Nine Core Principles of the Commons

How to ensure the survival of our commons and communities

To create a commons-based society people need more than exposure to new ideas; they need tangible ways of experiencing, practicing and living out these bright possibilities. We must create new customs, understandings, systems, and structures.

1. We all belong to our community and we each have an equal stake in what happens.
2. We must recognize and repair the damage that has been done and the inequities that have been created by our current market-based society.
3. The things that belong to all of us must be named, claimed, defended, protected, and improved. We have a mutual responsibility to take care of these commons and pass them on to the next generation in better shape than we found them.
4. We must honor our full humanity. We are not merely individuals and consumers—we are neighbors, community members, citizens, and experts on the places we live.
5. We are surrounded by abundance and opportunity that the market system does not recognize or value. We must see and claim this abundance for the benefit of all.
6. Everyone should have the chance to participate in defining, restoring, creating, managing, leading, governing, and owning anything that is important to the future of the community.
7. People affected by critical decisions must be included in the process of making them.
8. History, cultural distinctiveness and people’s personal stories are important factors in setting goals and making decisions, as well as simply understanding our community.
9. Sufficiency and resilience are keys to the future, representing the 180-degree opposite of the growth-driven market society we now experience.

—THE ON THE COMMONS TEAM

Editor: Another chapter in Celebrating the Commons: People Stories and Ideas for the New Year from Commons Magazine being presented each Sunday at EYNU.