Karen Brown – Revolutionizing K-12 Education with Sustainability in Mind

“Smart by Nature” education has the potential to impart to our young the keys to sustainable living, revitalize our nation’s approach to schooling, and point the way to a hopeful future. This bold vision developed by the Center for Ecoliteracy is preparing today’s young people for the ecological challenges of the coming decades. Karen Brown, CEL Creative Director and an award-winning designer, explores how this vision is becoming reality in K-12 schools nationally.

This speech was given at the 2011 Bioneers National Conference.

 

Bill McKibben – Global Warming

The mother of all environmental threats, global warming requires immediate technological and social responses on an unprecedented global scale. Author and environmental activist Bill McKibben, a frequent contributor to a wide variety of publications including The New York Times, explores how humanity is rising to the challenge.

This speech was given at the 2005 Bioneers National Conference.

 

Rha Goddess – Who’s Got Next

Young women are rising up to take their power, and in doing so they are re-weaving a web of relationship that promises to rock the world. Performing artist, activist and hip-hop entrepreneur Rha Goddess, renowned for her spoken-word dexterity and feisty political consciousness, explores how this generation’s daughters are branding their own movement of love, power and freedom.

Find out more about Rha Goddess and her current endeavors by visiting https://www.movethecrowd.me/.

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Lois Gibbs – From Love Canal to the Nation

Lois Gibbs, the legendary grassroots champion of environmental justice, describes how society is moving away from counting the bodies resulting from bad industrial and pollution policies to prevention, precaution and other winning strategies for a healthy, safe and economically sound future.

Lois Gibbs founded the Center for Health, Environment & Justice in 1981 after her experience exposing the now-infamous Love Canal disaster, which unfolded in her own backyard (literally). Find out more about Lois and her work and campaigns by visiting the Center for Health, Environment & Justice.

This speech was given at the 2006 Bioneers Conference.

Sofia Quintero: Women Telling Our Stories and Promoting Justice

Sofia Quintero, the Bronx-born writer, activist, educator, comedienne and self-proclaimed “Ivy-League homegirl” of Puerto Rican-Dominican descent shares how she has married her activism with storytelling in the critically acclaimed Black Artemis novels and in other socially conscious entertainment in many media.

This speech took place at the 2006 Bioneers National Conference.

 

Thom Hartmann: Beyond Framing

“Conservatives” and corporate interests use the powerful tools of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) to define arguments, win elections and persuade the public. To be effective in the public arena, progressives and bioneers must first understand these tools. Thom Hartmann learned NLP 27 years ago as a psychotherapist and advertising agency CEO. He is a nationally syndicated radio talk show host, and award-winning author of 14 books including Unequal Protection: The Rise of Corporate Dominance and the Theft of Human Rights.

Find out more about Thom Hartmann and how you can engage with his campaigns and efforts by visiting The Hartmann Report

This speech was given at the 2005 Bioneers National Conference.

 

Maude Barlow – Blue Gold: Water as a Human Right

The world is running out of fresh water, and there is no environmental crisis as great as the commodification of the world’s water supply by giant corporations. Maude Barlow, national chairperson of The Council of Canadians, and author of Blue Gold, will describe the movement to guarantee a water-secure future based on conservation, equity and the public good.

Find out more about Maude Barlow and how you can engage with her campaigns and efforts by visiting The Council of Canadians or by following her on Twitter, @MaudeBarlow.

This speech was given at the 2003 Bioneers National Conference.

 

Thomas Linzey – Turning Defense Into Offense

Thomas Linzey portrays the provocative successes of conservative townships in Pennsylvania to challenge the validity of corporate rights, claim local self-governance and reclaim democracy. Linzey is the innovative attorney and co-founder of the Democracy Schools and the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund. Introduction by Kenny Ausubel, CEO and Co-Founder of Bioneers.

Find out more about Thomas Linzey and how you can engage with his campaigns and efforts by visiting the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund or follow @celdf.

