A commons is a way to express a very old idea—that some forms of wealth are foundational to the wellbeing of life and belong to all of us; and that these community resources must be actively protected and managed for the good of all. Currently there is no automatic mechanism within the market to protect, build and extend the commons, nor is there any institution that presently exists to do so. ‘A Commons Equity Society’ is a prototype design for a community wealth-building network that uses the surplus of for-profit companies to develop community owned income and assets, thereby transforming companies into engines of social change.
What if the surplus realized by productive capital of a region of territory would not go to absentee owners but would be re-invested in the local economy through a kind of Commons Trust? This is the proposal of the Commons Equity Society, as proposed by Shann Turnbull and others. Read their proposal below:
Commons Equity Society by P2P Foundation on Scribd
The recently formed ACT Water Rewards Coop uses the commons equity model.
It has a high probability of being a success because it will give investors a higher return and cost consumers less. https://medium.com/@kevin_34708/high-returns-low-risk-investing-e9ed187d2017#.wv5odhvh3