Partners
Thank you very much to all our sponsors and partners!
We are delighted to have the support of the following organizations which help us shape this event and make it a great success. IPC15 is a voluntary effort with sparse funding and we continue to seek sponsors
IPC15 is a voluntary effort with sparse funding and we continue to seek sponsorship partners
Star Hostel Taichung Parklane
The IPC15 Taiwan team would like to thank the Star Hostel Group for securing the starting fund needed for preparing this international event.
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Star Hostel offers a comfortable accommodation experience by providing a space that aims to restore the relationship between people and the environment and between each other. Here, travelers can rediscover a genuine connection with each other and explore the daily life of the local Taiwanese. Star Hostel is an advocate of a sustainable lifestyle and encourages the traveler to do the same by offering guidance as it strives to become the hostel brand that impacts the environment the least.
Extending Taichung’s vertical city garden concept, Star Hostel incorporates the greenhouse trellis into its interior design so both nature and travelers alike can find accommodation. The communal space features floor-to-ceiling glasses and an outdoor terrace, allowing the traveler to drink in the city skyline. Inside, extensive use of the Japanese cedar, selected for its sustainability, creates a calm, natural atmosphere and offers the tranquility of the forest in the middle of the bustling city.
The Hostel started as a resting space for the traveler that calls for introspection of the essence of traveling and living. More than just a place to recharge the weary body, Star Hostel fosters the reconnection with people, with nature and inspires sustainable living.
CTC TW
CTC TW (City To City Taiwan) is a global organization that originated from Redeemer City To City by Rev. Tim Keller. Rev. Tim Keller’s interpretation of the “Gospel of Christ” is not only to return to the essence of the Bible, but also to emphasize the importance of the five chapters of the Gospel. The five chapters of the gospel include creation, fall, redemption, renewal, and restoration. Therefore, a person of Christian faith cannot be an individual pursuing his or her own personal spiritual development, but rather, he or she is experiencing a sense of solidarity with God, with man, and with the connectedness of all things on earth.
In addition to training the churches in Taiwan, we are actively going into the cities (both tribal and rural) to participate in the renewal and restoration of various ministries. We look forward to the gradual transformation of churches in Taiwan into green churches (see note) that live out the Gospel. Also, we are actively connecting with organizations in Taiwan and abroad that are implementing the above concepts, and we look forward to restoring Taiwan to the goodness of God’s creation through our support and help.
Note: see the definition of G.R.E.E.N. Church below
G：God’s Kingdom
R：Redeemer
E：Eternal education
E：Environment
N：Neighborhood
LA ONE Café
We would like to thank Thomas Chien and Wen-Li Chang, owners of LA ONE for organizing a fundraising dinner with ingredients from Taiwan’s small farmers during the preparation of IPC, and for taking sound actions to support the organization of IPC in Taiwan.
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A poet of simplicity and nature, Chef Thomas Chien established his own restaurant in 2012 under his English name, which includes Thomas Chien (a French restaurant), LA One Cafe, and La One Kitchen & Bakery. Chef Thomas Chien specializes in extracting the characteristics of Eastern and Western ingredients, and is a representative figure of the Taiwanese trend of incorporating Taiwanese ingredients into European cuisine. He received the Green Dining Guide annual award in 2021 and a Michelin Green Star in 2023.
LA ONE’s food philosophy emphasizes that food should be good for your health; only good quality ingredients and proper cooking techniques can bring joy and health to the body and mind. LA ONE sees itself not only as the creator of culinary delicacies, but also as a bridge between farmers and consumers. LA ONE’s thoughts on climate change, carbon footprints, and food ethics are all displayed on the dining table along with the culinary arts. Quality small farmers who practice environmental-friendly methods, organic farming enterprises or alliances, and second-generation farmers who have introduced humane animal husbandry and eliminated chemical drugs are all partners of the ”LA ONE Good Ingredients Supply Network”.
Apart from the ingredients, the LA ONE Group’s dining environment is also made from sustainable and recycled materials. The walls of the restaurant are made of recycled clay from reservoir sludge, and the carpets are made of recycled fishnets. From the selection of ingredients, to the dining space, to the design of the menu, LA ONE Group is committed to being as sustainable as possible, their main concerns are ”Earth, Ingredients, People Who gives to us this good food”.
INRAA
The IPC15 Taiwan team would like to thank INRAA for supporting the accommodation expenses for our volunteers.
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International Nature Restoration Action Association
International Nature Restoration Action Association (INRAA in short) was founded in December, 2016. They are committed to protecting the unpolluted lands in the world. INRAA believes that through ACTION, we should acknowledge the power of one’s behavior, and what it may impact the land. INRAA is empowered by the continuous actions of people. We hope to ignite the lights within everyone, to illuminate the world. INRAA has organized 3 PDCs in northern India and has spread the seeds and actions of Permaculture in the area. INRAA is also sponsoring the expenses for IPC volunteers and providing partial scholarship and resources for participants from financially disadvantaged countries.
