Twelve Commonwealths

Description

"These foundational assets are present in any human community. Commonwealths can be identified as some of the basic gifts of nature — the water cycle, the soil and mineral cycle, renewable energy, wildlife and the natural world and the foodshed. There are also the more human-oriented commonwealths of education, health, leisure & recreation, arts & culture, history, a sense of place, and spirituality.

“These commonwealths belong to all the community,” the Ogallala Commons website asserts, “and if nourished and cultivated, they create widespread, enduring wealth, rather than prosperity for a few and impoverishment for many."

So far, twenty-five communities or counties in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico and Kansas have joined with Birkenfeld in pursuing a commons-based vision of community development. These “Commonwealth Communities” pursue a holistic approach to development that combines sustainable agriculture and business development with stable communities and a sense of history and culture.

Ogallala Commons hosts convenings each year that explore each of the twelve commonwealths. Last year, the convening looked at “foodsheds,” or local food production and distribution. Next year, on the 75th anniversary of the cataclysmic “Black Sunday” dust storm (April 14, 1935), the convening will look at the soil and mineral cycle in the region.” (http://www.onthecommons.org/profile.php?id=2428)