II
Returning to Earth
Ecological Values as the Seedbed of a Generative Economy

Redesigning the models of ownership that form the base of our economy isn’t a mechanical, legal exercise. Ownership designs embody a worldview and a set of values. The dominant designs of our day are built around values of individualism, growth, and the pursuit of maximum financial wealth. An emerging ecological sensibility is shaping a new set of core values, such as sustainability, community, and sufficiency. This values shift creates the seedbed for new kinds of generative ownership and a profoundly new kind of economy. Instead of being rooted in the ethereal world of finance, this new economy finds fertile soil in the living earth and in human community. Some of the most compelling models embodying this new worldview are found in ownership of the commons, which is the focus of the journeys of part 2.