Thursday, October 3, 2013

Great Lakes Bioneers Chicago - Celebrating Community Resilience



If you are planning on attending this year’s Bioneers event at Roosevelt University on November 1-3, now is the best time to buy your early bird tickets (Oct 3rd) or get in for free by volunteering.  For information and tickets go to www.bioneerschicago.org.  This is an event that strongly reflects the environmental committees values!

Elizabeth Wenscott has been hard at work with the Bioneers core team putting together a program that we think will strongly resonate with the folks within the Tai Chi Center of Chicago's, Sustainable Return and beyond. For three full days we will be bringing together leading innovators from all walks of life to exchange ideas, build networks and inspire a shift to live on the Earth in ways that honor the web of life, each other and future generations.  This is a fun, action-oriented gathering for people of all ages and experience levels who want to learn more about taking care of our planet.  

The program will include:

• A main stage with 7 nationally recognized keynotes speaking on topics ranging from hydraulic fracking for natural gas to saving honey bees and stopping violence in our city.

• Over 30 workshops, interactive panel discussions and skill-shares on topics including time-banking, workplace democracy, renewable energy and healthy food.

• Six world cafe sessions on FOOD, WATER, WASTE, ENERGY, SHELTER and COMMUNITY RESILIENCE hosted by our keynotes and Chicago area environmental leaders.

• Organizing sessions on tar sands, hydraulic fracking and coal extraction in Illinois

• An interactive discussion on creative methods for non-violent direct action, featuring: Kathy Kelly of Voices for Creative Non-Violence; Savitri D of the Church of Stop Shopping; Greenpeace activist Kelly Mitchell; and Debbie Southorn of AFSC.

• Friday evening reception with ecologist, cancer survivor and activist Dr. Sandra Steingraber and music by our own Rhapsody Snyder

• Performances by Capoeira Angola; Alex Yoffe on the Javanese gamelan; the women’s African drumming ensemble Sheboom; and our own Wellington Avenue UCC choir, leading the audience in “Sing for the Climate”.

• Sunday closing celebration that includes Nathaniel Braddock and members of his Occidental Brothers Dance Band International.

• Also, Elizabeth will be presenting a Reskilling on Saturday at 3:45pm.

Please join us for this exciting weekend and pass this message on to anyone whom you think might like to attend!