Community Currency

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The Fundred Dollar Bill Project was started by artist Mel Chin when he visited New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina. Mel realized that the hurricane was only the latest disaster to hit the city, and he started talking with people about the grossly elevated levels of lead in the soil – levels that are doing serious damage to children every day. 

De-leading the soil in 86,000 properties in New Orleans is an enormous undertaking, but Mel decided that rather than seeing the problem as too big to solve, he would talk with people who knew the problem intimately: members of the community and scientists. By starting out at the micro level and understanding the effects of lead in the blood and bones and then researching methods for de-leading the soil, he got a full grasp of the issues that needed to be dealt with and worked with others to develop a plan that could de-lead the soil in New Orleans for $300 million. 

That sounds like a lot, but as Mel points out, its in the same range as many current government-funded engineering projects – building a bridge or a new housing development. Still – raising $300 million isn't easy, so instead of trying to go the direct route, Mel created the Fundred Dollar Bill Project to allow children – those most susceptible to lead poisoning – to make the money themselves. The project is working with teachers around the country whose students are designing their own 100 dollar bills. Once $300 million worth of Fundred Dollar Bills have been created, an armored truck (re-built to run on vegetable oil which will be collected from school cafeterias) will begin a journey around the country to collect the bills and then deliver them to Washington DC where the project will ask congress to exchange the bills for the $300 million necessary to de-lead the soil of New Orleans. 

What makes this project so powerful is the links between environmental science, art, children, and politicians. On one end, the project has developed a realistic plan for de-leading the soil of an entire city. On the other, they are working with members of congress to prepare them for the day they'll be asked to exchange art for funding. In the middle, they're engaging children around the country and giving them a voice and a connection with children in New Orleans. What on the surface is a compelling piece of artwork is, because of rigorous community and organizing work, a massive engineering project that could change the lives of every person living in New Orleans.

Of course, congress may not come through with the funding. If it doesn't, the project will still have engaged people across the country, and they are moving forward with contingency plans to de-lead the soil. But if congress does come through, someday in the near future, for one moment, the exchange rate between children's art and money will be one to one. That's the world I want to live in. 

Join the Fundred Dollar Bill Project today to make it happen.