The 2013 Conference on Michigan's Future
|
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unpublished novel offering positive solutions to global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