Connecting for Change: press
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By DON CUDDY
doncuddy@s-t.com
October 22, 2010 12:00 AM
NEW BEDFORD — The annual Bioneers by the Bay conference, sponsored by the Marion Institute, comes to downtown New Bedford starting today, and organizers have been working around the clock to ensure everything is in place.
"This is a lot for a small team to put on, and this is our biggest year yet, so I'm kind of holding my breath," said Marion Institute Executive Director Desa Van Laarhoven, who works year-round to plan the conference. "But it's exciting to be a part of this and be able to affect people in a positive way."
The Bioneers' stated mission is to develop innovative solutions to environmental problems, as well as working to promote social justice. This is the sixth year the conference has been held in SouthCoast and its third year downtown.
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By Curt Brown
cbrown@s-t.com
October 25, 2010 12:00 AM
NEW BEDFORD — Humanitarian Greg Mortenson wrapped up the Marion Institute's sixth Bioneers by the Bay conference Sunday with an inspiring message about the need to increase educational opportunities globally.
The 53-year-old Mortenson, co-author of The New York Times' bestseller "Three Cups of Tea" and co-founder and executive director of the nonprofit Central Asia Institute, which has established 131 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, brought his positive message of hope and sustainability to about 250 people at the Zeiteron Theater.
"There's no problem we can't solve," he said, adding that the hope for sustainability and change lies with children.
Through his Pennies For Peace program, which collects pennies from schoolchildren, the Central Asia Institute has built schools for 58,000 children, including 44,000 girls, in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
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NEW BEDFORD — Greg Mortenson, author of “Three Cups of Tea,” Annie Leonard producer of “Story of Stuff,” and Van Jones, pioneer in human rights and the clean-energy economy will lead the list of speakers for the Sixth Annual “Connecting for Change: A Bioneers by the Bay Conference.”
The conference, to be held in downtown New Bedford, runs from Oct. 22-24 and is sponsored by the Marion Institute. Organizers said the three-day event is a “solutions-based gathering that brings together a diverse audience to create deep and positive change in their communities.”
“When we get in touch with the fact that we are all connected, and that we all have a critical role to create deep love, justice and sustainability in the world as well as in our own lives, we see the urgent need to connect for change,” said Desa VanLaarhoven, executive director of the Marion Institute. “When we build bridges from local leaders — and that's all of us — to other leaders from around the world, we inspire each other to do just that.”
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Free opening event to feature Natural Resources Defense Council’s (NRDC) new film ACID TEST and former pro-basketball player turned urban farmer Will Allen New Bedford, MA – October 7, 2009 – With the Obama Administration focused on creating a thriving green economy, the environmental movement is gathering at Bioneers by the Bay: Connecting for Change (www.connectingforchange.org) to urge increased personal and civic action for a more sustainable and equitable world. The conference will take place October 22 - 25 at the Zeiterion Theatre and other venues in historic downtown New Bedford.
NEW BEDFORD — A film and lecture investigating what ocean acidification could mean for sea scallops that make this city the nation's most valuable fishing port will start next week's Bioneers by the Bay: Connecting for Change.
The conference, a yearly gathering of environmental and social justice advocates, will convene in downtown New Bedford for three days of lectures, workshops, exhibits and an action event aimed at curbing global warming. The conference, which is sponsored by the Marion Institute, will be held at various downtown venues Friday through Sunday, Oct. 23-25.
Standard Times Article by Becky W. Evans
You need a lot of descriptive words – including visionary and quirky – to the increasingly popular Bioneers movement that is looking to solve some of the world’s most urgent environmental and social problems.
Founded almost 20 years ago as a California non-profit the organization has crafted itself into a progressive think tank focused on personal solutions that is perhaps most famous for its annual autumn conferences held around the country. The main conference is in California on Oct. 22 – 25 but New Bedford is hosting a satellite event at the same time in the Zeiterion Theatre and throughout downtown.
