Tim DeChristopher will be awarded the Bioneer of the Year award for 2011 at the Salt Lake City Bioneers Conference on October 28. DeChristopher will address those at the ceremony through a letter of acceptance.
The Salt Lake City Bioneers Conference, scheduled for October 28 and October 29, will address environmental and social justice problems, and will feature rebroadcasts of plenary speakers from the national conference in San Rafael, California, in addition to a series of local speakers and workshops.
“Bioneers is very eclectic,” said Monica Ferreira, outreach coordinator of the Environmental Center at Westminster College. The conference will feature, “the most innovative speakers on the forefront of the environmental movement” who are “some of the best speakers” that no one has heard of, according to Ferreira.
Thirteen speakers will be rebroadcast at Westminster, including Gloria Steinem, known for her work as a feminist, Phillipe Cousteau, grandson of Jacques-Yves Cousteau and CEO of EarthEcho International and Amory Lovins, the chairman and chief scientist for the Rocky Mountain Institute.
There are four local workshops planned each day, including the Salt Lake Community College Community Writing Center and Citizens Climate Lobby presenting “Creating Political Will with your Pen” where participants will explore how writing can be used to promote change. Peaceful Uprising’s Ashley Sanders will speak about “Rights-based Movements to End Corporate Rule,” and Jonathon Krausert will lead a workshop called “Food Hour.”
The price of admission for students is $40.00, and includes all sessions of the conference, along with the Share Fair and a light breakfast and lunch during both days of the conference. Scholarships are available, as is a Volunteer Hour Exchange program. Educators can apply for a one day pass for free admission. It does not include food.
Those wishing to attend who are not students can take advantage of the early-bird registration until October 6, 2011. The cost is $75.00. After October 6, the price goes up to $90.00. One day admission is $50.00.
The keynote speaker on Friday, October 28 at 7:00 p.m. is Nogie King, Wisdom at Work executive director. King will address “The Currency of ConnectionTM: A Money Paradigm that Works.” The session is free for anyone who would like to attend.
The conference starts at 9:00 a.m. on both days and is scheduled to go through the evening on Friday and through 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.
“This is a great way for the community to connect and come together to make change,” said Ferreira. “It is a crazy group of people that come together to discuss solutions to all of the world’s problems. Through those discussions, people feel rejuvenated and able to continue on in the cause.”
Bioneers started in 1990 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In addition to the national conference, the organization also has a radio series and a book series. According to their web site, the nonprofit “highlights breakthrough solutions for restoring the people and planet.”
