OREGON BIONEERS CONFERENCE [more info]
OCTOBER 15, 16, 17• 2004
LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
EUGENE, OR
Oregon Bioneers Information
Since 1990, Kenny Ausubel and Nina Simons have been assembling Bioneers for an annual conference, a gathering of scientific and social innovators who have demonstrated visionary and practical models for restoring the Earth and communities. Now, in its 15th year, this annual conference has become a national example of effective grassroots organizing.
Recognizing that like politics, all ecology is local, the national Bioneers conference has partnered with communities around the nation to coordinate the “Beaming” Bioneers program. In it’s 3rd year Beaming Bioneers holds great potential for catalyzing action on behalf of the Earth. It is an instrumental opportunity to mainstream critical ideas about environmental and cultural restoration. The Beaming program allows communities to plan local conferences that coincide with a live satellite broadcast of the national speakers offering plenaries each morning during the three-day conference. This years 15 speakers include Terry Tempest Williams, Michael Lerner, Thomas Linzey, Amory Lovins, Amy Goodman, and Paul Hawken.
So who are the Bioneers? Bioneers are biological pioneers who are working with nature to heal nature and ourselves. They have peered deep into the heart of living systems to devise strategies for restoration based on natures own operating instructions. They come from many cultures and perspectives and walks of life.
Bioneers are scientists and artists, gardeners and economists, activists and public servants, architects and ecologists, farmers and journalists, priests and shamans, policymakers and citizens. They are everyday people committed to preserving and supporting the future of life on Earth. They herald a dawning Age of Restoration founded in natural principles of kinship, interdependence, cooperation, reciprocity, and community.
Uniting nature, culture, and spirit, Bioneers embody a change of heart – a spiritual connection with the living world that is grounded in social justice. Their pragmatic strategies effectively address many of our most pressing ecological and societal challenges. Above all, Bioneers represent a culture of solutions. Their stories demonstrate that just as people have created the environmental and social problems we face, people can solve them – through a reciprocal partnership with nature. Extraordinary human creativity focused on problem solving is exploding the mythology of despair. The Bioneers focus equally on the creative social strategies that can help us realize these solutions by restoring community, justice and democracy. Over and over, they show how great a difference the actions of one individual can make.
To find out more about Bioneers or the regional satellite location near you check out www.bioneers.org. This year, Bridging Worlds Northwest will be joining with community members and Lane Community College in Eugene, OR to offer the Bioneers experience to the Northwest region. Contact Sherisa Aguirre @ sherisa@bridgingworldsnw.org or call (541) 345-6919 to learn more about how you can get involved. Registration is available on line @ www.bridgingworldsnw.org or by phone @ 1-866-384-3060.
