Living Future unConference 2016

After parties not your speed? Looking for something a bit more mellow? Join us for a movie night on Tuesday, Wednesday and/or Thursday! Film to be determined. 

On Wednesday evening we will be watching Ever the Land in the St. Helen's room:

EVER THE LAND explores the sublime bond between people and their land through a landmark architectural undertaking by one of New Zealand’s most passionately independent Maori tribes, Ngāi Tūhoe.

The setting is the forest region of Te Urewera and Tūhoe are an indigenous people fighting to rebuild and to claim their rights. For the past 150 years, the relationship between the Tūhoe Maori tribe and the New Zealand government has been defined by longstanding grievances over severe colonisation experiences such as illegal land confiscations and the devastating consequences of scorched earth policies. The film captures a period of change and tremendous foresight: Tūhoe are negotiating an apology and settlement from the Crown, and constructing an architectural gem of a community centre using radically sustainable methods. Tradition and environmentalism are brought together, and the film gives us a stirring depiction of Indigenous pride.

The new building is the binding character in this observational documentary that immerses us in a culture that is tightly woven into its land and an architecture that is defined by its intergrity to it.  This is a film about past and future, tradition and modernity. Most of all, though, it’s about the grandest hopes—and what it takes to fulfill them.

Track: International Focus

The real Living Future Challenge is to recognize and celebrate diversity with the sensitivity of common goals through diverse paths and different realities. We'll examine the process of cultural translation, which goes beyond the language differences of the rest of the world - including Latin America. In this case, we will present Mexico and the experiences we've had in the process of establishing the International Living Future Institute mystique with the first buildings in the certification process. (This session will be presented in Spanish with accompanied translation).

El verdadero reto de Living Future consiste en reconocer y celebrar la diversidad con la sensibilidad de alcanzar objetivos comunes recorriendo diversos caminos a través de distintas realidades. Proceso de traducción cultural que va más allá de solamente las diferencias de la lengua en el resto del mundo incluyendo Latinoamérica. En este caso, presentaremos México y las experiencias en el proceso de establecer la mística del ILFI con las primeras edificaciones en proceso de certificación.  

Want to access a copy of available* presentation PDF's? Click here to download.
*Not all presentations were approved for distribution. 

After parties not your speed? Looking for something a bit more mellow? Join us for a movie night on Tuesday, Wednesday and/or Thursday!

On Thursday evening we will be watching Cowspiracy in the St. Helen's room:

Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret is a groundbreaking feature-length environmental documentary following intrepid filmmaker Kip Andersen as he uncovers the most destructive industry facing the planet today – and investigates why the world’s leading environmental organizations are too afraid to talk about it.

Animal agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation, water consumption and pollution, is responsible for more greenhouse gases than the transportation industry, and is a primary driver of rainforest destruction, species extinction, habitat loss, topsoil erosion, ocean “dead zones,” and virtually every other environmental ill. Yet it goes on, almost entirely unchallenged.

As Andersen approaches leaders in the environmental movement, he increasingly uncovers what appears to be an intentional refusal to discuss the issue of animal agriculture, while industry whistleblowers and watchdogs warn him of the risks to his freedom and even his life if he dares to persist.

As eye-opening as Blackfish and as inspiring as An Inconvenient Truth, this shocking yet humorous documentary reveals the absolutely devastating environmental impact large-scale factory farming has on our planet, and offers a path to global sustainability for a growing population.