Blockchain and Sustainable Communities Workshop

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.

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. Speakers include Prof Joshua Fairfield, Washington & Lee University School of Law; Prof Peadar Kirby, University of Limerick; Dr Graham Barnes, Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability; Dr Rónán Kennedy, School of Law, NUI Galway; Dr Paul Ennis, UCD Coding Value Project.

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 (http://ict4er.org/cloughpenny/)- a blockchain-based academic pilot project developed during 2016 in the Cloughjordan Eco-village and supported by the Irish Research Council.

For full details and booking, see https://www.eventbrite.com/e/blockchain-sustainable-communities-potential-pitfalls-tickets-27075165549

This event is part of the 2016 CONVERGENCE Sustainable Living Festival. Accommodation is available in Django’s Hostel www.djangos.ie or call 087 256 9348. Some other B&B accommodation is available; contact philippa@cultivate.ie for details.