Paul Stamets – Report from the Underground

Paul Stamets, the visionary biologist, mycologist and author of Mycelium Running, reveals astonishing evidence of how nature’s solutions surpass our conception of what’s possible to radically restore ecosystems and human health.

“I believe in the natural intelligence of this planet. And if I learned anything in the past several years, its that that precept that I have adopted has led me to some astonishing breakthrough discoveries.”

This speech was given at the 2001 Bioneers National Conference.

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Philippe Cousteau – Continuing a Legacy | Bioneers

In this moving presentation, Philippe Cousteau delivers a rich, visual account of his inheritance of the exploration and conservation of our “water planet,” carried out in the name of his grandfather Jacques Cousteau. He weaves his storytelling with vintage footage shot by his father on the Nile, and before and after filming among the coral reefs in the Florida Keys. As was impressed upon Philippe by his grandfather, the health and diversity of the oceans are precariously entangled with the wellbeing of people on land—including the empowerment of women and girls, access to safe drinking water, and ending our dependence on fossil fuel extraction. Philippe reads a cherished letter from his grandfather to his father, which serves as an inspiration to his family and all of humanity to “seek after the vanishing shapes of a better world.”

This speech was given at the 2011 Bioneers National Conference.

Since 1990, Bioneers has acted as a fertile hub of social and scientific innovators with practical and visionary solutions for the world’s most pressing environmental and social challenges.

To experience talks like this, please join us at the Bioneers National Conference each October, and regional Bioneers Resilient Community Network gatherings held nationwide throughout the year.

For more information on Bioneers, please visit https://bioneers.org and stay in touch via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Bioneers.org) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/bioneers).

The Courage to Walk in Beauty | Sarah Crowell

Sarah Crowell, the dynamic executive director of Oakland’s acclaimed Destiny Arts Center, reveals the unstoppable power and beauty of empowering multicultural young people through dance, theater and violence-prevention and youth leadership classes.

This speech was given at the 2006 National Bioneers Conference.

Wanjira Maathai – The Green Belt Movement of Kenya

Wanjira Maathai is a resonate voice of the ‘New Africa.’ As the daughter of Wangari Maathai, the revered founder of the Green Belt Movement in Kenya, Wanjira has taken on the work of vast tree plantings against deforestation and other environmental and community restoration projects that demonstrate some of the largest and most successful ecological and progressive social models in Africa. She approached the work as an exemplary woman leader in a movement that has been characterized by women’s leadership.

This speech was given at the 2004 Bioneers National Conference.

Glora Flora – Defending Our Forests

Gloria Flora, an exemplary public servant with a 23-year career in the Forest Service, protected the “Rocky Mountain Front” from drilling and mining. She later resigned in protest when “wise use” fanatics in Nevada endangered Forest Service personnel under her command. She tells the story of what happens to landscapes and their human and wild inhabitants when an agency slips on the marbles of political, scientific and social dynamics. She will also tell a story of hope for the future of our families and landscapes based on understanding, and re-instituting the honor and responsibility of becoming ancestors.

This speech was given at the 2003 Bioneers National Conference.

Judy Baca – Tatooing the River

Award-winning painter Judy Baca describes how art can reconnect people to place, revive disappearing history, and repair cultural root systems. While working with at-risk youth to create The Great Wall of Los Angeles, the world’s longest mural, Baca realized that restoring a disappeared river also meant restoring disappeared cultures.

This speech was given at the 2003 Bioneers National Conference.

To learn more about Judy Baca, visit her website.

Alexandra Cousteau – Saving Our Water Planet

As a member of the legendary Cousteau family, Alexandra Cousteau grew up traveling the globe, and learning firsthand the value of conserving the natural world. A 2008 National Geographic Emerging Explorer, Alexandra discusses what we must do to preserve the integrity of our planet’s waters; shares stories from her  adventures around the world; and speaks about one of her initiatives, which seeks to inspire and empower individuals to protect not only the oceans and its inhabitants, but also the human communities that rely on the purity of our freshwater resources.

