Conference Schedule
Pre-Conference Presentations

Breakout Session 1: creating living economies through…

Changing Consciousness

AEducation in a Living Economy

Dr. Orr will offer timely thinking on environmental literacy in education.

Community

EEco-Village: The Eco-Village as a Support to a Living Economy

An eco-village provides the support and setting for people to live with the Earth as primary. The panel represents members of present and planned eco-villages. They will reflect on how they see their particular community developing.

Karen Hansen is involved in developing the Heartland Eco-village.
Megan Quinn Bachman is the Outreach Director of the non-profit Community Solutions, which is developing the Agraria ecological community located in Yellow Springs.
Jim Schenk founded Imago, with his wife Eileen, in 1978. Through his leadership, Imago spawned Enright Ridge Urban Eco-village of which Jim is coordinator.

Economics as a Means of Exchange

FRevisiting Sustainable Development: Relating Poverty, The Environment and a Living Economy

Since the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 the idea of sustainable development has intended to connect issues of the environment and poverty. If we are to work for truly sustainable communities we must find new ways to address poverty and the environment in an integrated and systemic way. This session will explore innovative ways this is being practiced.

Dr. James Buchanan has been university professor and director of the Brueggeman Center for Dialogue at Xavier University since 2003. He has been involved in work on sustainable development both in the US and worldwide for over 25 years, including being a negotiator at the Earth Summit in 1992. He has written Changing Nature’s Course.

GEnough-ness: Voluntary Simplicity for the Middle Class

The key to happiness is knowing when you have enough, identifying the point where less is more, and pursuing mindful living within your current context of life. Come dialogue with us about these and other truths.

Donna and Eric Sigl-Davies are passionate about intentional community, voluntary simplicity, alternative transportation, ecological spirituality and sustainability. They are members of Simply Living, in Columbus, where they facilitate workshops on voluntary simplicity.

Energy

IThe Smart Jitney: Rapid, Realistic, Transport, Reinvention

As the age of cheap oil comes to an end, radical new ways of transporting ourselves are required. From implementing emergency ridesharing measures like the Community Solutions’ “Smart Jitney” plan, to re-structuring our communities, we’ll explore creative transport options.

Pat Murphy is the Executive Director of the non-profit Community Solutions and author of Plan C: Community Survival Strategies for Peak Oil and Climate Change.

JReducing Our Carbon Footprint: Cincinnati’s Climate Protection Plan

Before we finish breakfast each day, each one of us has made at least 3 decisions that impact the climate. By the end of the day, we’ve made dozens. What are those decisions, and how can we choose a path with less climate impact?

Larry Falkin is Director of the City of Cincinnati’s Office of Environmental Quality (OEQ). OEQ led the development and now leads the implementation of the Green Cincinnati Action Plan (The City’s climate protection plan).

Spirituality’s Role in a Living Economy

MTruth, Beauty and Goodness: Toward a Spirituality of Voluntary Simplicity

In this session Miriam Therese MacGillis will explore the search for a spirituality that finds fulfillment and energy in voluntary simplicity while fostering beauty in the process of meeting our basic human needs.

Breakout Session 2: creating living economies through…

Changing Counsciousness

PPlace of Art in a Living Economy

This session explores the interconnections between artistic expression and economic models that fit with and articulate Earth’s living bioregions. Through presentation and hands-on activities, participants will work together to create working solutions for a collaborative existence between artistic expression, economics and Earth.

Adrian Vance Hawk is a practicing art educator, artist, and environmentalist. She combines her love for the Earth and artistic expression to create meaningful experiences for the young artists she teaches.

QReflective Questions

An opportunity to discuss with peers relevant questions – opening the door to new insights, receive support in identifying your new path and opportunities to give voice to your fears.

Isabelle Healy is an organizational consultant, coach and facilitator. Her work as a facilitator provides creative and supportive ways for people to give voice to what is most important to them.

Community

RUnderstanding Your Bioregion

Residents of the Ohio River Basin Bioregion will reflect on this region as an example of a way to look at a bioregion and how it can function in a sustainable way.

