[permaculture-oceania] [ipc8] International Permaculture Conference 8 Newsletter 2

[Wesley Roe and Marjorie Lakin Erickson]

IPC8 Secretariat
Rua Fortaleza, 201 sala 12
Bairro Adrianopolis
Manaus, AM Brazil
CEP 69057-080
telefax: 55-92-32490459
website: <http://www.ipc8.org>www<http://www.ipc8.org>.ipc8.org 
<http://www.ipc8.org>

Dear Friends and Amigos,

    This is an update to some of the IPC8 organizing activities underway 
and some of the results.  First the news of the website:

   - The Conference theme "Complementary Economics" has been kindly written 
by our own Dr. Margrit Kennedy and tri translated and posted on the 
web.  Check it out.  It´s when information becomes good medicine.
    - Likewise, the International Course information has been written and 
translated and is about to be posted on the web.  Sometime in the next week 
or so the Conference site location and other information will be posted too.
    - An official IPC8 travel agency has been selected and this material 
too is being translated and will soon be posted.  Similarly, hotels are 
being selected.

    Several long backbreaking meetings have been held regarding the 
Conference:  the process of structuring the three panels is developing a 
greater clarity and articulation.  In thinking about what we are trying to 
do, there are four different groups: green economists (of whom there are 
six different types), permaculture people, banks and business.  I have been 
thinking about who can speak most easily to whom and what we want to get 
from each other, and I think the critical factor is the banks.  Businesses 
already understand the importance of a sustainable future.  What is not 
clearly understood is that banks have begun to open their doors to a green 
economy, but what we need is for them to understand that the real issue is 
not about green products, but about systemic thinking, including the whole 
community that goes around any one product.  Banks fund the business cycle, 
so they have to understand this systemic thinking.  So we need a powerful 
language with which they can resonate.  Maybe not today but maybe tomorrow 
that can be Permaculture.

    The Banking panel will have reps from the World Bank, HSBC, ABN, Banco 
do Brasil and several others.  They will present the moves that they are 
taking and it would be wise for us to listen to them because our role will 
be to empower and inform decision makers of the principles of permaculture 
design.  Actually, deep waters notwithstanding, some of these behemoths are 
making promising noises.

    At the same table will be the Grameen, Permaculture Credit Union and 
Messrs. Bernard Lietaer, Margrit Kennedy and Stephen DeMeulenare.  This 
should be fun!

    The Business panel will host a variety of business ventures that have 
sustainable goals and specific criteria and are making remarkable 
progress.  Once again, our role will be to empower and inform.

      The Innovation panel will be our opportunity to present a few 
permaculture projects and innovations of scale happening around the 
world.  For this I need your information.  Permaculture projects per se can 
be presented during the Convergence, but here, for the Conference, we need 
scale and data that will stand scrutiny.  So please write in.  At present, 
the work of the venerable George Chan is on the table.

    To date, no work has been done on the work of developing the 
Convergence other than site selection.  This needs to start soon.

    Finally, the last point, and this is important. Will everybody please 
start preregistering as soon as possible?  This will be an enormous 
help.  We need to get an idea of where we are at with everything.

Ali Sharif
IPC8 Coordinator

8th International Permaculture Conference and Convergence
Brazil ~ May 2007
http://www.ipc8.org

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