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KEYNOTES
PAUL STAMETS
How Mushrooms Can Help Us Survive “Extinction 6x”
Introduction by Kenny Ausubel
In this 6th Age of Extinctions the biosphere’s life-support systems that have allowed humans to ascend are collapsing. We’re the primary cause and will be one of the casualties. Visionary mycological researcher-inventor Paul Stamets illuminates how fungi, particularly mushrooms, offer our species uniquely powerful, practical solutions we can implement now to boost the biosphere’s immune system and equip us with benign breakthrough mycotechnologies to make the transition to a restored world.
JOHN WARNER
Green Chemistry: Biomimicry and Molecular Psychology
Introduction by Kenny Ausubel
It’s time to create the green molecular building blocks that make green technology truly clean, from raw materials and production to social justice. World-renowned green chemist John Warner discusses how we can create a new generation of biomimetic and green molecular building blocks that will help us reach the “world we want.” One of the founders of the field of Green Chemistry, he has published over 200 patents, papers and books. He is founder, President and Chief Technology Officer of the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry, and of Beyond Benign, a non-profit dedicated to sustainability and green chemistry education.
ROBIN KIMMERER
Mishkos Kenomagwen: The teachings of grass
Introduction by Melissa Nelson, The Cultural Conservancy
Indigenous peoples all over the earth honor plants, not only as our sustainers, but as our oldest teachers who share teachings of generosity, creativity, sustainability, and joy. By their living examples, through the ways of their being, plants spur our imaginations of how we might live. By braiding traditional ecological knowledge and the tools of botanical science, Robin Kimmerer, a professor of Environmental Science and Forestry of Potawatomi ancestry, explores the question: “ If plants are our teachers, what are their lessons and how might we become better students?”
PANELS, WORKSHOPS AND OTHER EVENTS
Solutions from the Underground: Mushrooms as Planetary Healers. Visionary mycologist Paul Stamets, Founder of Fungi Perfecti and author of books including Mycelium Running, explores the leading edges of his research and current applications using fungi for restoring the biosphere and human health.
Toward a Nontoxic Industry and Economy. What would a nontoxic industrial economy look like, and how do we get there? From green chemistry and biomimicry to mobilizing women and challenging corporate power, innovators are connecting the clean technology space with social movements. With: John Warner, co-founder of Green Chemistry; Erin Switalski, Executive Director, Women’s Voices for the Earth; Jeanne Rizzo, President/CEO, Breast Cancer Fund, founder Cancer-Free Economy project.
Intelligence in Nature: The Vegetable Mind. Contemporary science is validating traditional knowledge about the vast pervasive intelligence in nature, and in plants in particular. What is intelligence? How do we learn nature’s languages? Hosted by Melissa K. Nelson, President & Executive Director of The Cultural Conservancy. With: Robin Kimmerer, Director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment at SUNY-ESF; Monica Gagliano, renowned Australian marine biologist and evolutionary ecologist.
Designing a World for the 100%, by the 100%. Leading women designers gathered by the Buckminster Fuller Institute (BFI) explore the principles of participatory design—inclusion, cooperation, community, regeneration—and how we can design a human world that meets everyone's needs without harming the biosphere. Hosted by Elizabeth Thompson, BFI's Executive Director. With: Erin Meezan, VP of Sustainability, Interface, Inc.; Jane Harrison, co-founder, PITCHAfrica/Waterbank Schools; Dawn Danby, Senior Sustainable Design Program Manager, Autodesk, Inc.
Citizen Science: DIY Knowledge To and From the People. Activists, scientists and grassroots groups are leveraging new technology and collaborative networks to accurately monitor the quality of the environment, expose governmental and corporate abuses, and enable large-scale ecological research to understand the web of life in the age of climate disruption. Hosted by Teo Grossman, Bioneers Director of Strategic Network Initiatives. With: Severine v T Fleming, Farm Hack; Shannon Dosemagen, founder/President, New Orleans-based Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science; Brian Haggerty, co-designer, USA National Phenology Network, a multisectoral climate change research program using citizen scientists to monitor seasonal behavior of U.S. flora and fauna.
Citizen science ecology walk. Participate in national climate change research by observing the seasons and tracking nature's pulse, with Brian Haggerty of the California Phenology Project and USA National Phenology Network.
Eco-Governance. Human-made political borders determine how we relate to ecosystems. What does governance look like when it aligns with the ground truths of nature? How does culture change? What models exist? Hosted by Kristen Schwind, co-founder/Director of Bay Localize. With: Jessie Lerner, Executive Director of Sustain Dane in Madison, Wisconsin, a state with eco-municipalities based on Sweden’s model; Trathen Heckman, Board President of Transition U.S. and founder of Daily Acts in Sonoma, CA.
