THIRD-ANNUAL BIONEERS CONFERENCE & GREEN EXPO FOCUSES ON FOOD AND BENEFITS OF GREEN LIVING

We’ve all heard of IQ, but what’s your EQ? Residents can learn how to raise their environmental quotient (note: it’s easier than raising your intelligence quotient, and may even save you money and help you live a healthier lifestyle!) Saturday, November 6 at the third annual Bioneers Conference and Green Expo from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at McHenry County College, 8900 U.S. Highway 14, Crystal Lake.

Hosted by the Lou Marchi Total Recycling Institute, the MCC Conference Center and the Culinary Management Program at MCC, the event will feature breakout sessions that focus on local and organic food, how to be a locavore, energy efficiency resources and global climate change.

Keynote speaker for the event will be Jim Braun, coordinator of the IL Local Food, Farms and Jobs Council, who will discuss “Food – How It’s All Connected.”

This year’s event will also include a Green Living Expo from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in MCC’s multi-purpose room. The expo is free and open to the public.

Admission to the conference itself is $30 for adults and $20 for students. CPDUs are available for teachers, and the fee includes lunch featuring local organic food prepared by MCC Culinary Management Program students in cooperation with Chef Zak Dolezal from Duke’s Alehouse & Kitchen.

In addition to Braun’s keynote address, conference breakout session topics include:

· Becoming a Four Season Locavore, presented by Robin Schirmer, Tomato Mountain Farm and Rob Gardner, The Local Beet columnist, on ways to extend the growing season and preserve food.

· How to Make Local Food Happen: The Big Picture, presented by Jim Braun, keynote; Gary Tomlin, Knox County Food Council; Anita Zurbrugg, Midwest Director American Farmland Trust.

· Energy Efficiency Resources for your Family, presented by `Anthony Stonis. Will include information on energy audits for homes and small businesses and how to choose a more efficient model for your next vehicle purchase.

· Healthy Food and Schools, presented by Seven Generations Ahead Fresh From the Farm school project: How What We Eat Impacts the Environment – MCSEEP. Also featuring Melissa Ritter, Heartland Flavors, Ltd. and Alden Hebron Elementary School Garden Program.

· Greening of the Faith Community, presented by Rev. Dr. Clare Butterfield, Executive Director of Faith in Place; Rabbi Maralee Gordon, McHenry County Jewish Congregation; and participants from other faith communities.

· Global Climate Disruption. Climate change is not something for our grandchildren to worry about, because it’s here and now. Discussion will include current effects and ways to educate others that go beyond the hype.

Bioneers founder Kenny Ausubel coined the term Bioneers in 1990 to describe an emerging culture. Bioneers are social and scientific innovators from all walks of life and disciplines who, for almost 20 years, have been a leading source of innovative solutions for individuals, communities, cultures and generations to catalyze and grow strategic networks that promote and a more sustainable world.

Bioneers provide a forum and social hub for education about solutions presented through a national and various local Bioneers Conferences and programs. Our local Bioneers Conference will include leading environmental experts discussing “hot topics” from the Oct. 2010 national Bioneers Conference via DVD. www.bioneers.org

 

For more information or to register for MCC’s local Bioneers conference, go to www.mcbioneers.com or call Kristine Emrich at (815) 479-7570 or Pat Dieckhoff, waste reduction assistant for the Lou Marchi Total Recycling Institute at MCC, (815) 479-7817, or email mccconferencecenter@mchenry.edu.