SR4 Feedback

Feedback from Sustainable Resources 2004

"Thanks again for an awesome conference. SR3 and SR4 were rare, stunning displays of hope centered firmly on the ground. I've been to a lot of conferences. SR is the only one that I committed to as an annual pilgrimage. The face to face of SR really gave me a critical boost of hope in an age of despair. A glimpse of possibility. A genuinely good thing. Events / experiences / conditions / etc. of this kind are few and far between." - Bruce Maanum, Sustainable Harvest International

"You have begun to mean so much more to me than ever before after the recent conference. I wonder if you ever realize the incredible contribution you are making for the humankind to think, act and live differently." - Vinod and Kamala Parekh, India

"I can't let the new year go by without thanking and congratulating you for the SR Conference 2004. This was undeniably the most interesting event I have attended in my life! I do hope to be able to repeat such an experience soon. I tell my French readers and everyone interested in Sustainable Development that if they have to select only one event amongst all the international conferences on this topic, they must check if there is an event called Sustainable Resources 2005 and choose this one without hesitation." - Andree Mathieu

"Congratulations on another amazing conference! I wish that I had planned to come earlier and stay longer - there were so many excellent presentations. I did have the chance to hook up with some old friends and to build relationships with a few new partners - but then, that was the purpose, wasn't it?" - Gary Groll, Washington DC

"Above all, I would compliment you to a tremendous conference, which brought together such a fascinating group of people, such interesting and highly topical presentations, it was a smorgasbord of information that I have rarely seen. You did a fabulous job bringing all of this together - a most impressive fireworks of sustainability information." - Eva Willmann de Donlea, Australia

"It was a huge success! People loved the conference. it was great and will spawn many more." - Duncan Campbell

“First, let me thank you for putting on such a valuable conference. It really is a superb networking opportunity. Henry Red Cloud had a great time and made some valuable contacts, I think SEI is going to do a solar energy workshop on the rez with him and BWB is interested in doing a straw bale workshop. As for Sam Long Black Cat, this was really his first event of this type and his family is just starting to take back their land. However, I know that he was just overwhelmed by the opportunities and help that exist for his project. He's gone back to the rez fired up to get his project going.” David Bartecchi, Village Earth

“Incredible. It was the most amazing collection of people and changed lives.” - Jeff Grossberg

"I was a truly wonderful experience to attend the SR Conference. You deserve all credit to link spiritual cord to the SR conference programme which cut across different sessions and provided new meaning. We in the remote rural area in India are striving for development through provision of sustainable livelihoods." - Alexander Daniel, India

"Since the last conference we have been in dialog with 5 organizations we met at the conference and we will be carrying out international work with 3 of them and another person came to Nicaragua. Thank you for your help in everything." Ron Rivera, Potters for Peace

"Congratulations on a great conference." - Riane Eisler

"My group with UN Sec.Gen Kofi Annan on Water and Sanitation will meet again. We all have to work together for us to reach our goals...I hope that - our meeting won't be the last, but only the beginning of a long journey....see you sometime again. And thank you to Steve Troy for bringing all of us together! May he succeed in his very worthwhile endeavor!" - Olivia la O' Castillo, Philippines

"It went extremely well, definitely exceeded my expectation. We were very happy." - Joseph Steig, NCIIA

"This is a belated thanks for the wonderful opportunity you gave me to attend SR 2004. It was great to meet lots of very interesting people and hope that it will lead to fruitful collaborations. I had only one complain and that is there were so many wonderful sessions simultaneously that I had to miss quite a number of them." - Anil Rajvanshi, Director, Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute

"It was a privilege and great pleasure to work with all of you and be part of this wonderful event. I know it impacted a lot of people and that the ripple effects with great wonderful benefits and changes in our world, seen and unseen, for a long time to come." - Fleet Maull

"The SR4 conference has really stimulated and energized me to work more vigorously in the field of disseminating sustainable technologies for improving quality of life of the poor people in rural Nepal. Thanks again for all your encouragement and support in providing scholarship and home-stay with a wonderful family who cared me all the time as his own family member. If you have any plan to do a project in Nepal, please let me know I am ready to help." - Sanu Shrestha, FOST, Nepal

"So much gratitude and appreciation! It's truly unbelievable who showed up and who came and how they felt about it." - John Steiner

"I hope you are now feeling full of energy and satisfaction from the incredible work you and the SR team manifested. Please send my congratulations to all. I am holding the vision of our continuing to weave threads together. As you sort out future steps please let me know your dreams and plans." - Liora Adler, Gaia University

"Sustainable Resources has been chosen as one of six winners of the inaugural 2004 IZZE Q Award...We loved the success ... enjoyed by creating an enriched dialogue with impassioned speakers...bringing people new information and hope for solutions in a dynamic, accessible way." - Todd Woloson, IZZE President

"Thank you for a GREAT SR2004 conference. What a MASSIVE undertaking! It was such a GREAT success! You really pulled off the impossible! I heard so many Wonderful comments from attendees. I think a whole lot of people got a lot out of SR 2004." - Spencer Jourdain, 1420 Foundation

"I am glad I attended the Sustainable Resources Conference - it was a great learning opportunity." Rajeswari, India

