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.
One Percent Solutions: Climate Disruption, Fossil Billionaires and Democracy Deficits
Conspicuous climate disruption is here now. At the same time, a global super-elite of fossil fuel mega-billionaires has cinched a political stranglehold on American democracy, energy policies and politics. How can these rogue financial titans be stopped? Activist Victor Menotti, legal scholar john a. powell, and author and political operative Steven Hill outline strategies for rapid transformative change.
Church Without a Roof: Keeping the Faith with Creation Care
For millennia, prophets, mystics and poets have illuminated the oneness of all life. Today biology is confirming that we are genetic kin with the entire diversity of life. Episcopal Reverends Fletcher Harper and Sally Bingham and Baptist Church Administrator G.L. Hodge preach the gospel of Creation Care that more and more faith communities are embracing in a historic shift.
Women Changing the Story: Mother Bears, Polar Bears and Women’s Leadership
Women’s truths, perspectives and voices have been largely missing from the global conversation, but that is beginning to change as women awaken to their purposes and power. Courageous and eloquent women environmental and social justice leaders – journalist Rose Aguilar, biologist Sandra Steingraber, and reproductive justice advocates Vanessa Daniel and Eveline Shen – share their stories of how the leadership of women is changing the story and the world.
Inner Resilience: Back to Our True Nature | Dr. Gabor Maté
Our physical health is intimately tied to environmental health, as well as to our emotional and spiritual ecology. Visionary physician Dr. Gabor Maté explores the deepest psychological, emotional and social forces leading to our society’s poor health and unhappiness. He says we have the capacity to heal both ourselves and the planet by reconnecting with our true nature as empathic, nurturing, social beings.
A Parade of Dwarves: Democratizing Wealth for a New Economy | Gar Alperovitz & Ted Howard
How extreme is wealth disparity in the US? Imagine every person in the economy walks by, in order of income from low to high, with heights proportional to what people make. You’d see mostly a parade of dwarves, with some unbelievable giants at the very end. Political economist and historian Gar Alperovitz and social entrepreneur Ted Howard of the Democracy Collaborative depict breakthrough models for breaking this vicious cycle by democratizing wealth, ownership and access to capital.
Flavors of a Whole Community: Recipes for Food Justice – Nikki Henderson-Silvestri
How can a grocery store lift a community out of poverty? The People’s Grocery provides creative solutions to community health problems that stem from a lack of access to and knowledge about healthy, fresh foods. The personal journey of former Executive Director and home-grown food justice leader Nikki Henderson-Silvestri brings heart, soul and love to community health and wealth for the low-income community of West Oakland, California.
john a. powell – Dance Like You Matter in an Intra-Related World
How might we see the environment, social justice and our spirituality differently if we understood a bit better how our minds work and how connected we all are? john a. powell, an internationally recognized authority in civil rights and liberties, structural racialization, ethnicity, housing, poverty and democracy, was recently the Executive Director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State. He founded the Institute on Race and Poverty at the University of Minnesota; was National Legal Director of the ACLU; co-founded the Poverty & Race Research Action Council; and has taught at numerous law schools including Harvard, Columbia and Berkeley. Introduction by Paloma Pavel, Co-Founder of Breakthrough Communities.
This speech was given at the 2001 Bioneers National Conference.