Permaculture Unconference

Bay Area Spring 2011

www.PermacultureUnconference.org

The Global Summit presentation by

Nicholas Roberts & Kirstie Stramler
Permaculture is more than a
gardening system
a synthesis
Pathways to Sustainable Self-
Governance
"Vision for a democratic, worker-owned, advanced
industrial ecology society."
Author & Facilitator Kirstie Stramler
USSF 2010 Workshop
Mandela Marketplace
Planting Justice
Worker-Cooperative Credit Union (pre-start-up)
Permaculture Cooperative (pre-start-up)
1. http://wiki.permaculture.coop/wiki/Pathways_to_Sustainable_Self-Governance
2. http://permaculture.tv/?s=pathways+to+sustainable+self+governance
Bay Area Permaculture News Map

http://bayarea.permaculture.coop/newsmap/
Ethics

1. People Care
2. Earth Care
3. Fair Share
What is Permaculture?

sustainability framework from Australia

now global movement
hands-on agro-ecological practice
derived from indigenous systems
perennial polycentric polyculture
design science tendencies
craft movement
relatively open source (could be more)
integrates & synthesizes

http://Permaculture.TV
What is an Unconference?
An unconference is a facilitated, participant-driven
conference centered on a theme or purpose. The term
"unconference" has been applied, or self-applied, to a wide
range of gatherings that try to avoid one or more aspects of a
conventional conference, such as high fees and sponsored
presentations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconference
unConferencing – how to prepare to
attend an unconference
by Kaliya Hamlin from Unconference.net

"The unconference* format creates space for peer-to-peer

learning, collaboration and creativity.

At the start, the whole group will gather together and be guided
through creating an agenda using open space technology. The
exact process is not important to understand in advance – the
process will become clear as it happens. The important part is
that all those gathered will have the opportunity to put
conference sessions on the agenda. No session will be voted
off or ‘won’t happen’ for some other reason. All sessions are
welcome."
Pathways to Sustainable Self-
Governance 2
"We seek pathways to provide the burgeoning food
education/justice movement with the tools to become
economically sustainable, and to link the emerging green
industrial worker cooperatives with them into sovereign
networks.

Once active, such networks can become the basis for

sustainable, socially just communities that revitalize locales via
open source sustainable agriculture and manufacturing
methods."

Kirstie Stramler, Pathways to Sustainable Self-Governance

kirstie@permaculture.tv
Tentative Theme

The tentative theme is Liberation Industrial Permaculture which

would be a synthesis of Grassroots organising, Worker-
cooperatives, Open source appropriate technology, Commons-
based peer production. An emphasis on Pathways to
Sustainable Self-Governance i.e. Worker-cooperatives, Green
union jobs, Small-business, Community led development etc.
 Liberation Industrial
Permaculture
freedom through self-organised,
open-source green and clean
technology ?
Stakeholders

permaculture, urban food justice

green union jobs
various tech, hackivist types
arts, crafts, bio and tech folks
the maker community
solar, worker, community-development, housing cooperative
activists
web and new media geeks, artists etc
citizen scientists & media
community & place-based activists
public
Polycentric perennial polyculture

This is not to be an insiders club event.

Although its to be of a pretty advanced and free-flowing
event, we will try to mix demographics, cultures, Technical
skills, experience etc.
As true to permaculture, its to be a Polycentric perennial
polyculture. Not an Annual monoculture.
Sub-Themes
Open
open source software
open design
open innovation
open hardware
open access and knowledge
open business models
open clean tech
maker
hacking
examples Open Source Ecology & Appropedia etc
Permaculture

urban agroecology
food forests
ecosystems guilds
food justice
food cooperatives
community supported agriculture
organics
composting
aquaponics
mycoculture
greywater
Participatory systems

participatory design
participatory decision making
grassroots fundraising & organising
participatory action research
participatory budgeting
participatory economics
Business models

small business
community led-development
non-profit
worker-cooperative
hybrid business models
commercial open source
case-studies of open business models
Economic Democracy

work place democracy

worker self management
worker-cooperative member-ownership
community-led development
employee ownership
inter-cooperation frameworks
federations etc
What is a Permaculture Unconference?

brings together broad-stakeholdeers

creates a new synthesis for 21st century
renews older visions
Concept: Oakland to Richmond
Transfer
Transfer horizontally knowledge, tools, techniques, projects,
patterns, pathways between Oakland's vibrant sustainability,
permaculture, transition scene and Richmond.
Richmond and Oakland act as two centers of the
Permaculture Unconference pattern.
Create a generative sequence of events, projects, people,
movements, ideas between Oakland as sponsor and
Richmond as host.

Concept:_Horizontal_Transfer_from_Oakland_to_Richmond
Possible Format

4 days: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday

DAY 1 Friday. Oakland, Industry Day: practioners day,

invitees and registered users, permaculture unconference,
permaculture tech swap meet
DAY 2 Saturday, Oakland, Public Day: open-public
unconference, permaculture bike tours, open
house/gardens, permaculture market / swap meet
DAY 3 Sunday, Richmond, Action Day: permaculture
unconference, permaculture blitzes, permaculture site
installations, public planting days and education sessions
DAY 4 Monday, Richmond, Industry Debrief Day:
permaculture unconference de-brief, documentation,
archive, NEXT STEPS
Outcomes
wealth, democracy and industry
skill-share, education, peer-peer learning
horizontal development
site improvements: barn-raising, permablitz or working-
teams
catalyze invention or innovation
network creation & new projects
grassroots economy
clean and green tech swap meet
farmers, craft and tech faire
new commons
creative commons
organisational commons
land commons
knowledge & data commons
Timeline
November 2010: stakeholder meeting, wiki published,
vision, stakeholder coordinators recruited
December 2010: prototype permaculture unconference - 20
people, stakeholder coordinators invited and event recorded
and published
January 2011: stakeholder workshop, Bay Area website
launched, open for registration, and voting of unconference
events, actions and locations suggested
February 2011: stakeholder workshop, venues and format
decided and booked, events and actions close to finalised,
second round of registrations and invitees
March 2011: stakeholder workshops and lead-up events,
maps, schedule, actions, registrations, venues etc
organised
April 2011: main event
PermacultureUnconference.org

http://PermacultureUnconference.org
Resources

PermacultureUnconference.org BLOG
Permaculture Unconference Google Groups
Permaculture Unconference Wiki Page
Nicholas Roberts permaculturecoop@gmail.com
Kirstie Stramler kirstie@permaculture.tv
Skype permaculturecoop

External Resources

Unconference.net