MERIT MONEY: GOLD TO THE CHILDREN!
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GOLD AND SILVER TO THE CHILDREN

"Natural gold and silver is too beautiful to be locked away in bank vaults"

The Earthgardens have been issuing hand struck gold and silver since their beginning in 1991, given to children for good deeds.

Above, Jessica shows a visitor the 1 oz. fine silver Earthgardens coin. Each community issued locally-made silver and gold from dies hand-carved by community artists, a HUGE boost for regional artistic development! (and fascinating to visitors).

Unfortunately all the dies, trial strikes, photos of medallions, and diesinking tools, along with the hand-struck "flowers", "seeds", and medallions, were lost when the Bush administration raided and ransacked the Earthgardens headquarters in 2002, under Bolivia's "school of the Americas" graduate, president Banzer. Should anyone travelling in Eastern Bolivia, between Santa Cruz and Samaipata, come across any of these gold and silver pieces, please let us know, as there is considerable collector interest in them.

Earthgardens coinage followed many ancient traditions. Gold rounds with central image were issued and then stamped by each team leader with their own steel punches, as in the Ancient India piece shown above. (Made from Feingold Degussa sheets). Also sterling sixpences and threepences were overstruck with locally-carved dies. Blobs of 1 0z fine gold and fine silver were struck in the manner of the Lydian pieces shown above. And broad flanned silver and copper were struck in Santa Cruz.

Daniel Dalai, Earthgardens founder, says these beautiful metals should be made available to kids because of its tremendous effect on the imagination. There's no substitute for the sheer beauty of getting a shiny uncirculated gold or silver prize. He initiates the new issues listed below, to be continued in all future reigns!

1. BEST GARDEN AWARD for the creators of the prettiest gardens here in the Amazongarden. (Fig. 1 below) sterling silver, worn around the neck.

2. FLOWER OF THE HEART AWARD for loving the unloved, affection to the meek, to the unconventional, and the unpopular, and hospitality to strangers.

3.SILVER ALTARS. The princess traditionally leaves these in the most beautiful spots in nature for kids to find (the natural altars). These come in a great variety of designs, all bearing natural motives, like hummingbirds, magic mushrooms, rare mammals, etc.

4. TEAM BADGES as this one of the Aztecs from Oaxaca. Used on their stamps, banners and tents.

5. BADGE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL GUARDIANS (guardabosques) worn by the older, tougher watchkids who protect the rainforest from burning and pollution.

6. SEEDS OF MERIT. One gram fine silver and fine gold, freely given as gifts of appreciation in the court. These circulate within the garden, exchanged at the going bullion price, and are often worn on necklaces by the girls.

7. FLOWERS OF NOBILITY for great contributions to society, the beautification of the village. Each princess has her design, as seen on these pages.

8. AWARD FOR GREEN TECHNOLOGY applied to the village level, to purify water, provide clean power, etc.

9. CROSS OF BRAVERY, for bravery in saving nature. Gold and silver.

10. STAMPS used on inter-team letters and packages carried by leadership.

MERIT MONEY. (see below) An Earthgarden invention. These "marcos de merito" are given out spontaneously in place of money and are redeemable for very nice things!(but not for junk food, alcohol, useless drugs or agrotoxins, etc.. This is Charity that forms good habits, Earthgardens style!) email us at dalaidaniel5@gmail.com if you wish to help.


Above, Original artist's sketch of the 1 oz. gold piece in 1999. The dies were never cut due to the loss of all tools and tool steel stock.

Below: Merit money in use today. Prizes for each depends on what items we have from donors. Right now it's food, art supplies, coloring pictures, backpacks, tools.

Jason received $5 in merit money for cleaning all the rubbish out of this pond of Victoria Lilies near his house.

Above, merit money used by the teams (it prevents them giving cash to dads who may use it to buy alcohol). Designs by Daniel Dalai

Below, kids turn in their merit money for pictures to color. Thousands of prizes have been given out for merit money, like books, school supplies, household items, stickers, etc.


EARTHGARDEN RUNES help awaken the imagination of children. Runes represent phonetic sounds, not English letters. They are used in artwork.




Let's donate gold and silver to the EcoTeams! and let these metals do good to the world,(saving the rainforest) instead of sitting in stuffy bank vaults owned by people who mostly don't need them. To donate bullion, contact Daniel Dalai (Prinz Adler) on Facebook BACK TO THE CHILDREN'S PAGES:

BACK TO THE CHILDREN'S PAGES: