Knox College Prairie Fire “Bioneers” Conference

Knox College is hosting the eighth annual Prairie Fire Bioneers Conference on Friday through Sunday, February 8-10. The conference will bring the Knox, Galesburg, and surrounding communities together to listen and learn from experts in the field of environmental studies and sustainability.

The event includes video recordings of nationally recognized plenary speakers combined with in-person workshops and presentations by local experts who have practical and visionary solutions for the world’s most pressing environmental and social challenges.

A full schedule of the conference is below.

The conference will take place in the Ford Center for Fine Arts on the Knox College campus. The event is free to all participants. Complimentary meals will be provided to those who pre-register to attend.

The keynote address on Saturday will be presented by Sarah Tallman, an attorney with the National Resource Defence Council Litigation team. Tallman’s work has focused on reducing water pollution and protecting waterways and aquatic life from its effects. In her keynote, titled “Fighting for Safe Water in Flint, Michigan: Perspectives on Community-Driven Lawyering,” Tallman will explore the use of litigation and citizen advocacy to help address the Flint water crisis.

Tallman will also lead a Sunday afternoon workshop “How Did You Get There?” with Bob Connour II from Blanchard River Watershed Partnership and Sara Dreiser from Davey Resource Group.

Workshops will be held by various local and national organizations including the Knox College Nature Club, Illinois Citizens for Clean Air & Water, Food Rescue Partnership, and Borrego Solar.

This year’s plenary speakers that will be broadcast during the event include Rebecca Moore, director of Google Earth; Kenny Ausubel, CEO and founder of Bioneers; and May Boeve, executive director of 350.org.

The Prairie Fire Bioneers Conference is sponsored by the Office of Sustainability and the Mary Filosa Brown Endowed Memorial Fund for Community Service. The event is affiliated with the National Bioneers Conference in California in connection with its parent association, Collective Heritage Institute.

Full Schedule

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8

4:00 pm – Registration Opens

4:30 pm – Opening Ceremony and Plenary Speakers and discussion (videos from National Conference)*

May Boeve – Climate Change is Changing the World – Now We Too Must Change

Rupa Marya – Health and Justice: The Path of Liberation through Medicine

6:30 pm – Dinner (free with advance registration)

7:30 pm – Evening event of music and poetry (location: Taylor Lounge, Seymour Union)

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9

8:30 am – Registration Opens (coffee & tea)

9:00 am – Morning Activities (concurrent options)

Upcycle Workshop

Planting Microgreens with Nature Club

10:15 am – Break

10:30 am – Plenary Speakers and discussion (videos from National Conference)*

Kenny Ausubel – Dung Beetle Medicine

Kevin Powell – Re-defining Manhood: A Message to Men, to Boys, to Us All

12:00 pm – Lunch (free with advance registration)

1:00 pm – Local Interactive Workshops (concurrent options)

Solar in Illinois: How to Go Green and Save on Energy Costs – Derek Bus, Borrego Solar

The Blanchard River Watershed Partnership – Bob Connour II, Owens Community College

Grassroots Effort to Increase Food Rescue and Reduce Food Waste – Pete Vogel, Food Rescue Partnership

2:00 pm – Break

2:15 pm – Local Interactive Workshops (concurrent options)

Creating Community Through Education – Abby Pardick ’10, Kent School Services Network

Integrated Vegetation Management and The Utility Industry – Sara Dreiser ’10, Davey Resource Group & Marla Westerhold, ComEd

3:15 pm – Break

3:30 pm – Local Interactive Workshops (concurrent options)

How Did You Get There? – Bob Connour II, Blanchard River Watershed Partnership, Sara Dreiser, Davey Resource Group, and Sarah Tallman, NRDC

AmeriCorps VISTA & Housing’s Role in Environmental Justice – Willie Heineke, Housing Action Illinois

What is an Apocalypse and how do I survive – Joseph Peterson, Knox College

4:30 pm – Break

4:45 pm – Plenary Speakers and discussion (videos from National Conference)*

Jacqueline Martinez Garcel – Latino Leadership & the Power of Love in Philanthropy

Rebecca Moore – Google Earth and Using Big Data to Map Solutions

6:15 pm – Dinner (free with advance registration)

7:00 pm – Live Keynote Event

Fighting for Safe Water in Flint, Michigan: Perspectives on Community-Driven Lawyering – Sarah Tallman, Natural Resources Defense Council

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10

9:00 am – Registration Opens (coffee & tea)

9:30 am – Plenary Speaker and discussion (video from National Conference)*

Monica Gagliano – Plant Intelligence and the Importance of Imagination In Science

10:15 am – Break

10:30 am – Morning Activities (concurrent options)

Yoga with Tina Hope (located in Andrew Fitness Center)

Reflecting on Bioneers and What it Means for Us with Students for Sustainability

11:45 am – Break

12:00 am – Brunch (free with advance registration)

1:00 pm – Plenary Speakers and discussion (videos from National Conference)*

The Ceibo Alliance – Protecting the Amazon Rainforest from Industrial Development

Alex Eaton – Smallholder Farmers as Climate Change and Food Security Leaders

2:30 pm – Break

2:45 pm – Local Interactive Workshops (concurrent options)

The Hidden Price Tag of Industrial Agriculture – Karen Hudson, Illinois Citizens for Clean Air & Water (ICCAW)

Medicinal Herbs in the Midwest – Tina Hope, Community Herbalist, Tina’s Botanicals

3:45 pm – Break

4:00 pm – Local Interactive Workshops (concurrent options)

From Plastic Bag to Costume and Choreography – Kathleen Ridlon, Knox College

One Fair Wage: Fighting for a Livable Minimum Wage for Tipped Workers in Illinois – Isaac Hughes, Grace LaDuca, and Poornima Tat, One Fair Wage Illinois Task Force

5:00 pm – Break

5:15 pm – Closing Ceremony
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*Plenary speaker sessions include video recordings of talks presented at the 2018 National Bioneers Conference in California that are rebroadcast for our audience on a large theater screen followed by in-person audience discussions.