Networking for the Earth

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The most impressive so far, says McGinn, is a group in Durango, Colorado. In April, organizers Kate Grace MacElveen and Will Hays drew more than 150 people (in a community of just 14,000) to a two-day conference that included screenings of Bioneers videos and an awards ceremony honoring local activists, farmers, and entrepreneurs, as well as workshops and strategy sessions on sustainable economies, permaculture, health and environment, sustainable design, and nonviolent communication. The conference stirred up local interest in sustainability, says MacElveen, which led to formation of the Sustainability Research and Development Policy Council, dedicated to looking at how sustainability can be considered in every local government policy decision. Most importantly, the event brought together people who normally don't talk to each other. Hays notes that there is a lot of progressive activity in Durango, 'but until now most people have been acting in isolation. I'd like to see us continue building a network that's firm, solid in this region, helping to bridge the gap between groups, so we can better coordinate our activities.'

Rather than worry about proliferation of unofficial groups using the Bioneers banner, McGinn has reached out to their leaders to see how the organization can support their activities. 'We want to share the Bioneers name and materials with local groups in a way that's meaningful,' she says. The spin-offs are now collectively dubbed Homing Bioneers, and in early 2005 McGinn hopes to unveil a toolkit to help local activists start their own groups or use Bioneers materials to support existing environmental and social justice work. The idea is to help heal the earth by both promoting the Bioneer vision and letting it promote itself.

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