Happy Autumn! 
We are thrilled with how things are coming together for this year’s conference.
- We’ll be hosting hundreds of students this year from upper-elementary to college-level.
- Check out our long-awaited film selection below.
- We have more activities all day long, so if sitting in Milliken all afternoon was too much, get out and get in.
- And if you thought last year was family friendly, be sure to bring your neighbor’s children with you this year!
Big Thanks to everyone who has already registered; pre-registrations really help us in so many different ways! That said, we are completely happy to welcome you as a walk-in registrant anytime during the weekend.
Remember, you can attend all or just some of the conference. Half-day participation is $20. Catch a fantastic workshop or some inspirational speakers and then zip back out into your ‘real world’. No problem. Spread the word!
We can’t wait to see you…
Community Media Pre-Conference!

1-6pm Thursday, October 16 Oleson Center at Northwestern Michigan College
$25 - Please Pre-Register as this Conference will be Limited to 100 Participants
Free speech, public access and open networks are critical components of a healthy democratic civil society. Community Media Centers play a central role by providing public access to communication tools. Meet special guest, Lauren-Glenn Davitian from the Center for Media and Democracy. Get inspired here and then create media all weekend with the Bioneers! Or just attend this half-day conference alone.
Announcing Our Film Selection:
Saturday Night of the Conference in Milliken Auditorium
Tickets $5 in advance
What if women around the world decided to rise up and say “enough?” Documentary filmmaker Gini Reticker’s, Pray the Devil Back to Hell tells the story of the thousands of women in Liberia who came together to peacefully end their country’s second bloody civil war. At the fore of their non-violent protest was Leymah Gbowee, a Liberian woman who organized prayer meetings and started the Christian Women’s Peace Initiative, a group that eventually joined forces with a parallel Muslim women’s movement in nonviolent protest. Their collective effort to improve their country resulted in an end to war, the arrest of corrupt president Charles Taylor, and the election of the first female president in Liberian history — a true testament to the power of a collective will to peace. Winner of Tribeca’s Best Documentary prize. Winner of the Traverse City Film Festival Special Jury Prize for Non-Fiction Filmmaking.

Happening Now; Right Now!
Ecological Gardening: Workshops for Beginners and Experts: From Sept. 22 to 27
Locations in Traverse City and Bellaire, MI
ISLAND, Little Artshram, the Eco-Learning Center and The Green Man are proud to welcome back Dave Jacke, permaculture instructor and award winning author of Edible Forest Gardens. And we’re happy to promote a former keynote speaker for Great Lakes Bioneers! This week of talks and workshops will teach the theory and practice of ecological gardening. Beginners are welcome, and even advanced gardeners will find new ideas to use in their home or business. There’s more information at www.ARTmeetsEARTH.org or call 231-480-4515.
Happening Later!
Corporate Leadership and Sustainability Summit, October 23rd and 24th, 2008
Hagerty Center, Traverse City, MI
This summit is an opportunity for business leaders (both for-profit and non-profit), managers and social entrepreneurs to learn practical methods of turning good ideas and intentions into deliverable solutions that support both corporate values and the greater good. This is timely and relevant to business leaders and managers as they assume roles as bridge-builders in the search for solutions to global economic, social and environmental challenges, and gain a deeper understanding of how best business practices impact future generations. Impressive line-up of speakers and moderated by Tim Skubick.
The Conference on Michigan’s Future: Energy, Economy and Environment, November 14-16th
Crystal Mountain, MI
This conference looks at how rising oil and energy prices are crippling Michigan’s economy and proposes solutions to prepare Michigan for the economy of tomorrow. The conference kicks off on with an examination of Michigan’s energy, economy, and environment; a look at how the mortgage/monetary crisis is and will impact Michigan; and a live keynote talk by the world’s leading peak oil educator, Richard Heinberg.
