A conference bringing together visionaries, activists, and leaders as a gathering of equals to explore together scenarios for the future in areas of sustainability, energy, peak oil, climate change, economics, politics, renewable energy, food security, transition towns, bioregionalism, permaculture, environment, compassionate living and culture change.

2012 speakers Include:

Mr. Daniel Quinn, best selling author of Ishmael, Providence, The Story of B, and Beyond Civilization.  In 1990, Ted Turner offered a $500,000 prize for the best unpublished novel offering positive solutions to global problems.  Quinn submitted Ishmael, which was selected as the grand prize winner, by a panel of distinguished authors, out of 2500 entries. *

Dr. Steve Keen received the Revere Award from the Real World Economics Review in 2010 for being the economist who most cogently warned of the economic crisis, and whose work is most likely to prevent future crises.  He is Professor of Economics & Finance at the University of Western Sydney and author of  "Debunking Economics" (2012).

Mr. Richard Heinberg is author of ten books, including The Party’s Over, Peak Everything, and The End of Growth.  He is regarded as one of the world’s most effective communicators of the urgent need to transition away from fossil fuels. Heinberg exposes the tenuousness of our current way of life and offers a vision for a truly sustainable future. **

Ms. Nicole Foss is senior editor for The Automatic Earth and former editor of The Oil Drum - Canada. Foss is an expert speaker on peak oil, economic instability and personal preparation. Foss has delivered her Century of Challenges talk hundreds of times and in twelve countries. Foss has presented at conferences on peak oil, biodiversity, and economics.

Mr. Albert Bates is author of The Biochar Solution: Carbon Farming and Climate Change and many other books..  A former environmental rights lawyer, Bates lives at The Farm, an intentional community in Tennessee;  co-founder of the Global Ecovillage Network and delegate to the UN climate talks; and teaches permaculture, ecovillage design and natural building.

Ms. Stephanie Mills is an author, lecturer and bio-regionalist. Her books include: On Ghandi's Path,  Tough Little Beauties, Epicurean Simplicity, Turning Away from Technology, In Service of the Wild, In Praise of Nature, and Whatever Happened to Ecology?  Mills is president of the Bay Bucks local currency board, and holds an honorary doctorate from Mills College, CA.

Mr. Aaron Wissner is a teacher, writer and speaker specializing peak oil, climate change, money and debt, and cultural transition.  Wissner has organized six major conferences bringing in hundreds of speakers and thousands of participants.  A featured article on Wissner was published on the front page of the Wall Street Journal in 2007. 

Presentations also include:

• The Urban Permaculture of NYC -- KMO of The C-Realm Podcast

• The Story of Zero -- John Barrie

• Powering The Future -- John Sarver

• Modern Media for Advocacy -- Daniel Schoonmaker

• Sustain to Gain -- Renae Hesselink

• Fracking in the Forest -- Maryann Lesert

• Nuts & Bolts of Community Bicycle -- Tom Bulten

• Being Young in a Young Movement -- Christian Smith & Bryan Mets

• Economic Opportunity & City Design -- Mark Nixon

Live entertainment includes:

• Max Lockwood and Aurora Lewis from Big Dudee Roo

• Guitarist and vocalist Sarah Barker

SUMMARY

The VAL conference brings together visionaries, activists, and leaders to explore together visions for the future, including the areas of sustainability, peak oil, climate change, economics, politics, renewable energy, food security, transition towns, bioregionalism, permaculture, compassionate living and culture change.

The event is a wedding of the best features of conference, colloquium, and retreat.

Participants create a clear vision for a positive, realistic future; study the current situation of energy, economy and environment; examine trends, projections and scenarios for the future; and plan together for what to do next, both individually and collectively.

To keep up to date on conference news, join the Local Future page on Facebook.

For questions, email: organizer [at] localfuture.org

NOTES

* Quinn appears via exclusive and extensive pre-recorded video

** Heinberg appears live via a remote video connection