Founder Kenny Ausubel coined the term “Bioneers” way back in 1990 to describe an emerging culture of social and scientific innovators from all walks of life, who have peered deep into the heart of living systems to understand how nature operates. And then how to use this information to mimic "nature's operating instructions" to serve human ends without harming the web of life. Nature's principles—kinship, cooperation, diversity, symbiosis and cycles of continuous creation absent of waste—can also serve as metaphoric guideposts for organizing an equitable, compassionate and democratic society.
As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, the Bioneers provide a forum of solutions-based education presented through their annual Bioneers Conference, which is kind of like a green TED Talks convention: an intimate venue where social and scientific innovators focus on solutions inspired by nature and human ingenuity.
This year they are meeting in San Rafael, California, October 15-17 (with intensives October 14 and 18), 2010 at various venues. Like every year, expect a potpourri of inspiring speakers from diverse backgrounds and disciplines: ranging from Women’s Rights Leader, Gloria Feldt to Lynne Twist of the Pachamama Alliance, to John Francis the Planetwalker--for the entire list, please visit: http://www.bioneers.org/conference
The Conference program is as diverse as a Berkeley Indian restaurant buffet…everything from food and farming studies to the Indigenous Forum; talks on mobilizing the world's youth, climate change (of course), to Native traditional ecological knowledge and how to challenge corporate power. For the complete conference program, visit: http://www.bioneers.org/conference/2010-bioneers-program
The headliner, at this year’s conference, at least in my humble opinion, is Jane Goodall. And yes, I have a thoroughly embarrassing Jane Goodall story to share. When I was all of 19 years old, and working in rural Tanzania, I was invited to a “colonial” dinner party in Dar es Salaam.
The idea of spending an entire night listening to the aged offspring of Dr. Livingstone, I presume, “moan” about modern East Africa was not appealing—however, after living in a hut with no water or electricity for almost a year—the idea of a proper meal, with ice-cold gin and tonics, and most importantly, cheese, glorious cheese (think about it—no electricity means no refrigeration…) anyway, I decided to go, with a Canadian colleague, purely because of the food-- and not the anticipated anachronistic, expatriate company.
I was, by a decade or two, the youngest guest, and surely the only American present at this dinner party. So when my British hosts separated me from my fellow North American neighbor, and sat me next to this tiny, old British woman, I clearly recall fuming, “Oh god, what the hell am I going to talk about with this woman?! The Queen? The weather?!!”
In my view, I was seated between a British woman, who probably drank TNT’s (Tangueray and Tonic) with Karen Blixen and Beryl Markham, and an octogenarian British man that probably played rummy with Lawrence of Arabia and wiped out a few tribes—note: anyone over 30 years old looks ancient to a 19 year old. So the painful conversation began.
“So what is your name?”
“Jane.”
“Where are you from originally, Jane?”
“Well, London, actually.”
“And are you living here (in Tanzania) now?”
At this point, she kind of giggles, “Well, yes, I live near Gombe Stream National Park—do you know where that is?”
“Well, kind of, I mean, I know where it is but I have never been there—so what do you do?” (How American of me!)
At this point, everyone at the dinner table spit out their drinks. But without blinking, Jane responds, “Well, I work with primates.”
All of a sudden, in my head, I saw a neon equation: Jane + old British woman + primates = JANE GOODALL At this point, everyone at the table is not only listening to our conversation but chortling. Yes, chortling—that is what the British do. Being as I already made an ass of myself and I have everyone’s full attention, I thought, why not make this fun?
So I turn to her and say, “Oh, so have you ever heard of Jane Goodall, that weird chimpanzee lady?”
As I suspected, she started laughing. The rest of our conversation lasted hours and had more to do with Gary Larson’s cartoons and Kelly-doing-stupid-things-in-the-bush, than monkeys or anthropology or anything remotely serious or intellectual. I wish I could recall the entire evening conversation, but I only remember laughing so hard my face ached.
I can promise you listening to Jane Goodall speak, makes attending the conference worth it. For more information, please visit the official website: http://www.bioneers.org/conference This conference is where world-changing ideas start.
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