Call for a Chamber of Commons

October 10, 2015, 9:30am-5pm

ICA Greenrise, 4750 N Sheridan Rd. Chicago, IL
Need
Worldwide, numerous organizations are working to push back on the economic and political forces
that increasingly threaten to enclose those things which we all own together, such as:

Air, public land, and water

Public spaces: parks, libraries, streets, etc.

Wildlife
The food supply
The oceans, Antarctica and outer space

The Internet and the airwaves

Taxpayer funded medical/scientific
research
Public education, transportation
Open-source software
Arts and Culture

While the forces of neoliberalism and privatization support a variety of pro-growth, pro-business
groups, the commons movement has yet to create an advocacy group to preserve its values and
develop its economic models.
Call

We CALL for the establishment of a Chamber of Commons USA on Oct. 10,

2015.

Well start with a Consensus Workshop on How do we define Commons? Then, well create
the actual plan for opening our first Chamber of Commons in Chicago. While we will be focusing on
the Chicago region, we anticipate that this example will act as a template for the formation of other
USA chambers.
Whos invited?
Similar events are taking place all over the world on this date. See the
p2p Foundation
or the
Commons Transition Plan
for more information. In Chicago, we are inviting organizations, initiatives
and individuals working on economic, environmental, community, and cultural sustainability, local
commons-oriented organizations, national/international commons-oriented organizations with a
presence in Chicago, commons-oriented organizations focused on immaterial commons (knowledge,
software, etc.)
Schedule
9:30am
10:00am
10:30am
12:00pm
1:00pm

Registration and Snacks

Introductions/Icebreaker
Consensus Workshop on How do we define Commons?
Lunch Break
Action Planning Workshop to develop start-up plan for a Chicago Chamber of
Commons

5:00pm
Evaluation/Announcements/Close
Register here:
http://www.ica-usa.org/events/event_details.asp?id=678247