Just like our bodies, nature has a profound capacity for healing and self-repair. Filmmaker-turned-ecological-restorer John Liu shifted from documenting China’s massive environmental and societal upheavals to filming a groundbreaking, large-scale ecosystem restoration cum local economic renewal. Prioritizing nature’s ecological functions above producing goods and services, the groundbreaking work is spreading to other nations, with Liu as a global ambassador of dramatic ecosystem restoration wonders.
A World That Works For All: Fireflies, Dumpsters, Soft Power and the Design Science Revolution…
The visionary designer and architect R. Buckminster Fuller’s remarkable legacy inspires new generations to create the Design Science Revolution he first called for in the 1960s. Elizabeth Thompson, executive director of the Buckminster Fuller Institute (BFI), brings to life Bucky’s vision, along with contemporary BFI Challenge Award recipients. Sheila Kennedy, Professor of Architecture at MIT, and John Edel, Director of the Chicago Sustainable Manufacturing Center, whose imaginative design innovations “address humanity’s most pressing problems.”
Robin Kimmerer on Seeing Land as Sacred
Robin Kimmerer, professor of Environmental Science and Forestry, of Potawatomi ancestry, shares an insight from her indigenous worldview.
“On average we lose 200 species every day…shouldn’t we be looking over our shoulder and saying goodbye as well?”
This clip was taken from Robin Kimmerer’s keynote presentation at the 2014 Bioneers National Conference. Her full talk can be viewed here.
Swimming Our Talk: Blue Mind, Ocean Heart | Wallace J. Nichols, Philippe and Alexandra Cousteau..
Illuminating the magical underwater world, Jacques Cousteau’s 1960s films and TV show caused a sea change by moving the hearts and minds of tens of millions. Marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols, ocean advocates Philippe and Alexandra Cousteau, and the Truckee High School Envirolution Club are among the rising tides of passionate innovators making remarkable advances to understand and restore the waters of the world. Their inspiring stories give good reason for hope, including the scientific fact that we have a blue mind born in and of the ocean to guide us.
Escaping Control: Linking Gender, Social Movements and Democracy with Gloria Steinem
World-renowned feminist, writer and change-maker Gloria Steinem connects the dots among disparate social movements to reveal the common patterns of oppression that underlie them all. From gender and race to democracy and universal spirituality, she applies her razor intellect, compassionate heart and nuanced eye to weave a unifying vision of a richly human and humane world where all people are valued for their uniqueness and full humanity – neither treated as property, nor defined by labels or stereotypes.
See more from our Everywoman’s Leadership Program >>
Good Jobs, Clean Environment: Both or Neither | Roxanne Brown and Charlotte Brody
The emerging green economy promises to provide large-scale job creation while healing the Earth and building the middle class. Roxanne Brown, Legislative Director for the United Steelworkers and Steering Committee member of the BlueGreen Alliance, describes how this national partnership of major labor unions and environmental organizations is expanding the number and quality of jobs in the green economy. BlueGreen Alliance Director of Chemicals, Public Health and Green Chemistry Charlotte Brody portrays the real-time societal transformation underway when workers and environmentalists find common ground and also honestly acknowledge their differences.
To learn more about Charlotte Brody’s work, visit the BlueGreen Alliance
You can follow Roxanne Brown on Twitter.
See related media in our Green New Deal Media Collection.
Regeneration: Wisdom of the Wild, Generosity of the Heart | Paul Hawken
“For the first time in history, a civilization — its people, companies and governments — is trying to arrest the downspin and understand how to live on Earth, a watershed in human existence.” Globally renowned social entrepreneur and author Paul Hawken eloquently portrays how we will win a sustainable future by losing the delusion that we’re here on Earth for ourselves alone.
The New Abolitionists: Farewell, Fossil Fuels | Sandra Steingraber & Bill McKibben
Facing climate disruption, it’s imperative to fast-forward the transition to power civilization on clean energy. The growing global movement to transition off fossil fuels is challenging the fossil fuel industry and its political domination. Renowned author and activist Bill McKibben and award-winning biologist and author Sandra Steingraber illuminate the frontlines of these New Abolitionists.
Disruptive Design: What Good Looks Like | Cheryl Dahle and Jason F. McLennan
Aligning business with biology, disruptive design uses systems thinking to create models that show what “good” really looks like. Two winners of the 2012 Buckminster Fuller Challenge Award-visionary architect Jason McLennan of the acclaimed Living Building Challenge and entrepreneur Cheryl Dahle of The Future of Fish-demonstrate breakthrough systems designs that can transform major industries, create a healthy sustainable environment and make life beautiful and fun.
In Pursuit of Happiness: Becoming Beloved Community | john a. powell and Grace Bauer
Can humanity overcome divisions such as race, class, nation, religion, and gender roles to come together to solve the planetary emergency that threatens our common home? Civil liberties and legal scholar john a. powell and social justice advocate Grace Bauer show how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of “beloved community” can overcome conflict, separation and the burdens of history to transcend our fear of the “Other” and work together to heal our societies and the Earth.
Betting Big on a Dream: Coming Home to a “We” Culture – Greg Sarris
Given the extreme economic disenfranchisement of Native American tribes, being an Indian in modern times has given rise to Indian casinos. Chairman Greg Sarris of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria found himself staring down the barrel of massive community resistance. Was it possible to create a casino that would uphold traditional values and benefit the land and local community? You wouldn’t want to bet against him.
Amazon Visions: Saving the Heart of the Planet | Atossa Soltani and Marina Silva
If the rate of destruction doesn’t change, by the year 2020 most of the Amazon ecosystem – the lungs of the planet – will be destroyed or irreparably damaged. But not if these visionary leaders can help it. Amazon Watch founder Atossa Soltani has supported local indigenous peoples to protect the rainforest and their lifeways. Legendary rainforest champion Marina Silva , Brazil’s past Minister of the Environment and Presidential candidate, offers deep wisdom and vision.