Reclaiming Indigenous Worldviews: Implementing the Rights of Nature in the Bay Area and Beyond
Join Indigenous culture bearers to explore ways that First Peoples’ worldviews can be adopted into law to protect natural systems for all peoples. Co-hosted by California Indian knowledge bearers, this one-day workshop offers a rare opportunity to learn about how Indigenous worldviews connect people to place. Engage in intimate discussion, cultural arts and hands-on activities. Hosts and special guests will share how Rights of Nature legal frameworks can be adopted in urban and rural ancestral territories, empowering participants with the know-how to organize for the “Rights of Nature” in their communities.
With Maui Solomon (Moriori); Sage LaPena (Nompitom Wintu); Vincent Medina, (Muwekma Ohlone); Dean Hoaglin (Coast Miwok/Pomo/Wailaki/Yuki); Edward Willie (Pomo/Wailaki/Wintu); Thomas Linzey and Mari Margil of Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF); and featuring the Tribal Youth Ambassadors (Pomo) from the California Indian Museum and Cultural Center.
Location: McNears Beach Park
Shuttle from Embassy Suites at 8:30 a.m.
Price: $195 (includes lunch), $5 Parking
Introduction by Brock Dolman, Director of OAEC’s WATER Institute
Visionary ecologist Suzanne Simard has made extraordinary discoveries about the hidden life of forests: how trees, in symbiotic relationship with fungal mycelia, exchange information, nutrients and water in shared underground networks that make them far more resilient to threats and stressors such as climate disruption. As a professor of Forest Ecology at the University of British Columbia, her cutting-edge, rigorous research offers us profound ecological parables about what forests can teach us about community, cooperation and mutual aid.
Introduction by Kenny Ausubel, Bioneers CEO and founder
The exponential market growth of clean energy and the concurrent decline of fossil fuels foretell a radically different energy future. It's much closer than most people realize. Thomas Van Dyck, acclaimed socially responsible investment pathfinder and activist co-founder of the Divest-Invest movement, shows how the clean energy transformation is gaining inexorable momentum with big business and governments worldwide. While technological advances have already made clean energy cost-competitive, Thomas shows how we can accelerate the transition and overcome the desperate last stand of the fossil fuel political-industrial complex.
Performance by Dallas Goldtooth (Diné/Dakota), co-founder of the 1491’s, a provocative Indigenous comedy crew.
Introduction by James Thurston of the global disability advocacy non-profit G3ICT
Due to a neuro-muscular condition, Victor Pineda stopped walking when he was five. By high school, he needed a machine to help him breathe. This life experience shaped his work and passions, and he became a leading global human rights advocate, scholar and expert on inclusive urban development. He'll share the groundbreaking work cities, technology companies and universities are doing to re-imagine urban spaces and unlock our collective potential.
Introduction by Nina Simons, Bioneers co-founder
Before the election, workers were already rising up all over the country and have continued to do so even more now, joining the campaign for “One Fair Wage,” demanding higher wages and the elimination of lower wages for tipped workers. The movement helped torpedo Trump's first Secretary of Labor nominee and is ramping up the fight for a $15/hour national minimum wage. Innovative, award-winning labor leader Saru Jayaraman says that, if we join together, we can end economic inequality in America. Director of the Food Labor Research Center at UC Berkeley, Saru co-founded the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, which has more than 25,000 worker members, 200 employer partners, and thousands of consumer members in a dozen states nationwide.
Introduction by Joshua Fouts, Bioneers Executive Director
Does my dog really love me? Carl Safina, the world-renowned ecologist, author and expert on animal consciousness, reveals that we’re discovering many non-human minds are far more similar to ours than previously thought. They possess self-awareness, empathy and communication skills. They imitate, teach, and grieve; they know who their friends (and enemies) are. They seek status. Their lives may follow the arc of a career. Relationships define them, as relationships define us. This intimate journey into the heart of nature inspires us even more to protect wildlife habitats and assure the animals’ survival.
How do we tune in to the Earth for guidance on how to partner with nature to live sustainably on our beloved planet? Come explore the medicine under our feet as we practice some simple, everyday ways of tuning in and listening to what the Earth has to teach us.
Two leaders in the field of agro-ecology vividly show how agriculture can be transformed into a powerful force to heal the biosphere, mitigate climate disruption and create prosperous local communities. With: Florence Reed, founder of Sustainable Harvest International, which helps thousands of farmers convert from destructive slash-and-burn farming to organic practices in Central America; Miguel Altieri, a professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at UC Berkeley, one of the world’s leading experts in agro-ecology. Hosted by Arty Mangan, Director of Bioneers’ Restorative Food Systems Program.
