via JASecon

"An all day, free to the public, festival in celebration of an emerging bottom-up economy for people and the planet took place in Oakland, CA. Approximately 450 people and 50 organizations participated, bring together worker-cooperatives, urban gardeners developing food security measures, advocates of human powered transportation, gray water activists and complimentary currency promoters."

Co-op 101: An introduction to worker cooperatives.
A brief survey of the organizational, legal and financial aspects.

• Kasper Koczab and Dave Karoly – Network of the Bay Area Worker Cooperatives

Resources for the Grassroots Economy
Financial and development resources to meet community economic needs. Panelists will discuss the resources available to community projects.

• Jenny Kassan – Katovich Law
• Ian Winter – North California Land Trust
• Jeanine Esposito – People’s Federal Credit Union
• Erin Kilmer-Neel – OneCalifornia Foundation
• Moderator: Janelle Orsi – Attorney and author of “The Sharing Solution”

Urban Food Security
Communities must take food back from global capital. How are we building just, sustainable, locally-based food systems that meet our communities’ needs and provide meaningful work?

• Dana Harvey- Mandela MarketPlace
• David Roach- Mo’ Better Food Market
• Gavin Raders- Planting Justice
• Facilitator: Dennis Terry – Mandela Foods Cooperative

Building the Alternative
The grassroots economy is a solution to the economic crisis and holds a vision of the world we want to create. How can we nurture a local economy that gives working folks power and control over the economy and their work lives, leveraging available resources? How can social and environmental justice work support the development of a new economic paradigm? How we can create more synergy and interdependence between grassroots economic projects? How can we build a just, sustainable economic alternative to scale?

• Moderator/Facilitator: Gopal Dayenini -GAIA and Movement Generation
• Ali Ar Rasheed – AAR Development Consultants
• Rhea Serna – Mission Asset Fund
• Tom Wetzel – SF Community Land Trust
• Heather Young – Bay Area Community Exchange