About us
The Forum on Geonomics (previously the Geonomy Society) is an IRS 501c3 nonprofit educational organization whose mission is to raise public awareness of “the money we spend for the earth we use” (technically, “rent”).
Everywhere, this flow of money is immense (trillions annually in the US, the largest sector in the GDP) and drives the business cycle. Under the laws and customs of most societies, the lion’s share of this spending collects in very few pockets, and rewards those few for making choices that can make the lives of others tougher and the fate of the ecosystem more precarious.
On the other hand, where people have treated this fat flow as the commonwealth, and have recovered it (usually by taxing land value, although Hong Kong leases its locations) and shared it (usually via public services, although Alaska pays residents a “rent” dividend), people have prospered.
Publicly recovering rents makes it possible for government to cut, even abolish, counterproductive taxes, such as taxes on buildings, useful enterprise, and fairly earned income. Publicly sharing this revenue stream makes it possible for government to cut, even abolish, biased subsidies, such as those paid to powerful interest groups (military contractors come to mind). This shift in public revenue policy lets people prosper, and prosperous people are more able to care for the planet.
While we are headquartered in Portland Oregon, our funders and members are settled in all corners of the globe. Our activities include: research, package reports, organize classes and workshops, attend conferences, give interviews, and pitch the movers-and-shakers. Usually, in each session of the Oregon Legislature, we act as a resource of information for a bill to enable local governments to shift their taxes, if voters so desire, so that residents would pay for the earth they take, not for the wealth they create. We are happy to assist activists anywhere.