In these times of upheaval and radical transformation, the goal is systemic change to bring about justice, democracy and values of compassion and inclusion. Building movements requires sustained and deft organizing. Visionary organizers share their perspectives, strategies and tactics. Hosted by Taj James, co-founder, Movement Strategy Center. With: Saru Jayaraman, leading labor organizer, key figure in the “Fight for $15;” Sonali Sangeeta Balajee, former governmental Senior Policy Advisor on equity, and current Senior Fellow with the Haas Institute, who brings a racial equity lens to local governments; Jeremy Haile, a co-author of the Indivisible Guide.
In this experiential session we will learn practices that help to bridge our differences of race, class, gender and other aspects of identity. Come discover how to create transformative change in individuals and organizations through awareness and story practices deeply informed by systems thinking, ecology and cutting-edge understandings of human behavior. These powerful tools can help us bring theory into practice and cultivate our capacity to stay in relationship across difference. With: Ginny McGinn, Executive Director of the Center for Whole Communities (CWC); Mohamad Chakaki, CWC Senior Fellow; Samara Gaev, CWC Senior Fellow and founder of Truthworker Theatre Co.
Council. Language But No Words: Come to the Council Tent and immerse yourself in a communication form that can break down social barriers and facilitate productive relationships. Sound council, movement council, silent council, art council, games and kinesthetic activities—all will be present. Learn something to take home to your kids, your partner, your parents, your workmates, or even a former enemy! Co-facilitated by council trainers Kate Lipkis and Irasha Pearl.
This edge-walking dialogue brings together world-renowned author/ecologist Carl Safina, a seminal figure in exploring what animals think and feel and a heroic campaigner to preserve marine life and the biosphere, with the groundbreaking researcher in forest ecology, Suzanne Simard, whose brilliant work has revealed the "hidden life of trees," including the extraordinary interspecies communication and symbiotic support networks that underlie forest ecosystems. Hosted by Brock Dolman, Director of OAEC’s WATER Institute.
How can new innovative types of urban farms produce healthy food, generate jobs, rebuild lives, and revitalize marginalized neighborhoods? Urban farming master Michael Ableman will share his experiences and guidance on how to develop vital urban farming initiatives in your community, and how to avoid the pitfalls that doom many projects. Michael is co-founder/Director of Sole Food Street Farms, the largest urban farm in North America in Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, the poorest zip code in Canada rife with addiction, HIV, prostitution and homelessness.
Demographic changes and transfer-of-wealth trends are putting more and more investment decision-making into women's control. Groundbreaking women in the financial world are emerging at the forefront of movements to reshape values and practices and redirect capital into positive, socially constructive investments. Three such leaders from distinct segments of the financial world share their insights and strategies. Hosted by Catherine Chen, a Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) specialist, Senior Vice President and Financial Advisor at RBC Wealth Management. With: Ellen Dorsey, Wallace Global Fund Executive Director; Nancy Pfund, DBL Partners Managing Partner, a leading private equity manager.
Co-sponsored with the Kairos Fellowship
The digital world, now so fundamental to our lives, has long been a mostly white and male universe. The Kairos Fellowship program is working hard to change that culture by supporting emerging digital leaders of color, providing them with rigorous training, leadership development, mentorship, and on-the-job learning with some of the largest digital campaigning organizations in the country. By bringing more technologists of color into the fray, we can enhance the tools, metrics, and algorithms that shape our digital world to make sure it serves everyone. Hosted by Mariana Ruiz Firmat, Kairos Fellowship Director. With: Kairos Fellows Irna Landrum, Eric Enrique Borja and Mohammad Khan.
Socio-political and ecological crises and racial and gender-based oppression can very often become internalized in our bodies as forms of trauma – physical, psychological and emotional. We’ll explore how to work to understand and begin to address these deep traumas within ourselves and in our work with others. With educators at Naropa University Jeanine Canty, Ph.D., editor of Ecological and Social Healing: Multicultural Women’s Voices, and Ramon Parish.
Throughout time, stories have been peoples’ way of conveying wisdom and guidance through the generations. In this extraordinary cross-cultural session, we will be regaled by two legendary storytellers from very different traditions—Sunny Dooley, one of the greatest contemporary traditional Diné (Navajo) storytellers, who specializes in the Blessingway oral traditions of her people; and Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, Ph.D., who is widely known for her scholarship in Kabbalah, depth psychology, and the re-integration of the feminine wisdom tradition within Judaism.
Latinos are a force. As the largest ethnic group in California, it is not enough to play defense in the Trump era. We need to build political power, increase civic engagement and organize communities to ensure a place at the table for the long run. Latino millennials in particular can be critical in shaping a progressive agenda that tackles social and environmental injustices. How can we invest in emerging leaders and lift up a collective demand for change. Hosted by Jacqueline Martinez Garcel, CEO, Latino Community Foundation. With: George Galvis, Executive Director, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice; Maricela Gutiérrez, Executive Director, Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN); Guillermo Mayer, President and CEO, Public Advocates; Ben Monterroso, Executive Director, Mi Familia Vota.
What is your origin story? What piece of your ancestors’ story do you hold in this moment? Come to the Council Tent and bring an ancestral relic, if you have one with you. Let’s explore how the lineage we carry and the culture we inherit informs the ways we engage in these urgent times. Co-facilitated by council trainers Kate Lipkis and Irasha Pearl.
How did a motley crew of back-to- the-landers, spiritual seekers and farmers' children reject chemical industrial farming, discover effective alternatives and transform the way we grow and eat food? This great new film by award-winning director Mark Kitchell (whose opus includes Berkeley in the Sixties and A Fierce Green Fire) is the story of organic agriculture, told by those who built the movement. Introduced by Mark Kitchell. (82 minutes)
The one-and-only host/creator of the Visionary Activist Show on KPFA/KPFK weaves her magical astro-mytho-politico meta-narrative, blending pragmatic mysticism, applied divination and democratic animism. She'll invoke Hue Hue Coyotzin ("ancient revered coyote") and the spirit of Scheherazade to unleash a host of liberating trickster genies to help us partner with nature's evolutionary genius, play our role in destiny, and save the world.
Introduction by Kenny Ausubel, Bioneers CEO and founder
The award-winning journalist Amy Goodman, host of that pillar of progressive media Democracy Now!, is without doubt the most indispensable voice reporting with urgent immediacy on the front lines of the most critical struggles facing our nation and world. She will speak about the increased threats to freedom of the press and the crucial importance of truly independent media to hold those in power accountable. In more than 20 years of reporting, Democracy Now! has covered the social movements long ignored by the corporate media, and that are now forming the groundswell of opposition to the Trump administration.
Introduction by Nina Simons, Bioneers co-founder
Heather McGhee, President of Demos, a public policy organization working for an America where we all have an equal say in our democracy and an equal chance in our economy, will depict how deep democracy is the only solution to the crises of inequality and climate change, and how the changing demos -- people -- of America can rise to meet this moment. A thought leader on the national stage, Heather, among her many accomplishments, helped shape key provisions of the now threatened Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
A performance by Oakland’s own incomparably dynamic and uplifting Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company
Introduction by Joshua Fouts, Bioneers Executive Director
According to journalist, blogger, “creative commons” advocate, Electronic Frontier Foundation Fellow, and award-winning science fiction author Cory Doctorow, the fight for a free, fair and open Internet isn’t the most important fight on the planet, but you can’t win any of the other major battles without it. Although the Net is the nervous system of the 21st century, so far we have misunderstood and mismanaged it and made it susceptible to capture by the powerful and corrupt. Cory will share his strategies to reclaim the global lifeline that should belong to all of us.
Introduction by Alexis Bunten, Bioneers Indigeneity Program Manager
This luminous 17-year-old Chiricahua Apache change-maker from San Carlos, AZ, co-leads the Apache Stronghold group to defend her people's sacred sites, tribal sovereignty, culture and language.
Introduction by J.P. Harpignies, Bioneers Associate Producer
The renowned "anthropologist under Amazonian influence" and indigenous rights activist Jeremy Narby, author of such classics as The Cosmic Serpent and Intelligence in Nature, considers the intelligence of living beings and wrestles with his own culture's anthropocentric concepts. In his view, constantly affirming the centrality of humans gets in the way of respectful living in the biosphere. Rethinking human-centered concepts such as "nature" and "anthropocene" can cast light on our relationship with the living world. Because the words we use influence how we think, we gain from examining them with care.
In this thrilling outdoor workshop, passionate chocolate-maker extraordinaire Jonas Ketterle of Firefly Chocolate will share his deep knowledge of cacao (gained in part from working with Indigenous Maya farmers). He covers its origins, rituals and myths, regional varieties, processing techniques, cultural/economic/social realities, culinary uses, and health-promoting and mind-expanding properties. He will also lead us in a "hands-on" demonstration of ancestral stone ground chocolate-making, which we'll get to sample (a once-in-a-lifetime experience!).
Youth meet with Bioneers presenters in a small interactive group to get guidance from experienced leaders. With: Michael Ableman, farmer, author, photographer, a pioneer of the organic farming and urban agriculture movements, and founder of: the Center for Urban Agriculture, Sole Food Street Farms, the Agrarian Elders, and the Center for Arts, Ecology and Agriculture. Facilitated by Lauren Dalberth Hage and Dave Hage of Weaving Earth.
How do we reshape our financial systems to reverse environmental devastation and worsening economic inequality? $50 trillion will change hands from "boomers" to "millennials" in North America alone by 2050. It will remake the world. We are ancestors of the future. We must know what our money does to people and places, then take actions to align our dollars with our values. Three visionary thinkers and actors in the field of progressive finance engage in a robust conversation about the future of money. With: Joel Solomon, author of The Clean Money Revolution; Vince Siciliano, CEO of New Resource Bank; Katherine Collins, author of The Nature of Investing. Moderated by Kevin Bayuk, co-founder and Worker Owner, LIFT Economy.
What are the emotional underpinnings of the divides we're experiencing in our nation, and how might exploring them help us to heal? How might understanding emotions and empathy help us approach vulnerable people more effectively, as well as improve all our relations? Join Arlie Russell Hochschild, renowned sociologist, author of Strangers in Their Own Land, and Karla McLaren, social scientist, author of The Language of Emotions, to explore the value of this much-maligned human capacity, in a conversation hosted by Ayana Young, founder/host of the For The Wild organization and podcast.
Russell and Suki Munsell, creators of the Dynamic Vitality Method, have 40 years' experience in a wide range of somatic disciplines. In this outdoor experiential session, they will blend practices from qigong, mind/body exercises and "Dynamic Walking" to help us achieve mindfulness in motion and to embody a more vibrant and balanced presence as we walk with purpose and joy in the world.
Presented by Ten Strands, a groundbreaking organization working to bring environmental literacy to all of California’s K–12 students.
The enormous benefits of environmental and outdoor science education are widely known, but the cultural relevance of these experiences and access to them remain elusive for low-income communities, communities of color, and English learners. In this session we'll explore how to make environmental literacy widely available and inclusive throughout K-12 public education systems by cultivating community partnerships, meeting rigorous mainstream educational goals, and equipping students with the capacity to build ecologically sound, economically prosperous, and equitable communities. Hosted by Craig Strang, Associate Director of Lawrence Hall of Science. With: Carl Anthony and Paloma Pavel, Urban Habitat/Breakthrough Communities Project/Earth Island Institute; Raquel Pinderhughes, Ph.D., professor and Chair of the Urban Studies and Planning Department at San Francisco State; Jose Flores, award-winning teacher from Brawley Union High School District, CA; Juanita Chan, District Science Lead, Rialto Unified School District, CA.
Mark Shepard, author of Restoration Agriculture: Real World Permaculture for Farmers, runs New Forest Farm, a rare example of a large-scale farm implementing Permaculture and Biomimicry principles. Mark will dramatically illustrate how he is “redesigning agriculture in nature’s image” by using Keyline design, earthworks, water management, silvo-pasture, alley cropping, and perennial polyculture agro-forestry to hydrate the land, build soil fertility, sequester carbon, and restore the vitality of the ecosystems in his care.
In 1851, California’s governor ordered a “war of extermination . . . until the Indian race becomes extinct.” Prior to genocides under Spanish and then American colonization, California was home to the most linguistically diverse and dense populations of First Peoples in North America. California Indian culture bearers come together to speak to California’s true history and to celebrate California Indian survivance, despite generations of relocation, kidnapping, slavery, and mass murder. Hosted by: Valentin Lopez (Mutsun/Awaswas/Chumash/Yokuts), Chairman, Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. With: Loren Bommelyn (Tolowa) Chairperson, Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation; Marshall McKay, Chairman, Yoche Dehe Wintun Nation; Corrina Gould (Chochenyo/Karkin Ohlone), founder, Sogorea Te’ Land Trust; Vincent Medina (Muwekma Ohlone).
The natural world, if we know how to tune into its genius, can offer us powerful insights and direction about our most perplexing questions. In this workshop with therapist, activist, retreat leader and facilitator for the Pachamama Alliance's "Awakening the Dreamer" symposium, Polly Howells; and Trebbe Johnson, founder/Director of Radical Joy for Hard Times, workshop leader/wilderness guide, and author of The World Is a Waiting Lover, we'll discover a few simple approaches to posing questions to nature and zeroing in on both our inner and outer landscapes for answers. We'll spend some time outdoors in the wetlands and parkland around the Marin Center as we ponder a question about our life and leadership. When the group rejoins, we'll share stories about what happened.
January’s Women’s March, the nation’s largest-ever demonstration, revealed great promise, but we have a long way to go before women of color, Indigenous women, LGBTQ people and people of all kinds feel welcomed. This panel of diverse leaders will explore what’s needed for this "movement of movements” to manifest its promise with power and sustainability, as well as the appropriate role of men in it. Hosted by author/activist Anneke Campbell. With: Lateefah Simon, President, Akonadi Foundation; Kate Kendell, leader of the National Center for Lesbian Rights; Betsy McKinney, founder/CEO of It’s Time Network; Alnoor Ladha, CEO of The Rules.
The media is under attack, with assaults on journalists and net neutrality, “gaslighting,” alternative facts, fake news, surveillance, monopolization, corruption, etc. Inspired by today’s sessions on democracy and journalism, this highly interactive session provides an intergenerational space for conversation and action planning. How might we take wise collective action to protect and advance our constitutional rights to free speech and free information? With: Denis Moynihan, Democracy Now! co-founder; David Shaw, Santa Cruz Permaculture & UCSC Common Ground Center; Amy Lenzo, weDialogue & The World Café Community Foundation.
Come experience the healing powers of storytelling first-hand in this rare opportunity to witness culture bearers perform traditional and contemporary stories from the heart of California Indian Country, followed by a discussion about the power of storytelling to restore balance to the world. Hosted by: Cara Romero. With: Calvin Hedrick (Mountain Maidu), Cultural Director, The Fifth Direction; Director of the Ti’at Society; L Frank Manriquez (Tongva-Acjachemen) artist and activist; Dean Hoaglin (Coast Miwok/Pomo/Wailaki/Yuki), Cultural Specialist, Graton Rancheria.
The Water Protectors at Standing Rock have shown the world that in order to create authentic social change, conventional categories separating art from spirituality and politics have to be dissolved. Their braided activism offers us a model of how we can make the shift to a world in which we can all show up whole, moving our hearts and minds with creativity to work for social and environmental justice. Hosted by cultural activist and writer Arlene Goldbard. With: T. Lulani Arquette (Native Hawaiian), President/CEO of the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation; Cynthia Tom, visual artist, cultural curator, founder of A PLACE OF HER OWN, Board President, Asian American Women Artists Association; Rosa Gonzalez, Director of Applied Practice, Movement Strategy Center.
In this beloved, always thrilling yearly event, now a Bioneers tradition, young poets share their original work in a dynamic, supportive environment. Hosted by renowned hip-hop artist and activist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez.
Presented by The Democracy Collaborative
Resistance to Trump is critical, but equally important is developing a new cogent national progressive agenda so that we will be ready to push for positive policies once the political winds shift (as they invariably do). One key is to support innovative local and regional programs that can be expanded nationally when the opening occurs. These "laboratories of democracy" are being fashioned by cooperatives, social ventures, community-based organizations, impact investors and philanthropy. Come explore some of the most promising initiatives from across the country. Hosted by Ted Howard, President/co-founder, The Democracy Collaborative. With: Repa Mekha, President/CEO, Nexus Community Partners, St. Paul, MN; Patricia Farrar Rivas, President, Veris Wealth Partners.
The social and ecological crises we face are all to a large extent the result of poor design of human systems. By integrating principles drawn from permaculture, biomimicry, bioremediation, "living systems thinking" and TEK (traditional ecological knowledge), designers, planners, communities, municipalities and governments are beginning to discover how to integrate the needs of people and ecosystems in setting a new standard for human impacts in order to achieve long-term cascading benefits for all species. Erin English, ecological engineer with Biohabitats, Inc., and Joel Glanzberg, applied naturalist at Regenesis, highlight breakthrough design solutions being implemented around the globe.
