Kenny Ausubel
When people ask me what the Bioneers Conference is, I say it’s a natural anti-depressant. As someone all too well informed about the magnitude of the destruction and intractable predicaments our world uniquely faces today, I’m grateful I also have the privilege of a job that amounts to a kind of “star search” for the greatest social and scientific innovators of our time. When you’re immersed in the inspiration of BioneersWorld and constantly learning about breakthrough solutions for people and planet, it’s simply impossible not to have hope.
Like just about everyone else at the conference, I become color-saturated with the dazzling brilliance, heart, courage and astonishing effectiveness of these truly amazing people and their over-the-leading-edge projects.
Having lived long enough, I know that magic happens – completely unexpected breakthroughs that even the wisest among us did not foresee. In that light, 2012 is certainly living up to its advance publicity as a turning point in human civilization. Whether you may have anticipated the end of the world, the birth of a new one, or another Y2K dud, by any standard truly momentous shifts are afoot.
The 2012 conference program could hardly be timelier, with major emphasis on climate action. Without doubt 2012 will mark the threshold when climate change became an inescapably up-close-and-personal reality across the world, including at last in the U.S. As the New York Times reported, a whopping 70 percent of the U.S. public now associates the extreme weather chaos with climate change. Take a moment to absorb that. This is a sea change that many believed would not occur for years to come.
It was only a matter of time before physical reality would override delusion, propaganda and belief systems. The ground is becoming conducive to major shifts. I encourage you to read our 2012 plenary speaker and world-renowned journalist and author Bill McKibben’s current piece in Rolling Stone, “Global Warming’s Terrifying New Math.” The 2012 conference will highlight some remarkable emergent strategies and successes.
When we programmed the 2012 Bioneers conference early this year, of course we could not have precisely predicted these subsequent developments, but we knew the trend lines and the urgent need to lay the groundwork for dramatic progress. We recognized the imperative both to begin helping more and more people become educated about breakthrough solutions and strategies, and to offer ways people can move that knowledge into action and get connected with each other to build traction.
Of course climate action and all of the other issues featured in Bioneers conference programs are connected, and we’ve created a complete program of Tracks that make it easy for you to see exactly the topics and meta-themes, and where you can engage.
After hurtling through the fast-forward, hyper-intense, wildly complex and at times mind-numbing process of designing the program, we go back through it to sort it by 12 Tracks of interest. Most people are passionately interested in one or two topics or issues. These become points of entry because the beauty of the conference is that then you find out how they’re connected to everything else. You discover wildly interesting new areas that become your learning edges – and perhaps your new passions or work.
I’ll be sharing more in future blog posts about some personal highlights of my own favorite Tracks and programs, though it’s a losing proposition like picking the favorite among your children. For now, just a couple of early tips.
Building Resilient Communities
One clear through line is that we’re living in a house of cards of too-big-not-to-fail systems. There’s no question that we’re all going to be living closer to home with more localized and regionalized systems such as our foodsheds, watersheds and energysheds. Even the Department of Defense recognizes this reality. Decentralization and greater self-reliance are the future. So we’ve created a meta-theme around building Resilient Communities and a “Call to Action” full-day intensive to form a Resilient Communities Network to spread effective practices and innovations. It’s a Who’s Who of top innovators and breakthrough models, including a former top strategic advisor to the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and it’s a theme throughout the whole conference. Check out the recent New York Times op-ed by one of our featured Resilient Communities intensive plenary speakers Gar Alperowitz, “Wall Street Is Too Big to Regulate.”
Eco-nomics
Another Track is “Eco-nomics.” After all, it’s generally economic motives driving the destruction, and it’s economic systems that now must drive the restoration. A crucial component is the decentralization of financial systems. That includes strengthening our local and regional living economies, and democratizing wealth. When the top 400 have more wealth than the “bottom” 180 million Americans, yes, Wall Street, we have a problem. We’re featuring some of the authentic living lights and breakthrough models in all these areas this year.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. Bioneers Co-Founder Nina Simons and I will be sharing more insights and tips in future Founder’s Blog posts, so stay tuned. But for now check out all 12 Tracks of the 2012 Bioneers Conference program.
Then let’s conjure up some magic together at the conference and bring it into the world. Let’s make 2012 the year of Emergence when the world reached critical mass and moved from breakdown to breakthrough.
-Kenny Ausubel, Co-Founder & CEO of Bioneers