Public Power To Counteract Climate Challenges and Corporate Control. Bold strategies by publicly owned utilities in communities such as Austin, Santa Fe and Marin County are challenging private energy monopolies and transitioning off fossil-fuel dependence. Hosted by Mariel Nanasi, Executive Director/President, New Energy Economy. With: Karl Rábago, former VP of Distributed Energy Services for the City of Austin’s community-owned electric utility; Dawn Weisz, Executive Officer, Marin Clean Energy, which launched California’s first Community Choice Aggregation program.
Building Power from the Rubble: How Frontline Communities in El Salvador Are Creating Resilience to Climate Disasters. For 15 years, a movement of rural communities in El Salvador called La Coordinadora has led the way in community-based disaster preparedness, building a grassroots movement for democracy and helping make their innovations national policy. This inspiring social movement is featured in the groundbreaking new film and book, The Message: The (r)evolutionary power of climate change by Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis. Hosted by Mariel Nanasi, Executive Director and President of New Energy Economy. With: Estela Hernández, El Salvadoran Congresswoman; Karolo Aparicio, Executive Director, EcoViva, La Coordinadora’s U.S. sister organization; Avi Lewis, filmmaker, director of The Message.
Is the Earth Full? Holistic Solutions in a Growing World. By 2050, there will be 9 billion people on Earth, yet few want to talk about it. The good news is that there are empowering population initiatives around the world improving lives and protecting the environment. Hosted by Suzanne York, Program Director/Senior Writer, Institute for Population Studies. With: Shannon Biggs, Director of Community Rights, Global Exchange; Rucha Chitnis, India Program Director, Women’s Earth Alliance; William Ryerson, founder/President, Population Media Center.
Watering Down: Water Management Strategies for Climate Change. Proven climate change mitigation strategies sequester CO2 in soils and plants, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and build ecological and economic resilience in local landscapes. From rangeland to metropolis, these brilliant innovators are watering down. With: Andy Lipkis, founder/President, TreePeople, biomimicking forest watersheds for climate-resilient cities and water supplies; Courtney White, co-founder, Quivira Coalition, building bridges among ranchers, conservationists, public land managers, scientists and citizens for economic and ecological resilience on working landscapes; Sarah Newkirk, Coastal Project Director, Nature Conservancy.
Eco-Regional Design: Place Is the Space. How do we align political governance with ecological realities rooted in watersheds, foodsheds, culturesheds and regional economies? Hosted by: Kirsten Schwind, Bay Localize. With: Kristen Sheeran, Ecotrust, co-founder/Director, Economics for Equity and Environment Network; David Orr, Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics at Oberlin College; Louise Bedsworth, Deputy Director, California Governor's Office of Planning and Research; Greg Watson, Massachusetts Commissioner of Agriculture.
Resilient Landscapes, Climate-Smart Conservation: The Art and Science of Restoring the World We Want. Learn how insights from avian, aquatic, and terrestrial science can help us recreate resilient land and seascapes. Hosted by Mary Ellen Hannibal, award-winning author of The Spine of the Continent: The Race to Save America’s Last, Best Wilderness. With: Ellie Cohen, President/CEO of Point Blue Conservation Science, focused on nature-based, climate-smart conservation solutions; Robin Grossinger, a historical ecologist who directs the “Resilient Landscapes” project at the San Francisco Estuary Institute, guiding adaptive landscape-level restoration strategies in California.
A New Vision for Marin County: Our Successes, Challenges and Opportunities. Fifty years ago, Marin County residents led the nation in creating a bold vision, resulting in 80% of the land being protected. Today we¹re ready for the next new vision to meet the challenges of a radically changed world. Join leading Marin visionary change-makers for a dynamic discussion of Marin's extraordinary, cutting-edge accomplishments in environmental and agricultural sustainability, and how to meet current challenges and exciting future opportunities. Hosted by MarinLink, the Environmental Forum of Marin, and the County of Marin.
Design Thinking for Bioneers. Come learn and apply a creative, research-based method to help catalyze your visionary ideas, reframe challenges collaboratively to generate a new spectrum of solution possibilities, and use design thinking to find inspiring new pathways to transformative action. With: Marilyn Cornelius, Ph.D. and Zanette Johnson, Ph.D., d. cipher facilitators. (interactive)
Leadership Lessons from the Living Earth. Join this experiential session to meet mentors from the natural world and discover Biomimicry-based leadership practices grown from life's operating principles. With: Toby Herzlich, founder of Biomimicry for Social Innovation. (Interactive, experiential)
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