Clare DuBois, founder of TreeSisters, leads a powerful journey into the embodied experience of human wholeness. We will delve into an archetypal exploration of our own inner sacred geometry and become part of a collective rebalancing designed to activate our innate, instinctual intelligence. Discover a felt relationship to the feminine and masculine archetypes within you – it’s truly transformative.
Release Grief & Rage, Dance Our Liberation and Rise in Solidarity!
Rise with the Global movement to end violence against women and build solidarity around racial, gender, economic, and environmental justice through an embodied ecstatic practice of Raising our Voices, Drumming our Hearts, and Moving in Solidarity! The circle is stewarded by Afia Walking Tree, Spirit Drumz ensemble, and YOU! Bring your voice, body, drum! Everyone Welcome. No Drum Experience Necessary. Drums will be provided.
This sneak peek advanced "work-in-progress" cut of award-winning documentary producer/director Bill Benenson's new film chronicles an extraordinary and dangerous expedition into the Mosquitia jungle of Honduras that used LIDAR laser technology-generated data to locate the site of a legendary pre-colonial city. They found it! The film (2018) is generating enormous buzz and is the subject of a best-selling book, The Lost City of the Monkey God, by New Yorker writer Doug Preston. A longtime bioneer, Bill, will introduce the film. (100minutes)
Join Kenny Ausubel, Nina Simons, Joshua Fouts and the Bioneers community of leadership for a rousing celebration and mythic meal (designed by Chef Scott LaCrosse with food provided by conscious companies supplying fresh, local, sustainably grown produce) to honor these true Bioneers heroes and sheroes: Amy Goodman and Denis Moynihan, Sarah Crowell (for The Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company); Jeremy Narby; Victor Pineda and James Thurston; Kandi Mossett; john a. powell. Separate admission: $85.
Click here to register
This beautiful short documentary by director/writer/biologist Maya Khosla tracks the efforts of scientist Chad Hanson (Director, John Muir Project of Earth Island Institute), senior biologist Tonja Chi, and other scientists as they rigorously study the resurrection of forests after fires, the bird life in post-burn ecosystems and the crucial importance of wildfires in the Sierra Nevada. Introduced by Director Maya Khosla. (31 minutes)
Fresh from a summer season curating and designing environments for the Lightning in a Bottle and Oregon Eclipse festivals, Living Village Culture and Bamboo DNA are thrilled to have been invited to produce this year's Dance Party, which will feature electro-acoustic world music ensemble Stellamara, whose legendary stage shows are steeped in the music of the Middle East, Balkans, and beyond; and the beloved West Coast DJ and event producer Brian Hartman, whose refined and versatile sound ranges from sweet dub cumbia to organic world beats.
Location: Exhibit Hall, Saturday, 9:30pm-midnight.
Drumming by Deb Lane and Afia Walking Tree
Introduction by Kenny Ausubel, Bioneers CEO and co-founder
How can we take on the most powerful pillar of the status quo—the fossil fuel industry? And how can we, despite these challenging times, find and maintain the necessary courage, steadfastness, and stamina to see our way through to victory? How do we organize and build effective coalitions? Mariel Nanasi, Executive Director of the courageous New Mexico non-profit, New Energy Economy, shares insights drawn from her longtime leading role in confronting the electric utility monopoly, the most powerful corporation in her state. Mariel is an inspiring dynamo who lives by the motto: "Activism is the antidote to despair.”
Xiuhtezcatl and Isa are conscious hip hop artists. This brother and sister duo tour the world using music to make a difference and inspire a revolution in consciousness.
They are Activists who write and produce music to tell the stories of issues facing our world, Xiuhtezcatl and Isa are bringing the movement to the masses.
They write music to battle oppression and bring people together. They write music to inspire people to pursue their passions and use art as an agent of change.
Xiuhtezcatl and Isa released his debut album Generation RYSE with the Earth Guardians in 2015. Isa’s debut album Lifelines was released in 2014. Now Fall of 2017 brings us the duo’s debut album Break Free.
A few of the artists Xiuhtezcatl and Isa have collaborated and shared stages with: Nahko Bear, Trevor Hall, Flobots, Elephant Revival, Jurassic 5, Rising Appalachia, Raury…
Introduction by Nina Simons, Bioneers co-founder
Racialized violence injures all of us-not just those who are being "othered" but also those who perpetuate that "othering." These painful injuries happen on many levels, including on the individual, structural, and societal spheres, so healing must also happen on many levels, but we can't truly heal these deep wounds while the injuries are still being perpetuated. Professor john a. powell, one of the world's most important thinkers and scholars on civil and human rights, Director of the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society at U.C. Berkeley, explores how we can better understand the spaces we currently inhabit and strategize to co-create alternative spaces where real healing can truly begin.
