Daniel has worked in the fields of solar energy, aquaponics, permaculture, farming, landscaping and construction. One thing has been the same for him the entire time, and that is that the invisible structure of the workplace has been a pyramid, rather than a circle. He aims to deliver, through his talk in the form of a dialogue with the audience, a poignant and past-due discussion on the ethics of permaculture as they pertain to these invisible structures in the workplace. After dissemination of the ‘problem’ of a pyramid capitalist workplace, Daniel will then go on to describe CA Assembly Bill 816, “Consumer Cooperative Corporation Law” in which the state of CA has recognized that, “A worker [owned] cooperative has the purpose of creating and maintaining sustainable jobs and generating wealth in order to improve the quality of life of its worker-members, dignify human work, allow workers’ democratic self-management, and promote community and local development in this state.”

This law was passed in 2015. How many Worker Owned Co-Ops do you know of? How many companies do you know of that use the word ‘permaculture’ and yet may be stuck in the past with an un-democratic invisible dynamic in the workplace? How can we best live out the ethics put forward in the Permaculture Designer’s Manual?

These questions and more will be put forward in this talk.

Presented By: Daniel Brodell-Lake

For the permaculture community, the International Permaculture Convergences (IPC) are hugely important. Why is there a global permaculture movement? What makes it continue to influence and inspire people, not only in theory, but in hard practical examples of living solutions around the globe? Projects, actual working design strategies, practical skills, and experiences are shared at these Convergences (held bi-annually) on a personal level, it’s an amazing experience for all. This is the “culture” in permaculture, our chance to learn about our friends around the world. The next IPC will be in India in 2017, followed by a Convergence in Argentina in 2020. This workshop will be hosted by the Friends of the Permaculture Convergence (FIPC) and the International Permaculture Convergence Council (IPCC).

Presented By: Wes Roe and Margie Bushman

Thursday, September 15th | 11:30 AM – 12: 30 PM | Solar Panel : La Luna

Wes Roe is a co-founder of the Santa Barbara Permaculture Network, an educational non-profit founded in 2000 that has sponsored hundreds of workshops and events about permaculture and sustainability to Santa Barbara region. Wes Roe served as board member & President of the Permaculture Credit Union. he has served as a volunteer coordinator for the International Permaculture Convergence Support Group since its inception in 2005, which has evolved into the Friends of the International Permaculture Convergences (FIPC) & the International Permaculture Convergence Council (IPCC).

2016 Convergence Workshop: Why International Permaculture Convergences are Important for PC Global Movement