Introduction by marine scientist and water advocate Wallace J. Nichols.

This speech was given at the 2008 Bioneers National Conference. To find out more about Alexandra Cousteau and her efforts to conserve and restore our oceans, visit her website. 

Jess Rimington – Mobilizing the World’s Youth

Given how serious and pressing our global problems are and how paralyzed our planet’s leaders seem to be, nothing is more important than mobilizing the next generation of rising leaders to finally address the challenge. Jess Rimington is just such an extraordinary young leader. She is dedicated to education equity and international grassroots collaboration as vehicles for global sustainable development. An activist since middle school, six years ago, at age 18, Jess Rimington founded One World Youth Project, which connects schools worldwide to transform students into empowered, discerning and empathetic global citizens. Introduction by Anisha Desai, Director of New Leaders Initiative at Earth Island Institute.

This speech was given at the 2010 Bioneers National Conference.

Wallace J. Nichols – A Brave New Ocean, or an Ocean Revolution?

In this inspiring presentation, Wallace J. Nichols explores how new technologies and large-scale research projects have resulted in an explosion of invaluable information about the health of our ocean planet and what we can do to conserve the 80 percent of biodiversity and 90 percent of global habitat that “Mother Ocean” holds. To change our destructive course, he proposes we must harness this knowledge, make it accessible to everyone and creatively communicate how the state of the oceans is central to the future of life on Earth. Introduction by Nina Simons, Co-Founder and President of Bioneers.

This speech was given at the 2007 Bioneers National Conference.

Terry Tempest Williams – The Open Space of Democracy

“What does the open space of democracy look like? In the open space of democracy there is room for dissent. In the open space of democracy there is room for differences. In the open space of democracy, the health of the environment is seen as the wealth of our communities.”

Celebrated author Terry Tempest Williams elegantly blends language with landscape and regales the audience with deeply personal stories of transformation, both personal and political. She challenges us to bypass political rhetoric and opt for a deeper conversation about democracy. For her, the test of true patriotism is not what we are willing to die for, but what we are willing to give our lives to. This speech was given at the 2004 Bioneers National Conference.

Terry Tempest Williams is a best-selling author, conservationist and activist. A native of Utah, her writing is rooted in the American West and ranges from issues of wilderness conservation, to women’s health, to exploring our relationship to culture and our natural landscape. Find out more about her at her website http://www.coyoteclan.com/

Michael Pollan – In Defense of Food: The Omnivore’s Solution

In this far-ranging, acutely insightful overview, Michael Pollan depicts the profound societal transformation underway in how we eat and grow our food. It’s a “Sunfood” agenda that takes our food system off its petrochemical dependency and unhealthy “food-like substances.” It brings farming back to local communities with human-scale agriculture. He identifies the food system as the single most important determinant of public health and the health-care crisis. This is a genuine food revolution, he observes, and it’s growing much bigger and faster than you may think. Introduction by Kenny Ausubel, CEO and Co-Founder of Bioneers.

Find out more about Michael Pollan and how you can engage with his work and  efforts by visiting michaelpollan.com or follow him @michaelpollan.

This speech was given at the 2009 National Bioneers Conference.

 

 

Ka Hsaw Wa and Katie Redford: Earth Rights

Ka Hsaw Wa and Katie Redford, the Co-Founders and Directors of EarthRights International, discuss their work from the jungles of Burma and the Amazon to U.S. courtrooms to hold corporations accountable for human rights and environmental abuses committed in the name of development. They focus on EarthRights’ landmark lawsuit, Doe v. Unocal, and their work to raise the voices of Indigenous people in international forums through their model training program, the EarthRights Schools.

Introduction by Tom Van Dyck, Senior Vice President for Wealth Management at Royal Bank of Canada.

This speech was given at the 2007 Bioneers National Conference.