Bioneers 20th Anniversary – Trailblazers of Environmental Education

If you are truly interested in being a companion of the environment, attending Bioneers (at least once in your life) is a must. This year marks the 20th Anniversary for this organization that has been a voice for the environment long before An Inconvenient Truth. The education the weekend has to offer is some of the most cutting-edge information available with experts from around the world presenting with one agenda - creating solutions.

Last year was my first trip to the Bioneers Conference, held in San Rafael, California. I arrived at a quiet outdoor environment, checked in and was directed into the Marin Center where a lecture was already in session.
I walked into the building and several people were sitting on the floor watching a streaming monitor of the lecture. I followed others through the semi-circular hallway and found my way to a staircase leading into their auditorium. When I got to the top of the stairs I was filled with amazement by the rush of energy from the 2,000 people joined together to learn and embrace ideas for solutions about the environment – WOW! Goosebumps ran through my whole body and my eyes began to well up, I’m sure I may have even burst into laughter at one point. It truly was one of those overwhelmingly wonderful moments.

The Bioneers Youth Program offers a wonderful opportunity for students that engages them in many different facets of educational activities over the weekend.

My five favorite things about Bioneers:

1. Naomi Klein – The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of the Disaster Capitalism – Some people feel Klein is one of the most important political and economic thinkers of our time. I had just seen her in the documentary FUEL with Director Josh Tickell, but hadn’t had the opportunity to read her book. Her lecture was profound and eye-opening to say the least – a true straightforward investigative journalist.
2. Erica Fernandez – This remarkable 18-year-old environmental justice activist and Brower Youth Award winner helped mobilize her diverse community in Oxnard, CA to defeat the placement of a liquefied natural gas facility just offshore.
   
3. Sandra Steingraber – This mother, ecologist, and biologist shared her journey as a cancer survivor and becoming a voice to protect our most vulnerable--our children. She is the author of Living Down Stream: An Ecologist Looks At Cancer and The Environment and Having Faith: An Ecologist’s Journey to Motherhood. 
4. The Google Earth team gave a lecture on how their program could help with assessing environmental impacts on communities in different geographical areas around the world - giving force to stopping major injustices against our planet and its inhabitants.  
5. The food was outstanding and well organized in terms of feeding a group that large all at once. A paid lunch meal ticket provided either a vegetarian or carnivore plate filled to the brim served buffet style. As a member of the press I was unaware of the procedures so it wasn’t until I was halfway up the food line when someone behind me asked a friend if they had their food ticket. When I inquired about where to purchase a ticket, the woman generously gave me an extra she had for her group of attendees who was not present. I offered to pay, but she insisted that I accept the gift.

 In 2008, Bioneers partnered with 18 communities across the country to produce satellite conferences. If you can’t make it to the conference in Northern California, there might be a satellite conference set up in your area. Unfortunately, the satellite beaming doesn't cover all of the breakout sessions, so if possible try and attend in person. If you do, I'm sure you will enjoy the experience. For more information on attending visit www.bioneers.org/conference - For those of  you in Los Angeles please visit   www.labeaming.org