Austrians build community through time banking
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In Styria, Austria, people are joining “Zeitpolster” (Time Cushion), a project that lets them exchange help and support within their communities.
Birgit Wurzwallner of Zeitpolster explained that the project aims to recreate a time when neighbors routinely assisted one another. Volunteers offer services like accompanying people to doctor’s appointments or helping with small tasks such as hanging curtains. The project operates on a time-banking system. Each hour a person spends helping someone else is credited to their personal “Zeitpolster” account.
They can then use those credits to request assistance from others in the network. Wurzwallner noted that these small acts of kindness can help people remain independent in their homes longer. Currently, around 250 people volunteer with Zeitpolster in Styria, and the number is growing. Five community groups have formed, with plans to expand to Feldbach and Liezen soon, indicating increasing interest in this form of mutual support.
