Elinor Ostrom

Hello! My name is Elinor, but my friends call me Lin. I was born on August 7th, 1933, in Los Angeles, California. When I was a little girl, I loved helping my mother in her big vegetable garden. We grew so many vegetables that we had enough for our family and plenty left over to share with our neighbors. Seeing this made me wonder about bigger things. How do people learn to share something huge, like a forest or a lake, so there is enough for everyone to use and enjoy?

When I started school, I had a little trouble speaking in front of the class because I had a stutter. It made me feel nervous, but I had so many ideas I wanted to share! I didn't want my stutter to stop me. So, I decided to do something brave and join the debate team. Practicing my speeches was hard work, but it helped me find my voice and speak with confidence. I later went to college at a university called UCLA, where I kept asking my big questions about how people can work together and make fair rules for everyone.

As I grew up, I learned that some smart people had an idea they called the 'Tragedy of the Commons.' They believed that if a group of people shared something, like a big field for their cows, they would all use it too much until it was completely gone. I wasn't so sure that was always true. I decided to become a detective and find out for myself! I traveled all over the world to study how real people shared things. In Spain, I saw farmers who made smart rules to share water for their crops. In Switzerland, I watched fishermen work together to take care of their lake so there would always be fish. They proved that communities can be very clever and create their own rules to protect the things they all share.

My discoveries showed the world something very important: when people trust each other and cooperate, they can do amazing things. Because of my work, I received a very special award in 2009 called the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. It was a very proud moment for me, especially because I was the very first woman in history to win that prize! It felt wonderful to know that my ideas about people working together were helping others all around the world.

I lived a full and happy life asking questions and finding answers. I lived to be 78 years old. Today, people use my ideas to help take care of our planet's precious resources, from forests to oceans. My story shows that when we trust each other and work together, we can solve even the biggest problems and make the world a better place for everyone.