Common Heritage Partners

by Adam

The Alliance for Democracy: seeks to end corporate domination of our government, our economy, and our culture so we can pursue effective democratic solutions that respect the rights of people, our communities and nature. They seek to create a just society with a sustainable, equitable economy.

Bay Area Community Exchange: a collaborative network redefining money, wealth and well-being by supporting strong family and community ties, and a deep sense of meaning — through education about economic alternatives and community-based exchange projects: time-bank, complementary currency, etc.and

Commons Learning Alliance & School of Commoning: CLA and SoC are working to provide practical and conceptual knowledge, tools and methods that commoners can use for building and protecting their commons. From their site: “ The earth cries out for a new story: a story invites us to consider there is more that unites us than divides us. Not only do we have a common genetic inheritance, we have a common cultural inheritance founded on a deep set of shared aspirations: for security, and wellbeing.

Creative Commons: supports universal access to the vast and growing digital commons. Their legal and technical infrastructure helps create a balance between the reality of the Internet and copyright laws to maximize digital creativity, sharing, and innovation.

Data Commons Cooperative: People everywhere have been organizing a more ethical economy, but they work in relative isolation, fragmented by geography, sector, and even organizational form. Sharing can offer great support, yet it requires effort, trust, and infrastructure. The Data Commons is a cooperative of organizations that are sharing – sharing the costs of this effort, trusting each other with their information, and building infrastructure to make sharing is easy.

Find Coop: A directory of organizations looking to build a cooperative economy. This is part of The Data Commons Project, a collaborative effort among a diverse array of organizations in the U.S. and Canada who share a mission of building and supporting the development of a cooperative economy. Our goal is to develop an accurate, comprehensive, public database of cooperative economic initiatives in North America.

The Foundation for Peer to Peer Alternatives: explores the innovative impact of open technology, and open/co-creative thought on society. P2P recognizes the limits of natural resources, and the potential of cultural resources made possible by a free and open internet and cultural exchange.

Henry George School of Social Science: offers education about political economy — how to analyze socio-economic issues distinguishing between the gifts of nature (especially Land) and human production (wealth and wealth called Capital:
HGS San Francisco:

The Occupy Movement: inspired by popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, it aims to help awaken and organize the 99% or “We the People” to rewrite the rules of an unfair global economy that is foreclosing on our common future. The following are leading sites seeking to inform the public about this collective phenomenon: Occupy Wall Street: Occupy.com:  Occupy Together: 

On the Commons: A commons “strategy center” — dedicated to exploring ideas and actions that support our common heritage — the endowments of nature (oceans, clean air, etc.) and culture (scientific research, the Internet, the arts, etc.). OC works to help community leaders and individuals reconstitute community, re-localize food, preserve and share water, move towards cooperative economics and harmonize our lives with the health of our planet.

Public Banking Institute, educating the public about the many benefits of publicly-owned banks (affordable credit, increased public services, reduced taxes, etc.) http://publicbankinginstitute.org

Shareable: A cutting edge, online magazine and community with news, tools, and tips for a better life through sharing.  This is an active effort of creative, caring individuals who are inventing possibilities of how, what and why to share. They offer practical ways to move from an alienated, commercialized culture toward connection, collaboration and community.

Tapestry of the Commons: creative projects supporting education about the Commons – including: 10 (2 minute) audio programs defining and supporting the Commons. These concise educational programs are useful resources for educators, radio stations, internet sites, etc.

YES! Magazine: A refreshing resource that reframes our common problems in terms of what “We the People” can do about them. They write empowering stories about real people working for a better world. They are nonprofit and ad-free, with all of their stories published under the Creative Commons license, which encourages you to share these empowering ideas with others you care about and teachers, journalists, grassroots organizations, faith groups, and policy-makers.