CU Environmental Center

October 2014

Special Issue: Front Range Bioneers Returns to CU-Boulder!

Enjoy our monthly update from the CU Environmental Center. 

Please let us know if you have ideas, input, feedback or news.

In This Issue
Front Range Bioneers 2014 Presenters
The Broadcast of the National Event Includes...

KENNY AUSUBEL

Kenny Ausubel, Co-CEO and founder of Bioneers

 

PAUL STAMETS

How Mushrooms Can Help Us Survive "Extinction 6x"

 

EVE ENSLER

One Billion Rising for Justice: The Future's in the Body

 

SEVERINE v T FLEMING

Millions of Acres: Young Agrarians Needed

 

XIUHTEZCATL MARTINEZ-Youth Leadership  

Our Generation Was Born To Change The World 

 

CECIL WILLIAMS & JANICE MIRIKITANI

Who Will Take Care of My People?                                                                              

 

NAOMI KLEIN

This Changes Everything: Capitalism v. the Climate

 

CLAYTON THOMAS-MULLER

The Rise of the Canadian Native Rights-Based Movement to Protect Our Commons

 

CLIMBING POETREE: ALIXA GARCIA & NAIMA PENNIMAN

 

JOHN WARNER

Green Chemistry: Biomimicry and Molecular Psychology

 

CHLOE MAXMIN - Youth Leadership

Lessons from the Grassroots Climate Movement

 

ROBIN KIMMERER

Mishkos Kenomagwen: The Teachings of Grass

 

JEFFREY BRONFMAN

The Botanical Dimension of Our Human Evolutionary Next Steps

 

KRISTEN SHEERAN

Scaling Solutions for Social Change                                                                            

PATRICIA GUALINGA

Message from the Amazon

 

JOHN A. POWELL

Beloved Community: Interbeing, Race, Class and Person 'Hood

 

MANUEL PASTOR

Transactions, Transformations, Translations: Movement-Building for the Next America 


 

ARIELLE KLAGSBRUN-Youth Leadership

Why People Need to Get Arrested: The climate crisis requires bold action.

 

WALLACE "J." NICHOLS

I Wish You Water

 

TERRY TEMPEST WILLIAMS

A Love That Is Wild: Why Wilderness Matters in the 21st Century

 

