Five ways to boost the commons all around you
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| Photo by Project for Public Spaces (www.pps.org). |
- Challenge the prevailing myth that all problems have private, individualized solutions. Collaborating with others is more likely to meet your needs for security and happiness than extra money or further possessions.
- Notice how many of life’s pleasures exist outside the market- place—playing ball, exploring online, watching a sunset, cooking a favorite recipe, carrying on a tradition, playing music, hanging out with friends.
- Conduct an inventory of commons in your community.These are places, resources and social practices open to everyone. Publicize your findings, and offer suggestions for celebrating and improving these community assets at the same time as making sure they’re available to everyone.
- Watch where your money goes. How do the stores, companies and financial institutions you patronize help or hinder the commons? Buy from local, independent businesses or cooperatives that share your values whenever possible. Investigate how stuff you now pay for could be acquired in cooperative ways, ranging from barter to carsharing to community gardens to the public library.
- Think of yourself as a commoner and share your enthusiasm. Raise the subject in conversation, classes, church, on-line and the other networks you are involved in. Support causes and movements to protect what we share together.
Editor: Another chapter in Celebrating the Commons: People Stories and Ideas for the New Year from Commons Magazine being presented each Sunday at EYNU.
