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Trent Rhode Wins Scholarship to Gaia U
 When the Country of POiU Initiative, a value exchange project with its own complementary currency, offered to fund a half-scholarship for a Gaia University associate to consult on both technical and ecological issues, Trent Rhode, a master’s candidate, felt he would be an excellent fit. "I have been using computers as a primary form of expression – digital imaging, web design, communication and writing – most of my life. I am also an experienced permaculture designer and instructor.”
At an organizational level, Gaia University is itself an excellent fit with POiU, as we strongly encourage the research and development of systems that make it possible for people to grant each other mutual credit to fund projects of ecosocial merit. The term 'mutual credit' means that all participants in the system agree to support the value and usefulness of the currency for themselves and each other; the currency is 'backed' by the mutual trust and integrity of its users.
According to Gaia University’s Co-founder, Andrew Langford, “A primary control mechanism in mainstream culture is credit. Credit is almost essential to bringing new activities to a viable and functional level, and so the control of credit also controls what gets developed and what is starved of funding. Being a worthy cause is not enough. It is in this context that we consider complementary currencies, which are essential to enable the growth of projects through which we engage with the immense tasks of ecological regeneration and social justice”
Trent’s work with POiU began in January of 2010 and was initially focused on developing schemes for authenticating the status of products, such as certification programs for organic or fair trade products. This work then extended into thinking about how goods might be accredited within POiU’s system based on their carbon and ecological footprint. Trent has been looking for ways for POiU to create a score to signify how successful a POiU member is at localizing their purchases of goods and services – assigning a higher value to items with relatively low carbon and ecological footprints, as well as goods and services that are available locally and therefore promote the building of authentic community.
In considering these various design challenges for POiU, Trent has called upon his significant experience with other ecosocial design projects. He has been an active participant in a food web with a localization intention, and is also on the steering committee for Transition Town Peterborough in Ontario, Canada, a non-profit dedicated to transitioning Peterborough to self-sufficiency in essential life needs such as food, water and shelter. As director of the Permaculture Lifestyle Practices Group, his vision with Transition Town Peterborough is to continue to teach practical applications of permaculture design and edible landscaping while also promoting the growth of societal awareness of food and energy issues.
At the moment, Trent’s work with POiU is concentrated on the development of a Facebook campaign to help bring the Country of POiU Initiative further into the public eye after successful trials in Orlando and Tampa FL, USA. The online conversation currently taking place is "Building the iO economy" (POiU’s complementary currency).
Trent has been learning to adapt flexibly to the needs of the client as these needs have shifted during this, the start-up phase of POiU. "Consulting for a visionary company like POiU has been both a great learning opportunity and a challenge," Trent explains. "To be able to thrive in this work within the context my Gaia University master's program is a testament to the power of the action learning process and the excellent support I have been receiving from my advisory network."
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Associate's Work 