Local Presenters

  • Doug Beall- Simple Shelter, Ltd.
  • Alisha Black-Mallon- Natural Genius
  • Marie Zanowick Bourgeois- US EPA Region 8
  • Adam Brock- The GrowHaus, Denver Permaculture Guild
  • Sarah Byrden- Free Motion Dance Center
  • Jeanine M. Canty- Naropa University
  • Robert Chanate- Woodbine Ecology Center
  • David Christopher- The Holy Universe
  • Brian Coppom- Boulder County Farmers' Markets
  • Kim Coupounas- Director of B Lab Colorado
  • Hana Dansky- Boulder Food Rescue
  • Thomas Denkenberger- Citizens' Climate Lobby
  • Teri Dillon- Waking Heart Therapy, LLC
  • Jamirah DuHamel- Dancer,  Earth Guardians
  • Jimmy Dula- Colorado Soil Systems
  • Robin Eden-  Regenerative Lifestyles, Earth Guardians
  • Laura Ekua-Chrysalis Cooperative
  • Avery Ellis- Colorado Greywater, Backyard Revolutions, Integrated Aquaponics
  • Sherry Ellms- Work that Reconnects/Radical Joy for Hard Times
  • Vanessa Espionza- Youth Uprising
  • Lisa Fasullo- Free Motion Dance Center
  • Edgar Flores (Edi Flowerz)-Producer, Deejay
  • Shannon Francis- Traditional Ecological Knowledge
  • Brian Fuentes- fuentesdesign
  • Michelle Gabrieloff-Parish- University of Colorado Environmental Center
  • Ramon Gabrieloff-Parish- Naropa University
  • P.D. GantertFossil Free CU Boulder
  • Jason Gerhardt- Permaculture Institute USA/Real Earth Design/Naropa University
  • Beverly Grant- Mo' Betta Green
  • Belinda Griswold- Work That Reconnects
  • Mark Guttridge- Ollin Farms
  • Saira Hamidi- Mirror Image Arts
  • Kevin Hammond-Thorne Nature Experience
  • Sopa Harmann- Divestment at Naropa
  • Michael Heim- Boulder High County Mushrooms
  • Ryan Henry- Backyard Revolution
  • Christopher Hormel- Rocky Flats Nuclear Guardianship Project
  • Ietef Hotep Vita aka DJ Cavem Motivation- Going Green, Living Bling
  • Kyle Huelsman- Boulder Food Rescue
  • Javier Izquierdo- Natural City Builders
  • Tara Rae Kent- Ecologist, Rockies Edge Permaculture Design
  • Eric 'Gurmukh' Klema- Eternal Sun Yoga
  • Kendra Krueger- Vesica Pi Labs, LLC
  • Ashley Kulik- Food for Thought, Inc.
  • Neambe Leadon- Museum of Nature and Science
  • Amy Mandlowitz- Access to Achieve
  • Jordan Mann- Make Boulder Home
  • Xiuhtezcatl Martinez- Earth Guardians
  • Russell Mendell- Earth Guardians
  • Katherine Millers- Regenerative Lifestyles, Earth Guardians
  • Judith Mohling- Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center
  • LeRoy Moore- Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center
  • Michael M. Moore- tres birds
  • Heather Morton-Burtness- Morton's Organic Orchards
  • Martin Ogle- Entrepreneurial Earth, LLC
  • Candice Orlando- UrbiCulture Community Farms
  • Jon Orlando- UrbiCulture Community Farms
  • Beth Osnes- University of Colorado Boulder
  • Micah Parkin- 350 Colorado
  • Jared PetersThe Science of Street Dance
  • Tim Quinn- Bonavida Growers
  • Andrea Sanchez- Herbal Theater
  • Isabel Sanchez- GrowHaus
  • Ian Sanderson- Mohawk
  • Kasey Schelling- The Living Classroom
  • Amanda Scott63rd Street Farm
  • Susan Secord- Citizens' Climate Lobby
  • Kayann Short- Stonebridge Farm
  • Sabrina Sideris- INVST Community Leadership Program
  • Ian Smith- Lopez Smolens Associates
  • Suzi Q. Smith- Spoken Word Artist
  • Jon Sousa- Traditional Irish Musician
  • Jonathon Stalls- Walk2Connect
  • Pavlos Stavropoulos- Woodbine Ecology Center
  • Seana Lowe Steffen- Restorative Leadership Institute
  • Christi Strickland- Radical Joy for Hard Times
  • Gwen Tenney- Thorne Nature Experience
  • Melissa Terry- Making Neuroscience Fun
  • Damien Thompson- Regis University
  • Davis Turner- Broomfield Academy Middle School
  • John M. Wagner- Waking Heart Therapy, LLC
  • Ben Waldman- Urban Mud
  • Maren Waldman- Postcards to the Earth
  • Candace Walworth- Naropa University
  • Alana Wilson- Fossil Free CU
  • Mike Wird- Regenerative Lifestyles/Denver Earthship/Youth On Record
  • Nels Wroe- Garage Grocer
 

 

12th Annual Front Range Bioneers Conference at CU-Boulder Nov. 7-9 

(FREE for CU Students!)

  

 

The national Bioneers conference will return to the

University of Colorado at Boulder for its 12th year November 7-9.

 

The Front Range Bioneers conference is presented by the CU Environmental Center and brings together the region's progressive ideas, people and organizations to address both global and local issues.

 

Bioneers is the preeminent international gathering of leading innovators and visionaries who offer practical solutions to the most pressing environmental and social issues of our time. In its 25th year, Bioneers continues to uniquely and authentically articulate the relationships between environment, health, social justice and spirit. In its 12th year, Front Range Bioneers is a Bioneers Resilient Communities Network Event and offers a weekend of sharing, learning and action, and is a uniquely affordable community event that brings together the progressive thinkers of this colorful region.

 

Front Range Bioneers features re-broadcasts of the fifteen 2014 national Bioneers plenaries (held Oct. 17-19 in San Rafael, CA).  Some of the notable presenters are:


 

  • Paul Stamets- How Mushrooms Can Help Us Survive "Extinction 6x"
  •  Eve Ensler- One Billion Rising for Justice: The Future's in the Body
  • Naomi Klein- This Changes Everything: Capitalism v. the Climate
  • John Warner- Green Chemistry: Biomimicry and Molecular Psychology 
  • John A. Powell- Beloved Community: Interbeing, Race, Class and Person 'Hood'
  • Terry Tempest Williams- A Love That Is Wild: Why Wilderness Matters in the 21st Century

 

The 15 national presentations will set a global context for the local conference, which features over 35 options of field trips, workshops and sessions with over 80 local presenters. The Front Range program will focus on topics of regional importance, from family farms and b-corps to climate action and permaculture design.  In addition, there are special sessions for teens and activities for children.  

Advance registration ends November 4th.  Onsite registration opens November 7th at 12pm in the Eaton Humanities Lobby.   

