Networking Sessions and Events at Bioneers ‘26

Cross-Pollinating & Seeding Collaborations 

Facilitated by Shilpa Jain, Marisa Villarreal and Zi Terrence-Smith

March 26th, 27th and 28th
1:30 pm – 2:45 pm

What will help you make the most of your time at Bioneers? Are you hoping to clarify and/or get support with your projects and dreams? Are you looking for collaborators / co-conspirators / companions in the journey? Join this lunchtime networking experience to engage with fellow travelers on shared roads. It will be lightly facilitated with ample time for organic connections. Bring your lunch to the Dharma College and make surprising connections with other conference attendees. Note: Food will not be provided, but, maybe like the school cafeteria, your buddies will share some of their treats with you. 

Lotus Café at Dharma College
2222 Harold Way

Artists’ and Art Lovers’ Mixer

March 26th
1:30 pm – 2:45 pm

For all artists, people employed in the arts and art enthusiasts of all stripes: Come meet some of the artists whose work is featured at Bioneers this year and mingle and connect in this casual space. You are welcome to bring your lunch, pop in and out, or stay the whole time. This is an unstructured mixer, and not a facilitated networking event.

The Marsh Cabaret
2120 Allston Way

Bad Art Club presents “Mutual Bad Portraits”

March 27th
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

Sit across from a stranger and draw each other…badly. In this playful Bad Art Club workshop, we invite participants to pair up with a stranger to create intentionally bad portraits in order to help us slow down, make eye contact, and let go of perfection in favor of connection. Come draw badly and leave with a portrait and a new friend. Low-pressure, drop-in friendly, and accessible for all abilities.

The Marsh Cabaret
2120 Allston Way

Networking for Activists and Organizers 

March 26th
3:00 pm – 4:15 pm

Facilitated by the Earth Island Institute, this session will offer activists and organizers, especially those working in the non-profit realm a congenial space. The intentions are to come together, meet each other, compare notes, and hopefully forge new connections. Facilitators: Bridget Hughes, Earth Island Institute Senior Program Advisor; Jovida Ross, Food Culture Collective Co-Director.  

Ashby Room, on the ground floor of the Residence Inn Hotel
2121 Center Street

Networking for Food System Professionals and Advocates

March 26th
4:45 pm – 6:00 pm

Jeanne Merrill, Executive Director of The Berkeley Food Institute, will facilitate a conversation among a wide range of food professionals, farmers and those interested in transforming the food system who will have the opportunity to share their experiences and make new contacts.   

Ashby Room, on the ground floor of the Residence Inn Hotel
2121 Center Street

Networking for Creatives and Artists

March 27th
3:00 pm – 4:15 pm

Facilitated by Nandita Batheja and Austin Willacy, this session invites all artists and creatives, and people who want to bring more arts and creativity into their environmental/climate work! Come and share your projects and passions and lay the foundation for future partnerships. This will be lightly facilitated with ample time for organic connections as well. Austin Willacy is a staff member at Youth in Arts (based in San Rafael, CA) and Nandita Batheja is the co-executive director of the SOULL (School of Unusual Life Learning). Together, they facilitate the annual YES! Arts and Social Change Jam, a co-creative gathering of activists at the meeting point of inner, interpersonal, and systematic transformation.

Ashby Room, on the ground floor of the Residence Inn Hotel, 2121 Center Street

Networking for Educators 

March 27th
4:45 pm – 6:00 pm

Facilitated by Sharon Gamson Danks, MLA-MCP, founder of Green Schoolyards America, in this session, educators of all stripes will have the chance to meet others in this noble profession.

Ashby Room, on the ground floor of the Residence Inn Hotel
2121 Center Street 

Networking for Health Care and Healing Arts Practitioners

March 28th
3:00 pm – 4:15 pm

Inviting all healers—therapists, counselors, doctors, herbalists, acupuncturists, facilitators, coaches, chaplains, and more! Come and share your stories and commitments and lay the foundation for future partnerships. This will be lightly facilitated with ample time for organic connections as well. Facilitated by: Christine Imfeld, on the faculty of the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point; and Dr. Saleena Gupte, Senior Adjunct Faculty, CIIS and Integrative Health & Medicine Practitioner-Healer-Mentor.

Ashby Room, on the ground floor of the Residence Inn Hotel
2121 Center Street 

Networking for Nature-Based Solutionaries 

March 28th
4:45 pm – 6:00 pm

This session will be facilitated by Brett KenCairn, founding Director of the Center for Regenerative Solutions and Senior Policy Advisor for Climate and Resilience in the City of Boulder’s Climate Initiatives Team. We will gather those working in a wide range of ways to design and implement “nature-based” solutions towards solving critical problems.

Ashby Room, on the ground floor of the Residence Inn Hotel
2121 Center Street

Thursday Throwdown

March 26th
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Hosted by Shilpa Jain

Who is participating in Bioneers this year?  What magic might materialize when we come together? Meet and mix with your fellow attendees in a spirit of welcome, curiosity, and connection. Set intentions, let go of expectations, share stories, and find supportive partners in this playful environment. All conference attendees are welcome! This event is especially for those who prefer spaces free of too much ambient noise, so that they can engage in conversation without having to shout to be heard. This will be lightly facilitated with ample time for organic engagement. Note: Food will not be provided, but the café at Freight and Salvage will be open. 

Freight and Salvage
2020 Addison St

Bioneers Afterglow

March 26th-28th
6:15 pm – 8:15 pm

Bioneers Afterglow is a happy hour open to all conference attendees at the end of each day of presentations, providing a casual atmosphere with snacks, drinks, music and revelry. Party in the Cabaret, hang out in the Main Stage, or visit our fabulous Tea Lounge upstairs!

Important Note: This event is well-attended in a fairly intimate space and has a festive atmosphere with a fairly elevated ambient noise level, so it is best for those accustomed to somewhat crowded bars or music venues. As noted above, there are alternatives for networking situated throughout the conference for those seeking quieter and/or more structured opportunities.

The Marsh Arts Center
2120 Allston Way