Bill Cahalan, PhD has led Earth awareness retreats since 1983. He helped publish a bioregional newsletter for several years, and helps grow the local food economy. He is a resident of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Frank Traina has a PhD in Sociology from Cornell University. He now owns and operates Sunrock Farm, a 113 acre ecological learning farm in Northern Kentucky. He is the founder of the Society for Evolution Education. He is a resident of Wilder, Kentucky.
Marti Crouch, PhD examines the relationships between people and plants. She has taught courses on the Biology of Food, the Ecology of Everyday Life, and Life Through the Eyes of a Potato: the Changing Face of Agriculture. She is a resident of Bloomington, Indiana.

Economics as a Means of Exchange

SEthics in Living Economies

For our economy to be viable, we must enact economic principles that reflect the wisdom of the landscape and foster the creative energy necessary to re-envision our extractive economy towards a living economy.

Leon Chartrand, PhD is Executive Director, Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation; Adjunct Professor in Ethics, Xavier University; Founder, Bear Wise Wyoming.

TThe New Local Economy with Local Green Business Entrepreneurs

Four local economy entrepreneurs will describe local green businesses, diverse examples of the new local economy, including a green general store in the central business district, a solar panel installation firm and a local whole foods restaurant, and a native plant business.

Carl Adams is the owner of SunRock Solar LLC, a Cincinnati based renewable energy design and installation company. He is a certified installer of photo voltaic and solar thermal systems. Mr. Adams also teaches renewable energy courses for local colleges and organizations.
Dan Korman is founder and owner of Park + Vine, Cincinnati’s Green General Store. Dan graduated from the school of planning at the University of Cincinnati in 1991 and studied preservation planning at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY in 1997. He has been involved in the revitalization in downtown. His is a big architecture buff, urban explorer and a believer in supporting local economies.
Lisa Kagen is the owner of Melt, an eclectic vegan-friendly deli that offers a preservative free gourmet food selection.
Eileen Frechette is a teacher, farmer, community organizer, and environmental activist. She operates a native plant business in Wooden Shoe Hollow, an urban neighborhood that was historically a place of local truck farmers.

UEarth Community Dialogue, with David Korten

Join David Korten for a lively conversation about his morning presentation, with emphasis on the need to transform our economic systems and how we might shift from the prevailing imperial, profit- and consumption-driven story of prosperity to an Earth Community story of real wealth, local economies, and healthy, caring communities.

Energy

W21st Century Energy Challenge

Sr. Paula González will address the climate change challenge, exploring essential priorities such as renewable energy and energy efficiency, and highlight benefits including improved environment, green jobs and economic benefits, with a focus on a sense of urgency and “roll-up-your-sleeves hope.”

Food Production and Distribution

XCurrent Developments in the Local Food Economy

A panel presentation on the local food economy in this bioregion. Deborah Jordan is developer of a comprehensive directory of local food growers and the existing markets. Linda and Rick Van Sponsen are local farmers and producers of sauces and jellies. Melinda O’Briant is director of Turner Farm, a large CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), which offers vegetables, beef and flowers.

Deborah Jordan is a Quaker, parent and partner, Enright Ridge Urban Eco-village resident, mediator, urban gardener, organizer and eater who helps grow the Central Ohio River Valley food economy.
Melinda O’Briant has been the garden manager for the past 12 years at Turner Farm. It is a large community supported farm CSA that offers certified organic seasonal produce, naturally raised pork, lamb and chickens and organic eggs.
Linda and Rick Von Sponsen operate Claddagh Farms located in Batavia, Ohio and specializes in growing herbaceous and pesticide free garlic and heirloom tomatoes, along with ingredients needed to produce their home canned sauces and jellies. Their products are sold at Findlay Market in downtown Cincinnati.

YPermaculture: Practical Design for a Living Economy

Permaculture is a practical system for designing sustainable ways of living. This session will examine permaculture principles as a way to understand the economic forces and flows at work in our world. Permaculture background not necessary to attend.

Mary Lu Lageman has been involved with Permaculture since 1992 and is working with the farm at Grailville Retreat Center.
Suellyn Shupe is deeply immersed in applying Permaculture principles in her own home place as well as teaching others.
Both are certified as practitioners and teachers in Permaculture.

Spirituality’s Role in a Living Economy

ZSpirituality’s Role in Developing a Living Economy

Spiritual images are important in changing the way we think. Jim will look at spiritual images that have helped create the present economic system and spiritual images that might help in creating living economies.

Jim Schenk, founded Imago, with his wife Eileen, in 1978. He has a Master’s Degree in Theology and Social Work. He is editor of the book, What Does God Look Like in an Expanding Universe?