 

Front Range Bioneers is a Bioneers Resilient Communities Network Event produced by the CU Environmental Center in collaboration with Naropa University, Local Food Shift, Woodbine Ecology Center, Restorative Leadership Institute, Center for Integrative Botanical Studies, Earth Guardians and Boulder County Farmers' Market.

 

Visit http://www.colorado.edu/ecenter/bioneers for more information on the local event. 

Presenter Profile: Wallace "J." Nichols

 

By Carly Cipolla


He isn't just a scientist, wild water advocate, a New York Times selling author, or a dad. Wallace "J." Nichols is a movement-maker. J is currently a research associate at California Academy of Sciences, and is also the co-founder of OceanRevolution.org, SEEtheWILD.org, GrupoTortuguero.org, and LiVBLUE.org. As if that isn't enough, he is the author or co-author if more than 50 scientific papers and several books, including Blue Mind. J is an inspiration to anyone looking to make a difference in their communities and he always strives to inspire a deeper connection with nature, even if it's just walking and talking. His secret is that he knows what really moves people: feeling a part of and touching something bigger than ourselves.

J's commitment is to building a stronger, more progressive and connected environmental community has led him to advise a group of very motivated graduate students and serve as an advisor to many non-profit boards and committees. 

Many of his expeditions take him to an array of different coasts and waterways across the Americas, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Europe. He always finds that the emotional connection to waters of all kinds is what keeps him and his colleagues working hard to understand and restore our planet. 

Right now, J and his team are working on the Blue Mind Collective, which merges the fields of cognitive science and aquatic exploration and shares research findings spanning many sectors of society. His goal is increase appreciation for healthy oceans and waterways.

A broadcast of J's presentation at the National Bioneers will take place at about 4:00PM on Sunday, November 9th in room 1B50 of the Humanities Building, as a part of Front Range Bioneers 2014. Visit http://www.colorado.edu/ecenter/bioneers for more information!

 

 


 

Written by Carly Cipolla


Since the age of 12, Chloe Maxmin has been an activist. In high school she started a Climate Action Club that kick-started a movement in her community and with her peers. Next, she set her sights on founding First Here, Then Everywhere, a place for young environmentalists to share experiences and speak out to other activists world-wide. Her website,http://firstheretheneverywhere.org/ offers the opportunity to connect with many young environmentalists and become a part of the movement through sharing stories, insights, even troubled times.

Chloe's mission with this organization is to unite all of the young environmentalists around the world so they can all come together and fight for what they care about most: our planet. A visit to Chloe's Website is the starting point of all sorts of connections for young, passionate environmentalists- whether you are working on an active venture or just starting out, you can find the help and support you seek. She believes this mission will spread across the country and eventually all over the globe, motivating teens to stand up and act. I've got to say... I don't doubt her.
 
Now a senior at Harvard College, Chloe is an advocate for divestment and has even co-founded Divest Harvard  to pressure the school to divest from fossil fuel holdings. For that alone she has received national and international recognition for her activism. Thanks to Divest Harvard, Harvard College has joined the 400 schools in the divestment movement across the nation. The organization requests that the institution divest from their holdings in fossil fuels and invest in more sustainable energies for our future. Chloe has joined the divestment movement because she can't sit back and allow some of the most powerful corporations in the world to take advantage of communities and put every living creature on this planet at risk just for their profitable gain. She expects her university to maintain these same values.

 
Chloe's most recent recognition was for the Brower Youth Award . She was also named a "Green Hero" by Rolling Stone Magazine for her climate activism.

Chloe spoke at the National Bioneers conference this year and will discuss the story of her activism at the 2014 Front Range Bioneers Networking Event at CU Boulder. Please join us in room 1B50 in the Humanities Building on Saturday, November 8th to hear her Lessons from the Grassroots Climate Movement around 10AM. 
 

 

Radical Joy for Hard Times

Written by Drew Searchinger

 

Last spring I got pretty down about the environment. After a tough conversation with my Dad in which we fed off of each other's pessimism concerning human nature, I was pretty set on the fact that humans had killed the earth. I walked around for several days with that notion dominating my thoughts: each conversation I had that lasted more than a few minutes would turn into one about how we had destroyed our planet. I couldn't shake the thought. It felt as though I'd realized something that sucked much of the meaning out of my life. What's the point of doing anything? We destroyed our only home, our mother, our reason for existence. We are scum. I was a disaster. 


 
Fortunately, through a series of more inspiring conversations, readings and events, I'm back to my old optimistic activist self. And seeing organizations like Radical Joy for Hard Times at work only instills more hope in me. Radical Joy for Hard Times believes that the health of a people is intricately connected to the health of the natural world they live in. They embrace the feelings of loss and guit that emerge from spending time in wounded places. They endeavor to listen to the land and to one another; and to find and create beauty. The organization's mission is, "Not to protest or to restore broken places to the way they used to be, but to find ways of living in them with compassion, community, creativity, and even joy." We cannot go back to the same earth that existed before 7 billion humans inhabited it, but perhaps we can connect to the planet we all share in a more meaningful way than we currently are.


