Thursday, March 26th
Climate volatility, political upheaval, and disruptive technologies are driving increased uncertainty in our lives, but across the planet life not only survives but can thrive in extreme conditions prone to dynamic fluctuations from volcano-forged forests to intertidal zone communities adapted to constant flux to desert creatures that have to optimize scarcity. Some species even thrive in extreme, deep-sea hydrothermal vents and inside the nuclear reactor of Chernobyl! In this session, we will engage in guided group activities to explore how such ecosystems can serve as teachers, inspiring us to find our own adaptive strategies for navigating extremes, including flexible niche-finding, frugality, opportunism, mutualism, and modularity. We’ll leave equipped with a nature-inspired toolkit for building resilience, clarity, and adaptability in turbulent times. Hosted by Biomimicry for Social Innovation (BSI), with: Gina LaMotte, BSI’s Managing Director, Capri LaRocca, BSI Engagement & Learning Lead; and Deb Bidwell, Science Advisor and Senior Instructor.
March 26th | 3:00 pm to 4:15 pm
Panelists
Gina LaMotte
Managing Director | Biomimicry for Social Innovation
Bio coming soon.
Capri LaRocca
Engagement & Learning Lead | Biomimicry for Social Innovation
Bio coming soon.
Deb Bidwell
Science Advisor and Senior Instructor | Biomimicry for Social Innovation
Bio coming soon.
Bioneers is delighted to bring together three visionary thinkers from very different fields but all at the cutting edge of our understanding of life on our planet. Ferris Jabr, bestselling author of one of the most masterful books of scientific journalism in years, Becoming Earth, has elevated the discourse surrounding the Gaia Hypothesis to a higher octave, elucidating Earth’s dynamic, self-regulating systems continuously transformed by biological processes. Jeannette Armstrong, a traditional knowledge-keeper of the Okanagan Nation and Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Okanagan Philosophy at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, will bring an indispensable, foundational Indigenous perspective. And world-renowned Forest Ecologist Suzanne Simard, a groundbreaking figure in the study of plant communication and intelligence, author of the highly influential, bestselling Finding the Mother Tree, is just now releasing her newest book, When the Forest Breathes. They will share their insights into how life shapes Earth and explore humanity’s immense responsibility to secure the vitality of the planet, especially in light of what First Peoples have long known and what modern science is discovering about the profound interconnectedness of all life and the myriad intelligences that permeate our world.
March 26th | 4:45 pm to 6:00 pm
Panelists
Ferris Jabr
Bestselling Author and NY Times Magazine Writer
Ferris Jabr, a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, is the author of the bestselling Becoming Earth, which reviewers have described as an “infectiously poetic” “masterwork” that “earns its place alongside the best of today’s essential popular science books.” Ferris has also written for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, National Geographic, and Scientific American and has received fellowships and grants from Yale, MIT, UC Berkeley, the Pulitzer Center, and the Whiting Foundation. His work has been anthologized in four editions of The Best American Science and Nature Writing series.
Suzanne Simard
Project Lead | Mother Tree Project and Program
Suzanne Simard, Ph.D., is a Professor of Forest Ecology at the University of British Columbia and leads the Mother Tree Project and Program. Her research—showing that forests are cooperative, connected networks—has revolutionized forest ecology. Her TED Talk has reached millions, and her bestselling book Finding the Mother Tree continues to capture global interest. Named one of TIME’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2024, she champions regenerative forestry rooted in Indigenous knowledge.
Jeannette Armstrong
Associate Professor | University of British Columbia Okanagan
Bio coming soon.
Saturday, March 28th
A growing body of evidence clearly shows that the health of urban dwellers and the health of the natural systems they live within are directly linked. Historically, privileged parts of urban landscapes have been managed primarily for aesthetic beauty and property value, not for their integral ecological role in the more-than-human world, and disenfranchised communities have been burdened with toxic sites and deprived of parks and tree cover. How can we create cooler, far less polluted and far healthier, safer and fairer urban spaces? In this session, three visionary urban activists and thought leaders from different parts of the country will share their stories and strategies that reveal how we can marshal biodiversity, social diversity, and human/nature collaborations to protect, enliven and empower our cities. Hosted by Brett KenCairn, founding Director of the Center for Regenerative Solutions and Senior Division Manager for Nature-based Climate Solutions for the City of Boulder. With: Elliott J. Royal, Executive Director of Charlotte, North Carolina’s West Blvd Neighborhood Coalition (WBNC); Tanner Yess, a co-founder of Groundwork Ohio River Valley who led the creation of one of the nation’s largest youth green workforce programs.
March 28th | 3:00 pm to 4:15 pm
Panelists
Brett KenCairn
Founding Director | Center for Regenerative Solutions
Brett KenCairn, founding Director of the Center for Regenerative Solutions and Senior Division Manager for Nature-based Climate Solutions for the City of Boulder’s Climate Initiatives Department, has throughout his career supported community-based initiatives across the western U.S., particularly in rural, Native American, and other marginalized communities. He also co-founded several organizations, including: the Rogue River Institute for Ecology and Economy; Indigenous Community Enterprises; Veterans Green Jobs; and Community Energy Systems.
Elliott Royal
Executive Director | West Blvd Neighborhood Coalition
Elliott J. Royal, Executive Director of Charlotte, North Carolina’s West Blvd Neighborhood Coalition (WBNC), spearheads initiatives aimed at advancing equity, education, and economic mobility along Charlotte’s West Boulevard Corridor. She has long been deeply engaged in her community, working to strengthen resident involvement and build partnerships. Among other projects, Elliott oversees the Seeds for Change farm and its youth honey enterprise, is establishing a Youth Advisory Council, and is leading the launch of Three Sisters Market, a community-owned food cooperative designed to improve food access and health equity for the Black community, which has been without a full-service grocery store for 36+ years.
Tanner Yess
Youth and Workforce Officer | Groundwork USA
Tanner Yess, a co-founder of Groundwork Ohio River Valley and Groundwork USA’s Youth and Workforce Officer, has led the creation of one of the nation’s largest youth green workforce programs and brought Climate Safe Neighborhoods to Cincinnati. An alumnus of the Peace Corps who worked on a fishing vessel in the Bering Sea after earning a degree in ecology and co-founded Cincinnati’s Tri-State Trails Coalition, he is also a National Park Service “Mountains to Main Street” Ambassador; SHIFT Emerging Leader; and recipient of the 2018 Murie Center Rising Leader Award.