 

Severn Cullis-Suzuki – Remember the Future

Severn Cullis-Suzuki discusses our responsibilities toward future generations; how to heal our disconnection from nature and each other; and how to draw from the best of ancient traditions and modern innovation to build a sustainable future. Cullis-Suzuki, daughter of David Suzuki, graduated from Yale with a B.S. in ecology and evolutionary biology, and is on track to outpace her father as an activist. She founded a children’s environmental group at age 9, addressed the Rio Summit at age 12, and hasn’t stopped since, starting several groups and projects and becoming a dynamic, luminous light in a new generation of eco-leaders.  Introduction by Nina Simons, Co-Founder and President of Bioneers.

This speech was given at the 2003 Bioneers National Conference.

Find out more about Severn Cullis-Suzuki and how you can engage with her campaigns and efforts by visiting her homepage and the David Suzuki Foundation where she is a board member.

Gloria Feldt – Riding the Leadership Wave

A gut level fear of conflict, from deep in our cultural memory, can keep women from realizing their transformational leadership aspirations. But embracing controversy strengthens our power to create social good. Gloria Feldt shares her personal journey from timid teen to nationally prominent women’s rights leader.

This speech was given at the 2010 Bioneers Conference.

Find out more about Gloria Feldt and how you can engage with her campaigns and efforts by visiting Take the Lead.

Chief Almir Narayamoga Surui – Biocultural Conservation in the Amazon

Chief Almir portrays his people’s struggles to survive by protecting their culture and rainforest since they made First Contact with the Western world in 1969.

“Today, we are 1,300 Surui. Before first contact, we were 5,000. That really woke us up because we knew that if we didn’t do anything, our people could end. We became even more worried when we saw that our forests would go together with us. We had to find a way to create dialogue with the rest of the world to find a way for our future. One of the ways that we found we could communicate is through the Internet and through technology, and in that way reach the rest of the world and make our contribution.”

In this astonishing presentation, Chief Almir Surui of the Amazon’s Surui tribe shares the journey that resulted when the Amazon’s Surui people first encountered the encroachments of Western civilization in 1969. Their chief, Chief Almir’s father, confronted the bulldozers and armed men with his bow and arrow. Over the years, the Surui population dwindled to a fourth of its size at first contact, and the surrounding rainforest was similarly decimated. Chief Almir Surui was sent by the tribe to college in a quest to learn how to save their way of life, where he encountered Google Earth on the Internet. He showed up on the doorstep of the Google-plex seeking help. A team from Google Earth Outreach journeyed to the Amazon, where it trained the Surui and 12 other tribes in how to map their lands and use the Internet to tell their story. The rest is history.

Chief Almir Surui is the chief of the Amazonian Surui tribe who are employing the high technology of Google Earth to attain the conservation of the rainforest and their survival. Led by Chief Almir, the tribe has created the first REDD carbon forest business plan to conduct sustainable ventures from the forest. His opposition to logging, mining, agricultural and other development interests in favor of more sustainable ventures in western Brazil has made him the target of death threats and violence.

(Interpreted live from Portuguese by Vasco Van Roosmalen from Amazon Conservation Team).

This speech was given at the 2009 Bioneers National Conference.

 

Gary Hirshberg – Win7 Economics

If we can make radical changes in how we think about our relationship to nature and economic growth, we will see restored, vibrant ecosystems and healthy, prosperous farmers, cows, consumers, employees, investors and future children. So says the iconic food entrepreneur Gary Hirshberg, CEO of Stonyfield Farm, the world’s largest organic yogurt company that he helped start 27 years ago. In 2005, he was named managing director of Stonyfield Europe, a joint venture with Groupe Danone (France). A visionary sustainability activist for over 33 years, Gary is working with large companies to reduce their health-care costs by motivating employees to adopt self-care practices.

This speech was given at the 2010 Bioneers National Conference.