Great Lakes Bioneers Conference ‘03
For the second year, the Great Lakes Bioneers Conference was held at Northwestern Michigan College. Sponsored locally by the Neahtawanta Center and SEEDS, the conference drew over 350 people together to listen, learn and exchange ideas. The Great Lakes conference was one of 12 sites around the country linked by satellite to the main Bioneers Conference in California which is in its 14th year.
Each morning, workshops led by local and regional people focused on topics such as green building, renewable energy, food, the watershed, and many more. In the afternoon we sat in the Milliken Auditorium and watched plenaries from California on a large screen. The speakers are inspiring, articulate people who are involved in positive, practical projects ranging from sustainable agriculture to biomimicry. As person after person stood at the microphone explaining their life’s work, a tapestry of hopeful ideas and activities was woven together, creating an intricate pattern for life on Earth. The model itself is as old as the Earth, but the innovation comes as we revamp our human systems by following nature’s example.
Janine Benyus was a great choice to lead off the 14th Bioneers Conference. She was very upbeat and excited about her topic, Biomimicry: Emulating Life's Genius and Grace. When people ask, what is a bioneer, one answer would be Ms. Benyus. She spoke of how nature solves what we may consider to be problems with wisdom and eloquence -- siting examples of the bioneer theme, "Solutions from the Heart of Nature."
We heard, The Theft of the Ark: Genetic Engineering Throttles Seed Diversity and Farmers, from Percy Schmeiser, a farmer from Bruno, Saskatchewan Canada whose canola fields were contaminated with Monsanto’s Round-Up Ready Canola. His presentation received the longest standing ovation when he concluded with his resolve to battle Monsanto in court until his death. He and his wife are both retired and in their 70's. They are at risk of losing everything in their court case against Monsanto. You can learn more by visiting his web site: <www.percyschmeiser.com>.
Van Jones' presentation, The Marriage of Social Justice and Environmental Protection, was perhaps the most emotional of the conference. He spoke of the "Gulag Economy" in California -- a state that has built 21 prisons in the last 20 years and incarcerates an unproportionally high number of people of color. The corporations then exploit these prisoners, paying them next to nothing for their labor while in prison. He showed a short video clip about the impact on the youth in this Gulag economy, after which he stood for several minutes with tears streaming down his face until he could speak again. His message was that to have a green socially responsible economy we must all work together to eliminate the Gulag economy wherever it exists.
At the Oleson Center, the atmosphere was charged with positive vibes as participants browsed the exhibits set up by vendors and organizations with products and information to share; things like a “hot box” which reduces the amount of fuel needed to cook food, solar hot water heaters, products made from recycled or Earth friendly materials sold by our local Earth Island store, fair-traded organic coffee, organic jams, and much more.
Saturday evening, Bioneers were treated to a Bioneers Party with music by the wonderful cajun group, K. Jones and the Benzie Playboyz. It is impossible to listen to this group and stay standing still! It was just what was needed to work out the kinks from sitting and listening all day.
Bioneers offers an opportunity to be surrounded by people who share the vision of building a more sustainable world while listening to inspiring, creative people who are on the cutting edge in many fields, from biology to social reform. Please join us next October 15-17, in Traverse City for the Great Lakes Bioneers Conference ‘04!