Networking: Educators’ Meet-up hosted by the Green Schools Initiative and Green Schools National Network.

Location: World Café

We are pushing Earth’s life support systems to the edge, enacting of a paradigm of “ infinite growth” and taking. Common sense and indigenous wisdom traditions affirm that a life lived with balance leads to a more harmonious coexistence. Coupled with a need for reconciliation across gender, race and other social divides, 21^st Century Earth and community stewardship require partnerships beyond boundaries. Join with fellow Bioneers to engage an ethos for stewardship fit for the 21^st Century. Rooted in the wisdom traditions and best practices of First Peoples, and the planetary perspective of Global Citizens, we will explore models and practices of living reciprocity as if our lives depended on it—because they do. With Ilarion Merculieff, Aleut traditional messenger and Sharon Shay Sloan, council trainer and community steward. Bioneers of all ages strongly invited to attend. (Interactive, experiential)

Location: Council Circle

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, Biomimicry for Social Innovation.
(Interactive, experiential)

Location: Santa Rosa Room

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.

Location: Larkspur Room

How are donors leveraging effective change beyond traditional pathways and norms? From shareholder activism to investment strategies and disinvestment campaigns, explore how foundations can be reshaped to be far more effective. Hosted by Jen Sokolove, Program Director, Compton Foundation. With: Lauren Embrey, President/CEO, Embrey Family Foundation; Tom Van Dyck, Senior Vice President and Financial Consultant, SRI Wealth Management Group at RBC Wealth Management; Jenifer Fernandez Ancona, Senior Director of Membership & Communications, Women Donors Network; Kristin Hull, CEO, Nia Global Solutions.

Location: Sausalito Room

Very diverse women of color and indigenous women in Bay Area urban communities are drawing from their connection to Earth in highly creative ways to move toward personal and community healing and empowerment. Hosted by J. Phoenix Smith, Director, Back to Earth Outdoors, Orisha priestess. With: Catherine Herrera, Ohlone artist, filmmaker; Mira Manickam, environmental educator, multimedia artist, author; Brandi Mack, youth worker, gardener.

Location: Everyone’s Everywoman’s Leadership Tent

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.

Location: Manzanita Room

Storytelling is an ancient, powerful human expression. Today advertisers and public relations flacks exploit the power of story to deceive and desensitize. How can we reclaim the power of story and design more effective “story-based strategies” for a better world? Join the Center for Story-Based Strategy (formerly smartMeme) in an interactive session on applying a “narrative power analysis” and transformational stories from grassroots movements. With: Patrick Reinsborough and Christine Cordero. (Interactive, experiential)

Location: Epiphany Theater