A Report from the 19th Annual Bioneers Conference
First there was organic and Fair Trade coffee served in compostable cups in the lobby. Then, a five-woman ensemble drumming onstage, followed by the invocation by Onondaga Chief Oren Lyons. All signs that there's nothing conventional about the Bioneers convention.

Some other signs: A standing ovation for every single plenary speaker. Recycled art installations. A council tent where participants could discuss the day's presentations in "a safe circle." Oh, and lunch, where "vegan raw" and "vegan cooked" were among the options.

A bit like college and a bit like church, the Bioneers conference is a gathering of social and scientific innovators whose mission is "to promote practical environmental solutions and innovative social strategies for restoring Earth's imperiled ecosystems and healing our human communities."

They came for inspiration and information. They came to hear about the connections between personal and environmental health, between science and nature, between ecology and economy. They came to see what happens when modern technology teams up with ancient wisdom. And they came to say words like "blessing" and "gratitude" over and over. And over.

This year's event, the 19th annual, held at the lovely Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Marin Civic Center in San Rafael, CA, October 17 through 19, brought in 3,000 people, with 7,500 more participating in 18 satellite venues throughout the country.

Some Conference Highlights
Tribesmen Log On
Software developer and founder of Google Earth Outreach Rebecca Moore provided the quintessential Bioneers moment, not when her laptop crashed mid-presentation, but when she showed off pictures of an indigenous tribe in Brazil tapping away at computers. 

Responding to a request from the chief to literally "help put his tribe on the map," a team of "Googlers" traveled deep into the rainforest to teach the Surui, who had never before touched a computer, how to use the Google Earth free mapping software to help save the land around them from logging, and protect their tribe from extinction in the process. Later in the conference, the Googlers gave workshops so we could put the software to work as well.

Can Mushrooms Save the World?
Paul Stamets, founder of Fungi Perfecti says yes. Stamets, a "mycoentrepreneur" introduced us to the immense nutritional and environmental potential of these humble fungi. Because of their ability to remove toxins and then convert those toxins into usable material, mushrooms are helping to clean up oil spills and convert waste into fertilizer. They can do similar detoxifying wonders on the human body, and Stamets has developed mushroom supplements to do just that. His quiet, commanding manner -- and his ability to put detoxing into simple terms -- made Stamets a favorite here. (More than one person I spoke with planned to start growing mushrooms as soon as they got home.)

Natural Genius
"Nature has already solved many of our problems more beautifully than we could imagine," said biologist and leading eco-entrepreneur Janine Benyus, co-founder of the Biomimicry Institute. In the sincerest form of flattery, biomimicry innovators copy those solutions created by plants and animals and honed by millions of years of evolution. 

Wind turbine engineers, for instance, are using humpback whales as models for managing turbulence in water. And red algae, which keep bacteria away without killing them, may help researchers develop medicines that avoid the problem of antibiotic resistance. On her way out, she admonished us to "thank a genius," by which she meant the next tree or pond or even termite we ran into.

Where Stuff Goes
Another hot ticket is Annie Leonard, a sustainability and environmental health expert who spent more than a decade tracking down where our stuff comes from and where it goes, and the impacts to all of us along the way. She showed her entertaining and informative 20-minute film called The Story of Stuff, then led a lively talk about consumption and disposal. Along the way, she pushed for a "Why not here?" campaign, pointing out that since manufacturers produce toxic-free versions of electronics and beauty products for the European market, they could, presumably, do the same for us. After all, at the end of a product's cycle, those toxins have to go somewhere; why not find ways to eliminate them from that cycle completely? Story of Stuff is definitely worth a watch.

Some Perspective
Storyteller and mythologist Michael Meade, founder of the Mosaic Multicultural Foundation and author of "The World Behind the World" gave attendees a break from all the heady intellectual stimulation. In the spirit and tradition of Joseph Campbell, he shared ancient tales from Africa and India, and explored their modern meanings, all of which struck a chord, given the recent headlines about global warming and economic downturn. In his witty, warm way, he offered both deep concern and inspiring insight and encouragement about the future.

"The way to get the feeling of hope -- genuine hope, not false hope," he said, "is to work with broken things."

(CDs and DVDs of all of presentations are available for purchase at the Bioneers web site.)

Frances Lefkowitz is a contributing editor at Body+Soul.