Introduction by J.P. Harpignies, Bioneers Associate Producer
As a primary architect of the globally significant 2016 Great Bear Rainforest Agreement, Jody dedicated 20+ years of her life to the insanely challenging, complex and ultimately successful struggle to protect the largest expanse of old-growth temperate rainforest in the world. This historic agreement formalizes a large-scale model for First Nations reconciliation and shared decision-making, ecologically responsible forestry, and absolute protection of 85% of the forest. Jody will explore how we can find durable solutions to our most “wicked” problems by examining the dynamics of power, gender, science and culture and by using tools drawn from whole systems thinking, innovative conflict resolution techniques and consensus decision-making.
Are you an alumna of CWL or a woman interested in strengthening your capacity as a change-maker? Come and visit together over lunch (bring your own) in the Women's Leadership Tent with Bioneers' and CWL co-founder Nina Simons, to connect, savor the field, share stories and explore women’s leadership.
The clean energy revolution is about how we use power in all senses. Distributed energy calls for distributed power and economic, social and environmental justice. What does it look like now on the ground? How do we get from here to there? With: Thomas Van Dyck, Managing Director/Financial Advisor, SRI Wealth Management Group, RBC Wealth Management, a leader in socially-responsible investing for 30+ years; Mariel Nanasi, Executive Director/President, New Energy Economy; Marco Krapels, Executive Vice President of Strategy & Global Markets at SolarCity. Hosted by Sarah Shanley Hope, Executive Director of The Solutions Project (100.org), a national organization accelerating the transition to 100% clean, renewable energy.
Representatives from some of the most innovative initiatives working to create broad-based coalitions to protect large ecosystems and guarantee sustainable development share their successful strategies. With: Jody Holmes, Ph.D., Project Director of the Rainforest Solutions Project, which worked for 20+ years to bring together all the stakeholders, including many First Nations, to protect the Great Bear ecosystem, the world’s largest coastal temperate rainforest; Henry Izumizaki, Strategy Director for The Russell Family Foundation’s Puyallup Watershed Initiative, a bold new model of community centered change in a vast region of the Pacific Northwest; Deon Ben (Navajo), Native American Program Manager for the Grand Canyon Trust, working to protect and restore the Colorado Plateau. Hosted by Jason Mark, Editor-in-Chief of the Sierra Club's magazine, Sierra.
What does it mean to partner across differences and divides to bring together enough diverse constituencies and organizations in solidarity to create a successful mass movement for progressive change? With: Angela Adrar, Executive Director, Climate Justice Alliance; Cindy Wiesner, National Coordinator, Grassroots Global Justice Alliance; Kandi Mossett, Native Energy and Justice Transition Organizer of the Indigenous Environmental Network; Dawn Phillips, Executive Director of Right to the City Alliance.
The current moment has brutally exposed that our constitutional principles and values are more vulnerable than we thought, that shared understandings we took for granted could be tested in unimaginable ways. While we continue to resist, how do we simultaneously cultivate a new, shared story of “us”? What will it take to demonstrate a conception of “we” that is inclusive and just? Do we have the will to find ways of working together that are not predicated on oppression or a denial of our humanity? Hosted by Connie Cagampang Heller, Co-Director of Linked Fate Fund for Justice and founder of Project Linked Fate. With: john a. powell, Director of the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society at UC Berkeley; Heather McGhee, President of Demos; Jonathan Smucker, author of Hegemony How-To: A Roadmap for Radicals.
What do we do with what we have gathered in our hearts and minds this weekend? Come to the Council Tent where strength lies in our willingness to be vulnerable and our commitment to paying attention. Let's explore how our Bioneers experience can come alive and change the way we show up with friends, family and colleagues. Hosted by council trainer Irasha Pearl and guest facilitators from The Ojai Foundation and Center for Council.
Are you an alumna of CWL or a woman who's interested in strengthening your capacity as a change-maker? Come and visit together in the Women's Leadership Tent with Bioneers' and CWL co-founder Nina Simons, to connect, savor the field, share stories and learn about CWL's work.
Bring your stories, songs, poems, issues, jokes and ideas to share. This is your chance to take the stage and be heard.
