Do you really see money as the bad guy? Money is quite popular, and has enjoyed a high approval rating for some time.

mk mentioned that paper showing that money is really just a form of credit. People ran with it, concluding that banks manufacture money out of thin air, but the real lesson is that all of us have that power. When I forget my wallet and borrow lunch money from a coworker, my IOU is "money" in just the same way.

As is true of any powerful tool, money can lead to harm. (And is true of every good intention, trying to prevent such harms can lead to harm.)

The sharing economy has advantages for shareable goods, and already functions alongside the money-based economy for consumable goods. What if I sleep on your couch today, with the understanding that you can sleep on my couch some other time? To the extent that our agreement is a real obligation, we have just created a kind of money. If we have friends in common who enjoy mutual trust, you could perhaps exchange your couch ticket for a meal or something else.

If I want something, I can approach a complete stranger who is willing to provide it, almost anywhere in the world, and give them some colorful pieces of paper or their digital equivalent in exchange, and everybody walks away happy. What more effective and humane way to build trust and collaboration could be conceived?