Fairfield Hosts Prestigious Bioneers Conference: "Revolution from the Heart of Nature" Oct 17-19 The worldıs premiere conference on redesigning culture and technology based on the intelligence of nature, has, after thirteen years, taken its show "on the road." Fairfield was selected to host the Bioneer Conference via satellite among cities such as New York, Houston, and Toronto." I wondered why. Lonnie Gamble, brainchild to this event, suggested "the groundwork was laid by all the educational work that has gone before in Fairfield," siting Ecofair, and adding, "people here are receptive and willing to embrace change." Fairfield will be the closest Bioneer link for Midwest locations such as Des Moines, Chicago, St. Louis, and Minneapolis. Sponsors, thus far, include the City of Fairfield, the Sierra Club, IRENEW, the Humane Society, and the Iowa Environmental Council. The conference features fifteen world class speakers, including such notables as Terry Tempest Williams, Janine Benyus, and David Suzuki. Two center on issues of food: Fred Kirschenmann, director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, will talk about alternatives to industrial farming in "Planting the Future: Transforming Agriculture." Fairfieldıs organic dairyman Francis Thicke, who worked with Fred, calls him "an incredible visionary," pointing out that Fred has a doctorate in theology, no stranger to deep thinking. Percy Schmeiser, a Canadian farmer, presents "The Theft of the Ark: Genetic Engineering Throttles Seed Diversity and Farmers." Percy brings a face to the issues of crop contamination and seed property rights. He is renowned for his resistance to the legal attacks and harassment of biotech giant, Monsanto, which resulted when traces of "their" Roundup Ready canola were found in his crop. The lineup of speakers will open doors on a range of subjects: defending forests, biomimicry, environmental causes of disease, social justice and environmental protection, democracy, renewable energies, and more. While instilling global awareness, bioneers also addresses the need for local action. The Fairfield program follows this design. Insights from conference speakers find counterparts in local led workshops. Lonnie Gambleıs slide presentation, "Local Food Systems: Lessons from France," complements Kiershenmannıs talk. Lonnie will explain how French innovations can be adopted here in the Midwest using perennial crops and annual vegetable production in unheated greenhouses. He will elaborate on the social and environmental benefits of diversification in crop, crop products and farm scales. Addressing concerns raised by Percy Schmeiserıs predicament, Steve Druker, of the Alliance for Biointegrity, will moderate a panel discussion on genetic engineering and contamination issues. Panel experts include Ken Roseboro, author of The Non-GMO Source Newsletter, and Jeffrey Smith, author of Seeds of Deception. Three more, from a rich array of workshops, continue on the theme of food: "Why Grass Fed is Best" Valerie Adamski runs a dairy farm for the Northern Meadows line of grass fed cheeses. Her slide show on grass fed animal production points out the benefits for farmer, animals, environment and you. Health benefits for humans are phenomenal "Grounds for Change: the Transition to Organic" Dave and Rita Smith, of Bonaparte, made the move to organic livestock production while farmers around them went bankrupt. They grow 99% of their animal feed. They love and believe in what they do. Find out what led them to abandon the conventional approach and where it has taken them. "Soil 101: Building a Living, Productive Soil" Francis Thicke returns after rave reviews. Soil 101 explores the vital function of organic matter in creating a healthy, fertile soil. Francis explains how soil stores and delivers nutrients to plants. Topics include soil pH, amendments, and compost teas. Read more about Bioneer speakers, workshops and daily updates. www.heartlandsustainablesolutions.net - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Make your voice heard! Find out how to get Take Action Alerts and other important Sierra Club messages by email at: http://www.sierraclub.org/email