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Encoding ecosystem design into the social economy
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Encoding ecosystem design into the social economy

Ecosystems operate in ways that are very different to our current social economic structures, they flow energy and resources to where they are required, when they are needed.

Context for the UK Commons

We find ourselves at a time of multiple systems collapse, our biosphere is no longer able to support the diversity of organisms that have evolved within, what we understand to be the most stable geological period of the earths history, the Holocene. Entwined, our socially constructed systems are now recognised as the cause of this meta crisis. The dominant socioeconomic culture of capitalism is reaching its ultimate self professed destruction. It is at this point in time, understanding and seeing the impact of this ecological breakdown, that we create our new story, one of our species survival, knowing that it is possible for human activity to support the regeneration of the ecosystem, opposed to speeding up the breakdown. This was the way and is the way that many indigenous communities and cultures operate, working with ecosystem, not owning them. We now choose our journey, away from colonial mindsets, away from ownership, realigning as custodians of this land, for the preservation of multi species.
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How have we got here?

It is those with the greatest power that have the greatest responsibility and yet the rippling effect of the climate’s breakdown is only just beginning to impact the power elite. As our food systems collapse, with soil no longer able to sustain plants to grow, mass famines will take hold of the areas that have no access to grow, our cities, largely dependent upon imports of food, continuing to demand cheaper produce as people are forced to use larger proportions of their income on rent or mortgages, are forcing agriculture to produce more with less, using greater amounts of chemicals to ‘protect’ crops from insects, drought and lack of nutrition from the soil. These chemicals; pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides, washed into the ecosystem, destroy species within the animal, fungi and bacteria kingdoms, with the smallest being overloaded by the toxicity first. The amount permitted to spray upon these crops is often only considered against the potential to harm human life. The metric is flawed because the indirect consequence and the long term implications, together with the impact of the combination of chemicals is rarely understood.

It is the unaffordable cost of mortgages and rents that must be conflated with this destruction of our environment, of our food systems. Along with this, the commodification of money, with complex profit companies now in charge of the price of the majority of our food, profit, ownership, materialism, individualism and hierarchy, all constructs of our dominant culture, are forcing production costs down, oppressing those at the bottom of the hierarchy and exacerbate the crisis further.

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What do we need now?

It is therefore imperative that we build new systems and models that enable us to re embrace the regenerative practices and processes of indigenous people, to live harmoniously with our environment. To move out of this destructive culture, we first have to understand it, to stand back and observe it in operation, to see it in the whole context, how it pervades our everyday lives. It is only then that we might be able to build a response.
UK Commons and People in Commons CIC will be part of a new socioeconomic ecosystem design. This system will support life affirming practices, transferring both power, and the mechanisms to which it is executed, into the commons. The legal structure of a charity (limited by guarantee), providing wide benefits for the public good, is an essential aspect of the design and the CIC will enable further operations to flow with more flexibility for individual services that might not fall directly under the charitable purpose.
The set up of this organisation, and the incorporation of it, is essentially a two step process. First, a limited by guarantee company is formed, with directors, then that company applies for charitable status from the charity commission.
Charitable purposes are clearly laid out by the commission and it is here that we draw the objectives of the charity. The UK Commons objects can then be fulfilled by the apparatus of the charity, including through partnerships with other organisaitons.

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The what:

The purpose of the UK Commons is to provide opportunities for a wide and diverse demographic to live affordably, reducing the impact we have upon our environment. The charity will support individuals and organisations who work to further the objectives of the charity:

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woman in black and white tank top leaning on wall
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Article 25 of the UN convention of Human rights states that:

Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of themself and of their family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond their control.
Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Charitable purpose; The prevention or relief of poverty

To this end the UK Commons will, for the public benefit:

prevent or relieve poverty by providing: grants, items and services to individuals in need and/or charities, or other organisations working to prevent or relieve poverty;
relieve poverty or financial hardship among refugees, asylum seekers, migrant workers and their dependants by providing, in particular but not limited to, interpreting/translating/advocacy/ health/housing advice and education;
prevent or relieve poverty through undertaking and supporting research into factors that contribute to poverty and the most appropriate ways to mitigate these;
prevent or relieve poverty of young people by the provision of grants to enable them to participate in healthy recreational activities that they could not otherwise afford.

Article 26 of the UN convention of Human rights states that:

Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Charitable purpose; The advancement of education:

To this end the UK Commons will advance, for the public benefit:

community education; enabling broader understanding of, in particular but not restricted to:
economics, regenerative practices and conservation of the environment, therapy and counseling, physical education and development of young people;
training (including vocational training) and life-long learning;
research and adding to collective knowledge and understanding of regenerative systems, practices and processes.

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person planting on hanged pots
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Charitable purpose; The advancement of health:

To this end the UK Commons will , for the public benefit:

promote and advance services that have a proven beneficial effect on health.
promote the right to access the highest obtainable standard of physical and mental health.

Article 27 of the UN convention of Human rights states that:

Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which they are the author.

