Bioneers Conference - help create a sustainable Texas

Event Description:

L E T ' S - C R E A T E - A - S U S T A I N A B L E - T E X A S

In partnership with the City of Houston

The Texas Bioneers Conference
Friday, October 17th – Sunday, October 19th, 2008
George R. Brown Convention Center

Conversations, Ideas and Change

In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Ike, the question was asked "given the disruption and hardship of the hurricane, would we postpone, cancel or delay the conference?" The answer that comes is now more than ever.

In the immediate days following the storm I personally have had recurring unexpected conversations with people from all walks of life, including business professionals where terms like "sustainability", "off the grid" and "alternative living" keep coming up.

It seems there is a growing awareness in our city of the need for greater environmental responsibility, true social justice, improved quality of healthful living, and questioning about how spirit comes into our living and impacts our daily living.

The conference is not about a set ideology or joining an organization. It is an opportunity to hear from some uniquely creative minds about the work and discoveries that they are involved in, to engage in conversation and create new ways of doing and being in this city, this world, this planet.

Cath Conlon, founder of Blackwood Educational Land Institute http://www.blackwoodland.org is the local conference host and visionary. Blackwood serves as the local living example of going “green” with a strawbale building, a water harvesting and recycling system, organic gardens and much more, for additional information seehttp://blackwoodland.org

Hear Local and National Experts - Speakers include:

LaVERNE WILLIAMS, AIA LEEP AP
Green Building in Texas
Architect, bioneer and building ecologist LaVerne Williams is the Founder and CEO of Environment Associates http://www.environmentassoc.com Architects & Consultants of Houston, Texas, an award winning firm nationally recognized for its fostering of sustainable living concepts and practices since 1975. As one of authentic pioneers of green building, his firm is the oldest architectural practice in Texas dedicated exclusively to projects that strive for sustainability. His firm is the First Houston-based company to complete a Certified LEED® PLATINUM project anywhere in the U.S., which is also the official First LEED® home in the birthplace of green building programs, Austin, TX.

RAY ANDERSON (via satellite feed)
Sustainability in Action
Ray is the nation’s most inspiring green business visionary leader and Interface Inc. http://www.interfaceinc.com his $1 billion global carpet-manufacturing company, are nearly half way to a zero environmental footprint by 2020. He shows how sustainability and ethics are far better paths to business performance and profit.

More Information
For more conference information contact: Cath Conlon, escramble('cathbkwood','aol.com');, 713.768.3422 or ConSandra Jones, creatively.escramble('inspired','yahoo.com');, 713.334.0200.

More information, including registration and advertiser info, is available at http://www.texasbioneers.org

CEU's are available for our Texas teachers and professionals.

A message from City of Houston Mayor Bill White:

Greetings,

As mayor of Houston, I welcome all participants to the Texas portion of the Bioneers Conference here in Houston at the George R. Brown Convention Center October 17-19, 2008.

This is an especially exciting year for Houston as we embrace a more energy-efficient, sustainable future. This past spring, over 10,000 people attended the region’s first large scale Green Expo. As a city, we are leading the way in energy-efficient construction through more stringent building codes and innovative retrofit programs. The City of Houston is recognized by the EPA as the No. 1 municipality for procuring renewable power through our recent purchase of 40 megawatts of Texas wind energy to supply 25% of City facility and public infrastructure requirements. We are also aggressively changing our fleets to fuel-efficient, hybrid vehicles. These are exciting times.

The Bioneers’ mission of promoting innovative environmental and social solutions to make our world a better place is a noble one. Houstonians have the opportunity to hear and learn from leading experts about what all of us can do to strengthen our community and make our world a better place.

I hope your experience is enjoyable, educational, and inspirational. Best wishes for a memorable and rewarding conference.

Sincerely,

Bill White
Mayor

See you at Texas Bioneers Conference 2008!

Event Sponsor:
Blackwood Educational Land Institute

Event Phone Contact Information:
713.334.0200 or 713-768-3422

Event Website:
blackwoodland.org/bioneers

Event Fee:
see http://blackwoodland.org/bioneers/register08.htm