Cleveland Bioneers Conference
"Fear is nature's warning signal to get busy," wrote Nina Simons, co-founder of Bioneers, a nonprofit organization that promotes practical environmental solutions and cutting edge social strategies for restoring the earth and its communities. In quoting psychologist and writer Henry C. Link, Simons exposed the seeds from which Bioneers sprang and the industrious path it meant to follow.
The Cleveland Bioneers will be rolling up their sleeves Oct. 17, 18 and 19 to present their second "beaming conference" at The Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University in tandem with the 19th annual national Bioneers conference in San Rafael, Calif. Fear is not on the agenda.
Rather, Bioneers seek to bring together people, organizations and communities that otherwise might never meet, in the hope that new bonds will be forged, encouraging a rich exchange of resources and ideas. Together, these new partnerships will look for effective solutions to pressing environmental and sociocultural challenges.
The conference's in-depth presentations take many forms, including workshops, panel discussions, tours, exhibits and entertainment. Cleveland is one of 18 sites throughout the country selected to show presentations live via satellite from the "headwaters forum" in San Rafael. Local programming, with a focus on concerns specific to Northeast Ohio, will run each day from 8:30 a.m. to Noon, followed by the national broadcasts from 1 to 6 p.m. The evenings will be reserved for celebration. Catch the Wave, an eco-fashion show and party featuring green fashion entrepreneurs, local gourmet eats and a cash bar, will be Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. Folk musicians will take the stage Saturday night from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. for Home Grown Music, a popular concert returning from last year's event.
The conference is scheduled to open with a welcome from Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, followed by the keynote address from Ohio State University's Jeff Reutter, Ph.D., speaking on The State of the Most Important Lake in the World. Dr. Reutter's talk on Lake Erie will set the tone for other presentations, including: From the Lake to Your Glass, Implementing the Triple Bottom Line in a Working River, Fresh Water: Opportunities for Economic Development, and, from Jacques Cousteau's granddaughter, Saving Our Water Planet. Other presentation topics include, green jobs, STEM schools in Cleveland, and Paul Stamets' continuing dialogue on saving the world through the use of fungi. In addition there will be 10 tours, 20 workshops, a boat trip on the Cuyahoga River, and activities such as Nia and Tai Chi to round out the program. Attendees can pre-register for one of the Saturday morning tours that include Urban Farms and Gardens, Reviving Detroit Shoreway and Gordon Square, Building with Clay and Straw, and a bike tour of the near west side.
In conjunction with the Cleveland Bioneers conference, join us and communities around the world on Sunday, Oct. 19 at 11 a.m. on the Holiday Dock at 1800 Scranton Rd. near downtown Cleveland, as we humbly greet the Spirit of Water and gratefully acknowledge all She does to cleanse, purify, refresh, soothe, provide and sustain all life on Planet Earth. The Water Blessing will be led by Sarah Weiss, spiritual director of The SpiritHeal Institute. For more information, visit www.globalwaterblessing.com or www.spirithealonline.com. For more information or to register, visit the www.gcbl.org/bioneers.