Kim Klein and the Commons: Reflecting on Haiti

Just as religious reflection can lead people to a more commons-centered orientation, we saw people respond to the disaster in Haiti with the same outpouring of sharing and cooperation. The Commons was there in Haitians risking their health and safety to form impromptu rescue teams before relief started pouring in from across the globe. But even as the response to the suffering in Haiti inspires faith in the ideal of the commons, there’s been an interesting tension between the market and the commons at play here at home.

Suggested Readings on the Commons

We’ve had many requests for a list of articles that we’ve found to be the most helpful when trying to get a grasp on what the commons (and commons-based thinking) is, as well as how it applies to nonprofits, social justice and social change. Below is a list of our favorite resources so far. We’ll be adding to this over time, but here’s a few to get you started.

Kim Klein and the Commons: Who owns my seeds?

Do you know who owns most of the seeds in the US? Hint: It's not the farmers... As of this year, here in the United States, Monsanto – through acquisitions and cut-throat business practices – has cornered 90% of the soy, 65% of the corn, and 70% of the cotton markets, and has a rapidly growing presence in the fruit and vegetable markets...

Kim Klein and the Commons: Financial Literacy is a key to reform

According to a study commissioned by the National Council on Economic Education, only 7 of the 50 United States require high school students to received financial education in the schools. I bring this up because I am constantly puzzling about how to make taxes seem interesting to people and I think part of the problem is that most people understand very little about their own finances, and asking them to understand the various kinds of taxes attached to almost every financial transaction is just beyond the realm of possibility. Without robust, vibrant, knowledgeable debate about taxes and tax policy, we will stay a nation that claims to believe in equality, but in practice implements systems that on a daily basis make a minority of people richer and richer and the majority poorer and poorer. Financial literacy may be the needed first step for any real meaningful reform...

Kim Klein and the Commons: Paying for Pollution

Today’s morning paper had this headline, “Fish Fail Mercury Test” with the subhead, “Toxin found in 100 percent of samples from streams across the U.S.; industrial pollution blamed.” This kind of study reinforces the fact that water must be seen as part of the commons, and our water commons has been enclosed by pollution. In order to clean up water (and air, and over a long period of time, fish), corporations must be required to pay for the total cost of all they produce, from acquisition to disposal.

Kim Klein on Fundraising, NAMAC Podcast

Project Team Member, Kim Klein, is featured on a recent podcast provided by the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture. The podcast, titled All Weather Fundraising: How Good Causes Raise Money in Bad Times, is a discussion on the state of fundraising in the current economic climate.

Commons Blog from Kim Klein!

The commons is a short, simple phrase that describes all the resources a community has rights or access to. Recent posts include how community gardening in Detroit has enabled neighborhoods to champion multiple challenges by transforming urban blight into a shared resource, and who owns the majority of the seeds in the US.

Kim Klein Featured on National Radio Project

In Tax Me, I'm Yours, Project Team member Kim Klein lends her expertise to the nation's current tax structure and how it can be re-formatted to better serve the commons.

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