Mon billet précédent mais en anglais (et prochainement en espagnol !)
Finally, to get an international audience, the project of a world complementary green currency indexed upon (= backed by = pegged to) the healthy terrestrial living biomass will be called CROCUS after that small and vigourous spring flower.
Slender but stubborn, the Crocus beckons us from the first days of spring, and accompanies us until the fall. It provides us with saffron (crocus sativus), which is the most precious spice in the world, as its crop needs to be carefully harvested. That’s why it is sometimes called « the gold plant ». What a good image for an alternative currency: one that reflects the dynamics of the earth’s plants ! A living-biomass-backed money is logical, as greenery can be considered as the real value and wealth on the planet, because our life relies on it.
The use of saffron dates back to 5000 BC, along with the Scriptures. In very ancient traditions, it was associated with fertility, aphrodisiac powers, and healing rituals. As a dye, saffron imparts a rich golden-yellow hue to textiles. In the Arab, European, Indian, Iranian and Central Asian cuisines, this delicate spice is widely used. As a medicinal plant, it has a reputation in the East to bring joy and wisdom (http://www.safrandugatinais.fr/vertus.htm), what more?
So it’s all set for this pretty little flower’s name, whose worldwide popularity should be an asset for our proposed parallel currency and its multiple benefits.
That’s why you will soon see blooming on this blog “notes” in English, and perhaps also in Spanish, to make the money known outside France.
Let’s hope that the Crocus will bring freshness and renewal, the subtle flavour and the optimism humanity really needs: long life to this positive new world venture!