DailyDirt: Green(er) Money, Plastic Money, High-Tech Money…

Economics

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

There’s a lot of money in the world, but the vast majority of it is not cash. Digital bits accounting for vast sums are the intangible fabric of our economy now. Still, people like to use cash — and here are some interesting articles on physical currency.

• Printing US currency is getting greener — using renewable energy and recycled textile fibers. Money doesn’t grow on trees, but it does grow on cotton plants. [url]
• A billion dollars in unused $1 coins is sitting around in a vault, honoring past presidents..? Come on. At least let people throw them into a well and make a wish, folks. [url]
• The use of cash is in decline, as more and more people pay with plastic. The US Treasury didn’t print any $10 bills last year?! [url]
• Canada has taken the “pay with plastic” phrase literally as it introduces plastic bills. Actually, other countries have had plastic bills for a while… [url]
• Dutch coins are being minted with QR codes on them. And the QR code reveals an online game? [url]
• To discover more stuff on economics, check out what’s currently floating around the StumbleUpon universe. [url]  

As always, StumbleUpon can also recommend some good BestNetTech articles, too.

Filed Under: cash, coins, dollars, money

GAO Suggests It's Time To Ditch Dollar Bills For Coins

Too Much Free Time

from the that'll-upset-some-folks dept

While not the first time it’s done so, the GAO has once again urged the federal government to get rid of dollar bills and replace them with dollar coins. It says that this single move could save the government $5.5 billion over 30 years. That’s chump change to the government, but it’s still $5.5 billion. The report notes that Canada and the UK have done similar moves, and it has worked despite initial public resistance. Still, I’d imagine that US public resistance can be stronger than elsewhere on issues that are fundamentally meaningless, but to which people apply a sentimental value. And let’s not even get started on the question of whether or not it’s finally time to ditch the penny…

Filed Under: bills, coins, currency, dollars, gao, money