Oct 28, 2016 - explicit transparent contract conditions assist community development and coherence ... 10.10 â 10.40.
BLOCKCHAIN &
SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES POTENTIAL & PITFALLS OCTOBER 28th 2016
CLOUGHJORDAN, CO. TIPPERARY Hosted by …
“How can blockchain technology strengthen the resilience of our communities?”
This one day workshop, co-organised by NUI Galway School of Law, FEASTA, and Cultivate, in partnership with Cloughjordan Ecovillage, and funded by the Irish Research Council aims to explore the possible future applications of blockchain technology in the development and coherence of sustainable communities. Technology, we are always told, is neutral its associated impact depends on the use case, and the results can be good or bad. But we know that values are an inherent part of the development of new tools, and major technology shifts can create the conditions for significant social disruption . The blockchain is being touted as the answer to every question, but setting aside the hyperbole, it clearly offers potential for change. Our society appears almost uniformly conditioned to market capitalism since the fall of the Soviet Union and the apparent absence, since then, of any alternative societal model. Sustainability-minded communities such as the Cloughjordan EcoVillage, the venue for this workshop, feel this absence more keenly than most. UPDATES AND BOOKING
What exactly is the likely nature of blockchain disruption? Will it be isolated in the #fintech community or will it reach into the “real” economy? How does the trustless mindset behind cryptocurrencies map on to the essentially trustful aspirations of sustainable communities? Will explicit transparent contract conditions assist community development and coherence or act as a barrier? How can we build bridges and meaningful relationships between the tech and sustainability communities? Will the emergence of new institutional structures have a deep effect on society? This workshop seeks to explore all of these questions, and more. The morning presentations comprise of a series of differing perspectives on these themes - of currency design, community activism, technology limitations, social factors and the design of new institutions. The afternoon discussions are aimed at solidifying a shared understanding from the morning sessions, and mapping out key future research questions. The presentations and workshops will be informed by the implementation experience of the Cloughpenny - a blockchain-based academic pilot project developed during 2016 in the Cloughjordan Eco-village and supported by the Irish Research Council. Supported by...…
WWW.ICT4ER.IE/CLOUGHPENNY
10.00 – 10.10 Introduction Dr Rónán Kennedy, School of Law, NUI Galway 10.10 – 10.40 Institutional Design & Smart Contracts Prof Joshua Fairfield, Washington & Lee University School of Law 10.40 – 11.00 Local EcoSystems of Innovation Prof Peadar Kirby, University of Limerick 11.00 – 11.20 Blockchain: Revolutionising Exchange? Dr Graham Barnes, Currency Innovation Strategist, Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability 11.20 – 11.30 Questions and Answers
11.50 – 12.10 The Blockchain in Practice Dr Rónán Kennedy, School of Law, NUI Galway 12.10 –12.30 A Platform Co-operative Perspective Sam Toland, Co-operative Development Lead, Resonate 12.30 –12.50 Blockchain from the Bottom Up Gar Hynes, Analytic Solutions Architect, Hewlett Packard Enterprise 12.50 Questions and Answers 13.00 Lunch
11.30 – 11.50 Break
“How can blockchain technology strengthen the resilience of our communities?”
14.00 –15.30 Ideawriting session Davie Philip, Cultivate Small group work using a facilitation tool to design and implement system-wide change strategies.
15.45 – 16.15 Reflections on the day’s proceedings Dr Paolo Dini, Associate Professorial Research Fellow in the Department of Media and Communications, LSE
15.30 – 15.45 Break
16.15 Closing Remarks and Next Steps 16.30 Close
This event is part of the 2016 CONVERGENCE Sustainable Living Festival. Convergence is a sustainable living festival that Cultivate Living and Learning, have curated since 2000. For this Convergence, a number of workshops, facilitated conversations and conferences will be held across the island of Ireland bringing researchers, policy makers and communities together. The theme is citizen engaged, community led transitions towards a low carbon and resilient society. If you are interested in hosting an event or joining the conversation email
[email protected]
BLOCKCHAIN & SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
POTENTIAL & PITFALLS
Accommodation is available in Django’s Hostel www.djangos.ie or call 087 256 9348. Some other B&B accommodation is available; contact
[email protected] for details.
FOR FULL DETAILS AND BOOKING
http://www.ict4er.ie/ Collaborators
Cloughjordan Ecovillage www.thevillage.ie
This is an award winning sustainable neighbourhood in the Irish rural town of Cloughjordan in Tipperary that is a destination for learning and research into sustainability, resilience, community living and rural regeneration.
FEASTA www.feasta.org
Feasta is an Irish-based thinktank with an international membership formed in 1998 to explore the economic, cultural and environmental characteristics of a truly sustainable society, and to disseminate the results of this exploration to the widest relevant audience.
Cultivate www.cultivate.ie Supported By
Design and facilitate learning journeys, host training in community resilience and offer courses in green technologies.
WeCreate www.wecreate.ie
Provides a range of digital fabrication equipment based on the MIT Fab Lab model which are designed to let people make almost anything.
