commons – Seeds of Good Anthropocenes

Great Lakes Commons: Commons-based stewardship and becoming a great ancestor

The Great Lakes are great in every sense of the word. Bordering the U.S. and Canada, and spanning over 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) east to west, these large inland seas are the largest surface freshwater system in the world. They contain over 20 percent of the Earth’s supply of fresh water. Over 30 million people live within the Great Lakes Basin, and the lake ecosystems provide water for recreation, consumption, [...]

Anna Kusmer2017-03-29T09:00:34+00:00social movement|Comments Off

Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust – Reshaping Land Ownership in Scotland

How can communities reclaim control over their shared challenges? In March 2002, Gigha islanders managed, with help from grants and loans from the National Lottery and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, to purchase the island from its absentee landlord for £4 million. The island is now owned through a development trust called the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust. The Trust aims to promote: community regeneration, employment and sustainability. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFiudQ0t2ms?rel=0] Many people in [...]

Garry Peterson2016-11-28T09:30:00+00:00business, europe|Comments Off

Eigg Heritage Trust – Reshaping Land Ownership in Scotland

How can people organise to gain control of the place in which they live? The Scottish Ilse of Eigg replaced its historic semi-feudal system of land ownership, in which residents were tenants of an absentee laird (a large landowner) with a new model community based ownership. Eigg is one of the Scottish Inner Hebrides. In 1997, the island was bought from its absentee landlord for £1.5m, raised from residents and thousands of non-residents. Many people in Scotland live on land [...]

Garry Peterson2016-11-07T10:38:23+00:00europe, social movement|Comments Off

Foundation for Ecological Security

Is improving management of ecological commons a key pathway out of poverty? Foundation for Ecological Security is an Indian NGO that works to reduce poverty by helping communities organise to restore their ecosystems and enhance their livelihoods. The Foundation for Ecological security combines ecological restoration, a focus on building commons and community institutions, and sustainable rural livelihoods. They focus on entire landscapes and work with all the inter-related communities within these landscapes, and aim to promote ecological resilience by protecting and restoring biological [...]

Garry Peterson2015-09-23T08:02:00+00:00Social-Ecological Seeds|Comments Off

Seeds are existing initiatives which hold potential to shape the future. They are likely not widespread nor well-known. They can be social initiatives, new technologies, economic tools, or social-ecological projects, or organisations, movements or new ways of acting that have that appear to be making a substantial contribution towards creating a future that is just, prosperous, and sustainable.

We gather seeds from diverse research disciplines, communities of practice, and individuals that have different world-views, values, and problems. This diversity means that not everyone will agree on the importance or value of every seed.