Three Rivers Bioneers is holding its first-ever conference this weekend. The goal of the conference is to foster a local movement of citizens and organizations who are cultivating sustainable communities in Pittsburgh.
The conference, hosted by the Urban Ecology Collaborative, is a satellite gathering of the main Bioneers conference in California, which is celebrating its 20th year. The Pittsburgh conference will broadcast 15 speakers from the national conference, including holistic medicine expert Andrew Weil, M.D., and Michael Pollan, author of bestseller The Omnivore's Dilemma.
The Three Rivers conference will localize the national agenda by addressing green jobs, sustainable agriculture and environmental restoration in the Pittsburgh region. Among the 40 local presenters include Khari Mosley, director of Green Economy Initiatives for GTECH Strategies, and Greg Boulos, Western director of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture. Sessions include "Involving people in Re-Imagining Pittsburgh," "Energy Conservation for Healthy Families" and "Progressive Urban Water Design and Reuse."
"I went to my first conference three years ago, and it completely blew me away. But each community is different, and that wasn't my community," says Maureen Copeland of Three Rivers Bioneers. "We want to have something in Pittsburgh that will connect the people and neighborhoods here. You can't have a healthy community if you don't have a healthy environment. The goal is to bridge environmental work and social justice work, and see how we can work together toward a vision for the city."
The conference will take place this weekend, Oct. 16-18 at the Pittsburgh Project on the North Side. It costs $125 for all three days. Reduced rates and scholarships are available. Registration will be limited to 250 due to space constraints.
Writer: Caralyn Green
Source: Maureen Copeland, Three Rivers Bioneers
Photograph courtesy of Three Rivers Bioneers