Designing sustainable futures

A bio-regional approach in Northwest England

An un-conference (unconventional conference)
5th and 6th September 2015
At The Wonder Inn Creative Wellness Centre, Shude Hill, Central Manchester, UK

The outline programme of the event is now available

This conference explores a bio-regional approach to sustainable development in the north west of England. This approach provides a radical alternative to the usual "green economics" and "conservation" agendas as it involves the harmonious integration of people, landscape and technology.

We invite people from grassroots projects, open-source initiatives and researchers from academic institutions that are pioneering sustainable futures to join together at the event. We will focus on the region around Manchester which comprises the catchment area of the River Mersey and its tributaries, although involvement from those in surrounding regions will be welcome.

We will initiate a dialogue between system designers, academics/researchers and grassroots organisations. At present, there are more questions than answers. Mapping of information and inter-connection are key strategies for moving forward. How can promising projects be supported and connected within a bio-region? How can we make good practice and relevant research available to people doing the work “on the ground”? The use of information systems, open source strategies and social media will be major themes.

The event will be participatory and we will use a systems approach, based on permaculture design, to run the event. We will focus on the region surrounding Manchester, but welcome participants from other regions because of the emphasis on our common futures. We aim to produce clear and transferable design statements and protocols that will guide and encourage future work.

Who should attend?

Why attend?

The event is organised by the Northern School of Permaculture who will be working with a facilitation team from Ketso - another forward-thinking regional organisation!