d in October; one in North Portland’s Kenton neighborhood, where Gruber lives, and one in Chico, Calif. While Gruber’s long-term goals of eliminating money and capitalism may seem grandiose, participants said they’re finding involvement in this economic, experiment is bringing them closer to their neighbors and providing them with a sense of community they didn’t have before. ■ A small group of North Portland neighbors is testing out a new economic model Each demonstration project consists of a goods and services are free and available to handful of Households exchanging goods, all, and cultures are dictated by whatever such as homemade soup and ice cream, and resources are available in the immediate services, such as business consulting, vicinity. babysitting and massage. It’s not a barter This economic model hasn’t received a lot system, and no money changes hands. • of mainstream attention, but amid concerns It’s a concept Gruber’s been working on about climate change, capitalism has for nearly three years. Before that, he held increasingly come under fire. In 2014, one various jobs, from U.S. Marine to program of the strongest arguments against manager at Intel. He’s also an entrepreneur neoliberalism yet emerged from the who’s launched several companies including confines of these fringe organizations when the now-defunct NedWater LLC, a "charity- a book declaring capitalism led to climate driyen commercial water brand,” in 2009 change debuted on the New York Times and, most recently, Copioisis. best-seller list at No. 5. "This Changes Ironically, the system Gruber is Everything: Capitalism v. The Climate” by convinced has the ability to replace Naomi Klein was translated into more than capitalism is a for-profit company complete 20 languages. with a crowdfunding campaign. But what resource-based economy He enthusiastically teHs potential movements are lacking, Gruber said, is a participants and donors that Copiosis has strategy for making the transition from the capability to transform society. Once it capitalism to another system - and that, he is fully adopted, he prophesies, people will said, is where Copiosis comes in. no longer have to work for a living; debt, In the months leading up to Copiosis’ homelessness and hunger’will disappear; kickoff, Gruber and his counterparts in people will be free to pursue their passions; Chico hosted dozens of free informational everyone’s basic needs will be met; and events aimed at attracting participants and taxes will be eliminated because generating interest and financing. When government will no longer exist. Gruber, a former motivational speaker, One could easily argue Gruber’s begins to talk about the future world seemingly utopian vision is blindly according to Copiosis, participants say they optimistic. But Gruber, 51, believes it’s find it very inspirational. possible. At one such event in the basement of It’s a vision similar to ideas touted by Taborspace, a community center in several outlier organizations worldwide, Southeast Portland, about 35 people ranging most notably the Zeitgeist Movement and in age and background showed up to hear Venus Project - which both promote moving what Gruber had to offer. Aside from one to what’s called a "resource-based heckler, his lecture appeared to be very well economy.” In this system, and this is a gross over-simplification, money no longer exists, See COPIOSIS, page 5