Charitable purpose; The advancement of citizenship or community development

To this end the UK Commons will, for the public benefit:

promote volunteering, supporting those who engage in volunteering to continue to do so;
promote community capacity building, engaging with practices and processes that support community wealth initiatives and the circular economy;
develop the capacity and skills of the members of the socially and economically disadvantaged in such a way that they are better able to identify, and help meet, their needs and to participate more fully in society;
promote access to community facilities that benefit residents without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, race or of political, religious or other opinions by associating together the said residents and the local authorities, voluntary and other organisations in a common effort to advance education and to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation and leisure time occupation with the objective of improving the conditions of life for the residents.
In furtherance of these objects but not otherwise, the trustees shall have power:
To establish or secure the establishment of a community centre and to maintain or manage or co-operate with any statutory authority in the maintenance and management of such a centre for activities promoted by the charity in furtherance of the above objects.

Charitable purpose; urban or rural regeneration

To this end the UK Commons will, for the public benefit:

promote urban or rural regeneration in areas of social and or economic deprivation by all or any of the following means:
the relief of financial hardship;
the relief of unemployment;
the provision of housing for those who are in conditions of need and the improvement of housing in the public sector or in charitable ownership provided that such power shall not extend to relieving any local authorities or other bodies of a statutory duty to provide or improve housing;
the preservation of buildings or sites of historic or architectural importance;
the provision of recreational facilities for the public at large or those who by reason of their youth, age, infirmity or disablement, financial hardship or social and economic circumstances, have need of such facilities;
the protection or conservation of the environment:
the provision of public health facilities and childcare:

Charitable purpose; The provision of recreation

To this end the UK Commons will, for the public benefit:

provide or assist in the provision of facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation or other leisure time occupation of individuals who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age, infirmity or disability, financial hardship or social circumstances with the object of improving their conditions of life.

Charitable purpose; The advancement of the arts, culture and heritage

To this end the UK Commons will, for the public benefit:

promote crafts and craftsmanship, celebrating and supporting local artisans and crafts to continue to operate within their local communities;
preserve historical traditions, such as carnivals and folk festivals;
preserve historic buildings; enabling and supporting initiatives that preserve, retrofit and renovate local built environments.

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person performing heart hand gesture
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Charitable purpose; The advancement of environmental protection or improvement

To this end the UK Commons will, for the benefit of the public:

promote the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment, including but not limited to, increasing biodiversity, reducing carbon emissions;
advance the education of the public in the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment;
advance the understanding of organisaitons as to how they can reduce their impact upon the environment;
promote sustainable development and the use of natural building materials;
advance the education of the public in subjects relating to sustainable development and the protection, enhancement and rehabilitation of the environment and to promote study and research in such subjects provided that the useful results of such study are disseminated to the public at large.
promote recycling and sustainable waste management;
advance research into the use of renewable energy sources.
For the purpose of this clause ‘sustainable development’ means development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

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white and yellow petaled flower field during daytime
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Charitable purpose; The promotion of equality and diversity

To this end the UK Commons will, for the benefit of the public:

promote equality and diversity through the elimination of discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation or religion;
advance education and raising awareness in equality and diversity;
promote activities to foster understanding between people from diverse backgrounds;
conducting or commission research on equality and diversity issues and publishing the results to the public;
cultivating a sentiment in favour of equality and diversity.
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woman in white and pink floral shirt raising her hands
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Charitable purpose; The promotion of social inclusion

To this end the UK Commons will, for the benefit of the public:

promote social inclusion by preventing people from becoming socially excluded, relieving the needs of those people who are socially excluded and assisting them to integrate into society.
For the purpose of this clause ‘socially excluded’ means being excluded from society, or parts of society, as a result of one or more of the following factors: unemployment; financial hardship; youth or old age; ill health (physical or mental); substance abuse or dependency including alcohol and drugs; discrimination on the grounds of sex, race, disability, ethnic origin, religion, belief, creed, sexual orientation or gender re-assignment; poor educational or skills attainment; relationship and family breakdown; poor housing (that is housing that does not meet basic habitable standards; crime (either as a victim of crime or as an offender rehabilitating into society).”

Charitable purpose; The relief of those in need, by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage;

To this end the UK Commons will: for the benefit of the public:

enable the care, upbringing or establishment in life of children or young people;
the relief of the effects of old age through the provision of accommodation;
the provision of housing;

Charitable purpose; the promotion of industry and commerce;

To this end the UK Commons will, for the benefit of the public:

promote the support of local circular economy;
enable community participation in the development of services that meet the needs of the public.

Charitable purpose; the promotion of agriculture and horticulture;

To this end the UK Commons will, for the benefit of the public:

promote opportunities and services that enable communities to engage with production of seasonal, local and sustainable food sources.

For the purpose of this clause ‘sustainable’ means that production, cultivation and distribution meet both high ethical standards as well as reducing and mitigating the adverse impacts upon the ecology of the local environment.

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green and red leaves on gray rectangular tray
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