Videos of our local keynote speakers are now available 
FRIDAY OVERVIEW: Great Lakes BIONEERS Program 2011
FRIDAY OCTOBER 14 • OPENING & LOCAL SPEAKERS
9:00 am – 10:00 am • Milliken AuditoriumMUSIC AND POETRY
Claudia Schmidt, Singer and songwriter
WELCOME & OPENING REMARKS
Keynote: Jay Walljasper
ON THE COMMONS
As editor-at-large of the groundbreaking website On The Commons, a senior fellow at Project for Public Spaces, a contributing editor to National Geographic Traveler, and author of All That We Share: A Field Guide to the Commons, Jay Walljasper is truly an expert voice in the increasingly important global discussion of our shared commons. We are thrilled to bring Jay to Traverse City as our opening keynote speaker, inspiring us to Reclaim the Commons!
FRIDAY MORNING 
WORKSHOPS • 10:15 am – 11:45 am
A STRATEGY FOR OUR TIMES: REDISCOVERING, REINVENTING, AND RECLAIMING OUR COMMONS
Scholars Hall, Rm 217
Join Alexa Bradley and other staff of On the Commons in this highly participatory workshop to explore what it takes to enliven, reclaim, and experience our modern commons from local food to the Great Lakes, public space to the digital realm, and more. From awakening a connection to the commons to building the relationships and governance necessary to protect all that we share, the group will explore strategies to create a more commons-based society. They will look at why reclaiming the commons invites a different understanding of what “belongs” to us, who else shares in it, why we value it, and how we can take care of it, leading to how this shift in thinking can become a shift in doing and problem solving. The core of the session will be for participants to “workshop” specific community challenges from a commons perspective.CLIMATE UPDATE 2011
Scholars Hall, Rm 15
This dynamic multimedia workshop will update you on the latest developments as the effects of global warming and climate change become obvious to everyone. This includes impacts on arctic ice, floods, droughts, and the Great Lakes system. Discussion will include renewable energy alternatives and where Michigan is in developing a new energy society. Multimedia artist Peter Sinclair has spent the last 30 years as a writer and activist in the areas of energy and environment. He will share suggestions on ways to influence policy and decision-making, lifestyle choices, and consumer information.LEARNING LOCAL: BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDS.
Scholars Hall, Rm 22
Who will be the stewards of the environment in the next generation? One way to encourage our future citizens is to get them interested and engaged while they are in our schools, and the new Grand Traverse Stewardship Initiative (GTSI) is helping to do just that. The GTSI, a program of the Grand Traverse Conservation District, is part of a statewide network of eight Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative hubs working with local teachers to educate their students about the water and watershed and local environmental issues right here in northwestern Michigan. Teachers and community partners work together to develop place-based education projects that actively involve students and encourage them to become environmental advocates. Presenter Colleen Masterson-Bzdok is Education Director of the Grand Traverse Conservation District and Project Manager for the GTSI.COMMON PLANT KNOWLEDGE
Scholars Hall, Rm 205
Plant medicine and edible wild plants as food were once the domain of “common people” - mothers, fathers, homemakers, etc. Many common local plants have traditionally been useful as either food or medicine. In this workshop we will identify dozens of native and non-native naturalized plants and explore basic methods for preparing culinary and medicinal plants for human use. Together, we will take steps to reclaim our common plant knowledge by looking at folklore and tradition, bringing it into our modern lives. Meg Louwsma has been a lifelong observer of plants and trees. She apprenticed with herbalist Jackie Rushton, studying the Wise Woman tradition. Since then she has led many plant walks and workshops on wild plants.OUR KIND OF FOOD FIGHT
Scholars Hall, Rm 101
Our local and regional food systems are vital to our health, our economy, and our overall quality of life. They support our common need for nutritious food, good jobs, and resilient communities. This workshop will focus on opportunities for citizen advocacy and engagement that can make a real difference. The next federal Farm Bill will be written in 2012, and Michigan’s own Senator Debbie Stabenow chairs the committee writing the bill; this may provide us a unique opportunity to press for a real Food Bill. At the state level, activity will be ramping up to move forward key proposals in the Michigan Good Food Charter. This workshop will be led by Michigan Land Use Institute (mlui.org) Senior Policy Specialist Diane Conners (Healthy Food for All) and Policy Specialist Jim Sluyter (Get Farming!). It will focus on opportunities for citizen advocacy and engagement that can make a real difference.YOUTH MUSICAL EXPLORATION IN MILLIKEN
First Session: 10:15 am – 11:00 am Second Session: 11:15 am – 12:00 pm
Underwritten by Yoga for Health Education and Rolfing® Structural Integration & Movement Education-K M KraimerAll are welcome to join in an interactive study of rhythm with group drumming led by music educators. Work together and create great energy!RESKILLING FAIR at the Grand Traverse County Civic CenterUnderwritten by American Waste, Little Artshram, Odom Reusable Building Materials, Len & Karen Franseen, and Laura Franseen & Norman KjomeMany skills that used to be “common knowledge” are becoming lost arts. From producing and preparing food, to building and repairing useful objects, to generating energy, these skills are worth reclaiming as part of our cultural heritage and – even more importantly – as essential tools to move us into the future. If you aspire to be a generalist with lots of useful know-how at your fingertips, go straight to the source: make the rounds at this hands-on exposition and gain new abilities from members of our community sharing their areas of expertise.
FRIDAY FIELD TRIPS 10:00 – 11:45
Shuttles will pick up conference-goers outside the Dennos Museum entrance and proceed to field trip areas. Return shuttles will drop off conference-goers at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center in time for lunch there. Please bring a dollar to contribute to a tip for the bus driver.
