Sustainability, social enterprise and sharing: what’s law got to do with it?
March 20th, 2015
Hepple Room, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, University Road, Bristol BS8 1SS
Hosted by the University of Bristol in collaboration with the University of New South Wales
This half-day workshop engaged social enterprises, support organisations, lawyers and academics in talks, debate and collaborative sessions on different ways in which sustainability, social enterprise, and sharing can be linked together and supported by creative legal and regulatory frameworks. We explored how such frameworks sometimes construct barriers and hurdles, but in the spirit of working towards positive directions to achieve reform. We aimed in particular to build connections across different sectors such as transport, energy and food, identifying common problems, shared potential benefits, and exploring the ideas of networks or coalitions.
We began by sharing findings from the Bristol-based case studies of the Activism and Enterprise project and compared them with what we have found in Australia looking at the legal and regulatory support structures for different types of ‘green’ social enterprise across key sectors such as transport, energy, food and reuse/recycling.
We then heard from the University of Bristol 2015 Benjamin Meaker Visiting Fellow Janelle Orsi, founder of the Sustainable Economies Law Centre (SELC) of the USA. Janelle founded SELC to provide legal advice to support the flourishing of resilient communities and the Centre played a key role in the passing of new US legislation on alternative currencies, neighbourhood food and cooperative housing. She shared her experience and strategies with the workshop participants and helped facilitate an interactive dialogue on the key priorities emerging across local initiatives in response to the issues raised by the project.
After morning tea, we had two half hour break-out sessions that brainstormed common cross-sectoral issues and the outline of possible networks or coalitions to address these issues.
The workshop concluded with a Q & A session exploring the outcomes of the day by way of facilitated questioning of a mixed panel of lawyers and activists.
Agenda
9.15 Registration
9.30 Welcome and introduction (Prof Bronwen Morgan)
9.45 Between Activism and Enterprise: research project initial findings (Caroline Bird (UoB), Declan Kuch (UNSW))
10.15 Janelle Orsi, Sustainable Economies Law Centre
10.45 Open forum discussion
11.15 Morning tea
11.30 Break-out group session (common cross-sectoral issues)
12.00 Break-out group session (imagining coalitions)
12.30 Q & A panel/debate with: Tom Henfrey (Senior Researcher, Schumacher Institute), David Hunter (lawyer, Bates, Wells & Braithwaite; Director: Bristol Pound, The Community Farm, Bristol Green Capital Partnership), Naomi Milner (University of Bristol, Political-Economic Geographer) and Janelle Orsi (Sustainable Economies Law Centre, Law Office of Janelle Orsi)
13.00 Lunch and chat
For more information contact [email protected]
March 20th, 2015
Hepple Room, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, University Road, Bristol BS8 1SS
Hosted by the University of Bristol in collaboration with the University of New South Wales
This half-day workshop engaged social enterprises, support organisations, lawyers and academics in talks, debate and collaborative sessions on different ways in which sustainability, social enterprise, and sharing can be linked together and supported by creative legal and regulatory frameworks. We explored how such frameworks sometimes construct barriers and hurdles, but in the spirit of working towards positive directions to achieve reform. We aimed in particular to build connections across different sectors such as transport, energy and food, identifying common problems, shared potential benefits, and exploring the ideas of networks or coalitions.
We began by sharing findings from the Bristol-based case studies of the Activism and Enterprise project and compared them with what we have found in Australia looking at the legal and regulatory support structures for different types of ‘green’ social enterprise across key sectors such as transport, energy, food and reuse/recycling.
We then heard from the University of Bristol 2015 Benjamin Meaker Visiting Fellow Janelle Orsi, founder of the Sustainable Economies Law Centre (SELC) of the USA. Janelle founded SELC to provide legal advice to support the flourishing of resilient communities and the Centre played a key role in the passing of new US legislation on alternative currencies, neighbourhood food and cooperative housing. She shared her experience and strategies with the workshop participants and helped facilitate an interactive dialogue on the key priorities emerging across local initiatives in response to the issues raised by the project.
After morning tea, we had two half hour break-out sessions that brainstormed common cross-sectoral issues and the outline of possible networks or coalitions to address these issues.
The workshop concluded with a Q & A session exploring the outcomes of the day by way of facilitated questioning of a mixed panel of lawyers and activists.
Agenda
9.15 Registration
9.30 Welcome and introduction (Prof Bronwen Morgan)
9.45 Between Activism and Enterprise: research project initial findings (Caroline Bird (UoB), Declan Kuch (UNSW))
10.15 Janelle Orsi, Sustainable Economies Law Centre
10.45 Open forum discussion
11.15 Morning tea
11.30 Break-out group session (common cross-sectoral issues)
12.00 Break-out group session (imagining coalitions)
12.30 Q & A panel/debate with: Tom Henfrey (Senior Researcher, Schumacher Institute), David Hunter (lawyer, Bates, Wells & Braithwaite; Director: Bristol Pound, The Community Farm, Bristol Green Capital Partnership), Naomi Milner (University of Bristol, Political-Economic Geographer) and Janelle Orsi (Sustainable Economies Law Centre, Law Office of Janelle Orsi)
13.00 Lunch and chat
For more information contact [email protected]
caroline_declan_pres20march15.pdf | |
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janelle_bristol_friday20th.pdf | |
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