There have been prominent women in the Permaculture and sustainability movements, but there are still barriers to full participation by women, Indigenous people and other often disenfranchised frontline communities. How can the sustainability movement become more inclusive and better support struggles for human rights and social justice in these trying times? An interactive panel with: Starhawk, Marisha Auerbach, Wanda Stewart, Pandora Thomas, Delia Carroll, Maya Blow, Karen Taylor and Jasmine Fuego.
Human health cannot be looked at in isolation: our vitality and well-being depend on clean water and air, resilient ecosystems, vibrant communities, and social justice and fairness. Hosted by Barbara Sattler, RN, DrPH, FAAN, Professor, Public Health Program,UCSF. With: Rupa Marya, MD, Assistant Professor at the UCSF School of Medicine, campaigner against racism and excessive police violence, (and world-touring leader of the band Rupa & the April Fishes); Deborah Payne, Health Coordinator for the Kentucky Environmental Foundation; Ted Howard, President of the Democracy Collaborative, co-author of Can Hospitals Heal America's Communities?
What practical strategies can we cultivate to strengthen our ability to operate from our ideal intended outcomes and apply "inspired coherence" in our work? Hosted by Prajna Horn, co-founder, ED, Coherence Lab. With: Joanna Macy, beloved and renowned "whole systems" thinker, activist and Buddhist teacher; Shilpa Jain, Executive Director, YES! World; Rene Henery, ecologist and eco-geographer, California Science Director for Trout Unlimited.
To close out the conference in a meaningful way, we gather to process the emotions, ideas and inspirations that arose during the conference to help us bring what we have learned back to our communities. Facilitated by Ernesto Reyes, Bioneers Youth Leadership Program Manager.
Hawaii’s Poet Laureate, Kealoha, presents a creation story in epic poem form that traces human origins from the Big Bang to the present day using a dazzling mix of science, poetry, storytelling, movement, music, visual art, and chanting. A multi-media feast for the soul, this performance explores life’s biggest questions—“Where do we come from?” “Where are we going?”—drawing from sources as diverse and yet interconnected as astrophysics, disco, biology, Michael Jackson, and the Kumulipo.
Co-sponsored with the Marin Carbon Project
“Climate change, quite simply, cannot be halted without fixing agriculture.” - Michael Pollan
Capturing and storing carbon in the soil—carbon sequestration—is among the most practical and promising ways to mitigate climate disruption on a large scale. Carbon farming also has multiple agricultural benefits: protecting against drought and flooding, enhancing fertility, and boosting production.
The Marin Carbon Project co-founded by John Wick, is one of the nation’s most cutting-edge research and implementation efforts in this domain, performing field trials, gathering rigorous data, and advancing scalable tools and practical models for widespread adoption. Calla Rose Ostrander, an activist with a background in climate policy, has been working with John Wick and many of the organizations in this rapidly growing field to advance these solutions at the state and federal level.
We’ll spend the day at the beautiful Stemple Creek Ranch in West Marin, a thousand acres protected in perpetuity in an agricultural land trust, which raises grass-fed beef and lamb using strict animal welfare practices, and which has protected three miles of riparian area and planted 1,000 trees to help control erosion, provide shade, and create habitat for wildlife. We’ll discover firsthand how carbon farming practices work and their enormous potential. Our guides will be: Loren Poncia, rancher/owner of Stemple Creek (which has been in his family for a century); John Wick, rancher, carbon farmer, and sustainable land management advocate, co-founder of the Marin Carbon Project and co-owner of the Nicasio Native Grass Ranch in Marin; and Calla Rose Ostrander, a strategic advisor to individuals and organizations committed to stabilizing Earth’s climate who worked for 10 years in municipal climate policy for the cities of Aspen and San Francisco and also worked at Earth Economics and the Rocky Mountain Institute; Whendee Silver, Professor, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, UC Berkeley; Rebecca Burgess, Executive Director of Fibershed, board chair of the Carbon Cycle Institute; Paul Muller, co-owner of Full Belly Farm, a pioneering northern CA organic farm; Puja Batra, Ph.D., founder of Batra Ecological Strategies, highly experienced sustainability consultant; Janaki Jagannath, coordinator of the Community Alliance for Agroecology; Elly Brown, Director of the San Diego Food System Alliance, a coalition with a mission to develop a healthy, equitable, and sustainable food system; and Mark Shepard, CEO of Restoration Agriculture Development and Forest Agriculture Enterprises, author of Restoration Agriculture: Real-World Permaculture for Farmers.
Price: $195 (includes lunch)