TRIP A: A Village within a City
Come hear the story of how the Grand Traverse Commons were reclaimed from the site of the former Traverse City State Asylum. Visit the architecture and meet the developers, artisan retailers, and community organizations that are turning this Commons into a hub for walkable urban culture and ecologically informed permaculture in our region. The tour will focus on The Minervini Group’s ‘new urbanist’ development (one of the largest redevelopment projects in the nation) and the Historic Barns parcel (containing two magnificent barns, a botanic garden, and 10 acres of farms and gardens). Please be prepared to walk 1.5 miles outside.TRIP B: Boardman River Nature Center
For 70 years, the Grand Traverse Conservation District (GTCD) has worked to assist citizens in stewarding our common natural resources and has continually evolved to meet community needs. Join Matthew Bertrand, GTCD Invasive Species Specialist, and his team to learn about their current work, with special emphasis on their latest initiative, the Grand Traverse Regional Invasive Species Network that helps partners protect natural areas from invasive species and educates community members on managing private lands and landscapes for the good of the commons.TRIP C: The Migrant Experience in Northern Michigan
What is a migrant? What is a seasonal farmworker? Gladys Muñoz, local advocate for the immigrant community, and Father Wayne Dziekan, Director of the Secretariat for Justice and Peace for the Catholic Diocese of Gaylord, will take us on a tour exploring the life of migrant and seasonal farm workers, their difficulties and their importance to the local economy.TRIP D: NMC Green and Emerging Careers Youth Tour
Gain an in-depth perspective on some of the coolest programs NMC has to offer! Including, Aviation Technologies, the Water Studies Institute, and more. An admissions counselor will be on site to answer questions.Similar Tour Available Saturday Afternoon for Life-long Learners
LUNCH • 11:45am – finishes 1:30 pm
Underwritten by the Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance
New location! For the best lunch you’ve ever had, pre-order tickets or buy them at the Registration Desk in Scholars Hall, Rm 106. Lunch will be served at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center (see pg. 7).
FRIDAY STUDENT FILM FEST
Part I in Milliken Auditorium 12 – 1 pmPart II in Scholars Hall, Rm 217 1:30 – 3pmThey will make you laugh and make you cry! They are funny, wise, deep, and entertaining! What are they? Fantastic short films about all things Bioneers, all produced by local students. Support our budding local artists as they explore the media commons.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON
Reskilling Fair Continues at the Civic Center until 2:30 pmFRIDAY AFTERNOON1:30 pm – 5 pm Milliken Auditorium
Narional Speakers from California BIONEERS
JOHN D. LIURESTORATION WRIT LARGE: UNLEASHING THE POTENTIAL OF NATURE AND PEOPLE FOR LARGE-SCALE ECOSYSTEM RESTORATIONChinese journalist and award-winning filmmaker Liu recounts his long-term chronicling of China’s pathfinding experiments to revitalize the immense Loess Plateau. The breathtaking restoration of this radically degraded ecosystem shows transformational change on a large scale in fast forward once we widen our perspective beyond “production” to include ecoservices and natural cycles of renewal that can lead to vibrant local living economies. Next stop: restoration of the entire nation of Rwanda.KAREN BROWNREVOLUTIONIZING K-12 EDUCATION WITH SUSTAINABILITY IN MIND“Smart by Nature” education has the potential to impart to our young the keys to sustainable living, revitalize our nation’s approach to schooling, and point the way to a hopeful future. This bold vision developed by the Center for Ecoliteracy is preparing today’s young people for the ecological challenges of the coming decades. Brown, CEL Creative Director, explores how this vision is becoming reality in schools nationally.ROXANNE BROWNBLUE AND GREEN: WORKING TOGETHER TO SECURE A SUSTAINABLE FUTUREThe clean energy economy presents transformational economic and environmental potential. To achieve energy independence, mitigate climate change effects, and secure a sustainable path for US workers, labor unions and the environmental community must work together to advance clean energy policies. Brown, assistant legislative director of the United Steelworkers (USW), lobbies in Washington on issues such as defense, environment, and climate change; she is also on the steering committee of the Blue-Green Alliance, a national partnership of labor unions and environmental organizations dedicated to expanding the number and quality of green jobs.REBECCA MOOREGOOGLE EARTH-EYE VIEW: MAPPING A FUTURE ENVIRONMENT OF HOPEFrom the heart of the rainforest to the depths of the oceans, Google Earth mapping technology provides tools to visualize alternative futures. Moore is founder and manager of Google Earth Outreach, which gives nonprofits and public benefit organizations the knowledge and resources to visualize their cause and tell their story around the world. She leads development of Google Earth Engine, 25 years of the world satellite imagery data with tools for scientists, researchers, and nations. Applications are being developed for detecting deforestation and mapping land use trends. She shares her global vision in action and how the Google Earth-eye view has changed her.GLORIA STEINEMWHEN WOMEN ARE PEOPLE…AND CORPORATIONS ARE NOT: WHY THE FIRST INEQUALITY WILL ALSO BE THE LASTOften the same adversaries oppose women’s, anti-racist, environmental, peace, human rights, indigenous, sexual liberation, consumer, children’s rights, and other such movements. Yet these movements often remain separate and don’t see their organic linkage. Steinem, the iconic leader who continues to inhabit the leading edges of progressive social change, traces the historical, political, and practical reasons these movements are linked — not ranked — and why our success depends on it.BREAK
During the afternoon break, refreshments will be provided by Edible Grande Traverse in the lobby of Milliken Auditorium. As a reminder - food and drink are not allowed in the Auditorium.