 

Join us on Sunday Nov 9th from 1:30-2:45pm to see Radical Joy for Hard Times present as a part of the Concurrent Sessions and Workshops, Set F (5 concurrent sessions) for 2014 Front Range Bioneers. 

 

By Jamie Woodworth

 

The way scientists and developers have made use of chemistry nonplusses me. Between all spheres of modern living, chemistry plays a vital role. What chemical compounds are used to engineer our spaceships? How about our household cleaners? There's a matrix of judgment calls that are made among the people and institutions that construct the world around us. All of these judgment calls centralize around one indelible question: "is the chemistry safe?" I'd like to think that, most of the time, safety is always a priori to any other consideration. But, the reality is, I don't even think about safety prior to purchases and decisions. And, a lot of the time, safety is marginalized in corporate decision-making as well. How did this happen? How did safety get put on the back burner like a side dish to a more urgent agenda? There's this measure called "body burden." The whole concept only makes sense in the context of modern living. Every day people are exposed to toxic chemicals, it doesn't matter where you live, what class you are, or how "consumer conscious" you try to be. It's unavoidable. Body burden measures the the burden of chemicals your body has absorbed from the outside environment, chemicals like lead, mercury, and dioxins. Normally, the body works to expunge these chemicals over a metabolic timeline. But, consistent exposure leaves your body with a "base toxicity" over your life. This has implications for long-term health, and depending on exposure, risks increase. One large toxic chemical scare spotlighted BPA in tupperware and plastic water bottles. This event gathered enough publicity to solicit corporate attention. I doubt you'll find a water bottle at Patagonia now-a-days that doesn't proudly wear the label "BPA Free." One victory, and there's many more to go. And that's where John Warner, founder of Green Chemistry, comes in. Warner has over 200 books, papers and patents published-an accomplished academic and activist, he's worked hard to catalyze a shift in industry towards greener manufacturing. The Warner Babcock Institute is a business that employs industry leaders and scientists who jointly engineer environmentally benign, non-toxic, and sustainable technologies for manifold developers across several industries. Their goal is to "pinpoint the building blocks that make technology truly green." In essence, the Warner Babcock Institute works from the microscopic outwards, in order to design the most environmentally sound materials from their most basic constitutive elements. It's thorough chemistry. Moreover, it's ethical chemistry. And there are three basic principles that Warner Babcock developers follow:

 
1.      It must be more environmentally benign than existing alternatives.
2.      It must be more economically viable than existing alternatives.
3.      It must be functionally equivalent to or outperform existing alternatives.

 
Thinking on it, these principles are so basic it makes me wonder why they aren't in every company's bylaws. But, I don't know, that's. just. me. Learn more about John Warner's work at this year's Front Range Bioneers Conference. Investigate how we can demand more accountability on the world we're exposed to. 

Please join us on Saturday, November 8 at 9:00AM in Humanities B150 for a broadcast of John's presentation at the National Bioneers Event.
 

 

 

Earth Guardians

By Drew Searchinger


It's early August, and the sun is beating down on an open field next to a lake in Loveland, Colorado. There are two stages right next to each other, and people are gathered together beneath one of them. I hear voices that I can only be described as booming. They are calling me towards the stage, but I can't see the bodies from which the bellows are emanating. As I get closer, I see something I don't expect: two young boys, absolutely commanding the space, performing with an energy unlike one I'd ever seen. There's more to them than phenomenal talent and presence: they have a passion that radiates with every beat.

Youth director of Earth Guardians Xiuhtezcatl Martinez and his brother Itzcuauhtli Roske-Martinez inspire climate action through their powerful lyrics and performances. But they don't just get everyone fired up with nowhere to go; their non-profit Earth Guardians is an organization of dedicated youth from around the world, committed to standing up to protect the Earth, Water, Air and Atmosphere. They focus "on weaving together the synergy of individual grassroots youth driven projects around the globe, to create one international, intergenerational movement for effective change."  Both Xiuhtezcatl and Itzcuauhtli have a deep and profound connection to the earth that motivates their action. Learn more about their new initiative, supported by Nahko and Medicine for the People, Tim DeChristopher, Peter Yarrow, Winona LaDuke, and more on their websites- http://generationryse.org and

Join us on Nov 7th from 6:00-7:20pm for theNational Bioneers Broadcast in Old Main
Live Free Performance Fri at 7:30pm in Old Main
 

 

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