Winkler Partners
The IPC15 Taiwan team would like to thank Winkler Partners for supporting the funding for scholarships.
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Winkler Partners was founded in 2002 as the first law firm to operate as a partnership between Taiwanese and foreign attorneys. We offer clients a full range of legal services spanning intellectual property, data protection, dispute resolution, employment and corporate law. We also provide clients with unmatched legal translation services and IP prosecution services.
Since the beginning, we’ve strived to provide clear, creative, solutions-oriented service for clients at home and abroad. Many of our clients find our work particularly helpful in matters that have a transnational aspect, with our firm bringing together Taiwanese and international expertise at all levels, from the partners to the support staff. Currently, we have lawyers admitted in Taiwan, California, New York, the District of Columbia and Hong Kong. Five countries are represented and five languages are spoken across our legal and support staff. We have been awarded Employer of Choice several years running by Asian Legal Business Magazine and have been featured in their Diversity List for 2016 and 2017
Winkler Partners realizes that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves, and look for ways where we can make a positive impact, such as our in-house Green Office program.
To address the issues of climate change and global warming, Winkler Partners Attorneys at Law has voluntarily chosen to follow the PAS 2060:2014 carbon neutrality reporting framework. Winkler Partners engaged the British Standards Institution (BSI) to conduct a third-party verification of our carbon neutrality in 2021, becoming the first law firm in Taiwan to be certified as carbon neutral.
Through our Green Office program, we measure our carbon footprint and look for ways we can reduce it, through an office-wide reduction in air-conditioning use, purchasing low-energy or energy efficient appliances and operating as paperless as possible. Colleagues are discouraged from using paper cups, single-use utensils and lunchboxes, and we have implemented an extensive in-house recycling program. Air quality is monitored throughout the office and plants are extensively used for greening, temperature reduction and shading. Our roof garden adheres to the concept of permaculture whereby it is self-sufficient and in harmony with northern Taiwan’s natural ecosystem.
We also capture rainwater for irrigation and flushing our toilets. 76m2 of solar panels produce approximately 20% of our energy needs. We also offset the emissions generated by air travel, which is approximately 50% of our firm’s total carbon footprint.
Winkler Partners supports the work of the Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association and contributes 3% of our legal services revenue each year. Wild at Heart’s primary focus is on environmental and social justice. Representative cases include a 20-year indigenous land rights dispute in Hualien, Taiwan, and preservation of the Taiwanese humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis taiwanensis) including the successful endangered species listing by the United States Government in 2018. Other recent cases include the environmental aspects of the Taipei Dome project, several industrial park developments in central and southern Taiwan, and conservation of an algae reef of the north west coast of Taiwan under threat from port development.
Everyone deserves happiness. We’ve supported the important work of TAPCPR in achieving equality and dignity for Taiwan’s LGBTQI community, including taking the issue of marriage equality to the Grand Justices in 2017. In May 2019, Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. TAPCPR helps keep government accountable to its International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and works with the LGBTQI community to reduce discrimination and marginalization wherever it occurs. Winkler Partners is also a founding member of the Taiwan Inter-co LGBT Network, a community of LGBT and diversity affinity groups across industries.
Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. Businesses who aspire to these values often provide greater benefits and allow for greater employee participation in their decision making processes; are open about the financial health of the company; have made a concerted effort to reduce waste and energy usage; have looked for ways to increase the amount of power they use from renewable sources, or even generate for themselves by installing solar panels and so on. We were already doing most of that, but put a stamp on it when we became the first law firm in Asia to become a certified B Corporation in 2017.
We have been a member of 1% for the Planet since 2008. 1% aligns businesses that want to do good with non-profits that need financial backing to carry out their important work. Companies of all sizes can work together to fight climate change, protect flora and fauna from increasing pressure on their habitats, and improve the natural environment for future generations. They do this by contributing at least 1% of sales (not profit) to non-profit organizations who use these contributions to sustainably fight to improve the environment where they’re based. Winkler Partners has been a 1% for the Planet member since 2008.
Winkler Partners has, in collaboration with Wild at Heart, supports the work of Matsu’s Fish Conservation Union, a network of nine environmental groups. Winkler Partners has sponsored workshops, international conferences and scientific research projects to better understand and protect an endangered population of Taiwanese white dolphins, also known as Matsu’s Fish. A major breakthrough came in 2018 with the endangered species listing by the United States Government, which will encourage greater protection of these indigenous animals.
