It’s no secret that Vancouver has a crush on Portland. The city has such an established DIY culture. The perception from the visitor is a smooth blend of individuality, creativity, intellect and community connection. At the heart of this energy seems to be a sort of local pride. And we know that local is an important sustainability issue because it transcends the pillars (social, personal, environmental, spiritual). Supportland is an incentive program for local businesses which encourages customers to support local by using a swipe card at participating shops. It seems to be taking the idea of creating local currency to a level that is actually implementable and integrative. A cool branding project too employing lovely illustrations which makes it seem more accessible. Learn about how Supportland . I could see this system implemented in East Vancouver. We’ll have to let know about, if they don’t already.
But as cutting edge and grass roots as the Portland scene is, it’s always a pleasure to take a step back and have a laugh. Enter Portlandia – a dreamy and absurd rendering of Portland, Oregon. My first experience was the episode ‘Is is local’ where the two main characters, Fred Armisen and Carri Brownstein, are out for lunch and are probing the server about the chicken they may order. I could not stop laughing.
Both winners.
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Thanks so much for the write up Sarah! Vancouver rules. My husband (the other half of Supportland) designed the tech so that Supportland-powered networks can be implemented anywhere. It’s just a matter of carrying over the branding (it doesn’t have to look like our branding, but it does have to be rad) and the exclusivity to locally-owned. Oh, and we’re patiently waiting for Portlandia to make fun of us cause that would be A-W-E-S-O-M-E.