"I've had time to reflect on the past conference in Boulder, and I'm finding it difficult in choosing the right words to express my deepest appreciation - you enabled us to participate and be part of this great family of true humans, who have nothing but the love of man and his world at heart, THANK YOU!! In our last conversation before I left Boulder, I predicted the unmeasurable extent and depth of the impact the conference will have on all participants, and I'm sure you are feeling the same impact by now. You literally brought the earth together at Boulder, and the spirit of this conference will go a long way to make the world a better place! To you and your crew, our deepest respect and gratitude for allowing us to be part of this historic event. You have recharged my battery, and I'm now full of strength and ideas to keep our company going for a long time. After talks, a Ghanaian in New York is willing to invest $100,000 in Highcrest! We have agreed to start operations with the Streetlight Project. Once again, THANK YOU so much!" - Reggie Sawyer, Ghana

"My head is spinning. I feel like a wind turbine without a load! - Bob , Our Family Orphans Community

"We made 189 new contacts, met a great person who may join our core group, and a consultant who may be able to help our organizational structure." - Bob McCormick, GPI

"It was wonderful. The choice of people was great. The format was great. Having people comment between presenters helped open things up. These representatives of the audience helped take it all away from a series of monolithic presentations. Even that would have been brilliant, but this was even better." - Judith Johnson

"One of the best conferences I've ever been to." - Kate Ingmundson

"Thanks for a job well done! ... everyone I talked to had a great time and an educational experience. I am grateful to have been a part of it, and hope my small contributions helped make a difference." - Gregg Eisenberg

"This seminar (Lynne Twist) was simply excellent !! Thank you so much for organizing this fantastic conference -- I will look forward to attending many more events next year." - Felice Haskell

"What a great conference... please keep me in the loop. i just came back from visiting Guujaaw, and we have become tight friends." - Paul Stamets

"Thanks for a great experience. The diversity and scope of the people and presentations there were remarkable. I came away with new ideas and reinvigorated to do more to make a difference. I was amazed at the great things that many of those present were doing in such diverse avenues. This was an excellent balance of the technical, creative, factual, artistic, and inspiring." - Charles Jervis

"It certainly seemed like an exciting, vibrant environment. Thanks for the opportunity to participate in the conference and to meet such creative, vibrant people." - Brus Westby

"My involvement was an amazing experience for me, I was honored to be a part of Sustainable Resources, I really felt like I accomplished something meaningful and the knowledge, experience and connections I gained are absolutely invaluable. Thanks to everyone I met who was involved in the experience and never stop in the good work. The original, underlying intentions and philosophies behind the conference are amazing, important insights into how to create waves of change to manifest more sustainability in our culture and the world, and shouldn't be tinkered with too much. What really needs adjustment is the format of how things are presented." - Tober Schorr

"I truly enjoyed the conference - it was a great opportunity to reconnect with some and meet many new and interesting people. Several sessions were simply a treat." - Tara Sethia

"This was a fantastic melting pot of cultures and experience. All the people I have met there were very interesting and worth meeting. The organization was just great and very professional. I know how difficult this is to organize this and how much dedication is required from all the team. So that really deserves a big big toast...Strong individual connections also happened during this time because people were sharing their wealth, that is acknowledge the others about their experience. Please send my love and congratulations to all the team." - Jean-François Noubel, France

"Congratulations on a terrific Conference! I heard from a number of people how impressed they were with the organization, the staff, and how everyone was so helpful. I also was told by several exhibitors how wonderful that was and how beneficial it was." - Mona Newton

“The most exquisite conference, it was a very rich learning experience for so many. ” - Melissa Michaels

"The conference was an incredible learning experience. The keynote speakers were inspiring and have introduced new ideas and new ways of thinking. McDonough was great! It was also a great way of throwing us all together to see how we would interact. Some of us formed bonds... I'm still coming up with ideas that may be useful in the future. " - Chad Hinshaw, Patagonia

"This was a jammed-packed conference - almost too much. Some concepts were a bit more liberal than I am used to, but a good way to expand my scope of understanding and beliefs. I liked the format of keynotes and tracks. The keynotes allowed for broad-based thoughts, while the tracks brought focus to specific areas. I got many different ideas and exposure to concepts not previously known to me. You have helped to open my eyes to some new things, and thoughts in new directions. I am so grateful to everyone for their thoughts and discussion points. I enjoyed the week with everyone, both those that I already knew and those new people I had an opportunity to meet that I would not have met otherwise." - - Steven R Cordova, Regis University

"That was a tremendous gift you gave to the sustainability community." - Barrett Brown

"It was another great event. Congratulations!" - Mikl Brawner

"It was moving and energizing, and everything seemed to go so smoothly. All of you who worked
on it did a fabulous job!!" Marti Hopper, MESA

"Thank you again for such a great Conference. It was a smashing success." - Mark Calamia

"It was such a wonderful experience and Malibu, Will Andree and myself are still buzzing with the learning and networks we grew. Everyone is looking to start now to see how next year we can bring a wider group of people to participate. Congratulations again for what has been the most rewarding conference in the lives of all four of us." - Peter Goldsbury, Tipu Ake

"I enjoyed the public talks immensely. In fact I just checked out three Riane Eisler books from the
library." - Buffy Hastings

"I just wanted to thank you for putting on a great gathering. I know you worked hard to make it happen and it was all I hoped the conference would be. I was particularly touched by the talks given by Paul Stamets and Hunter Lovins. Thanks again for all your hard and excellent work! I know your work will bear great fruits into the future." - Shane Smith, Director- Cheyenne Botanic Gardens

"I enjoyed tremendously meeting so many interesting and committed sustainability practitioners that I am thinking of all kinds of ways to keep the connection with some of them and apply much of what I witnessed to projects that I am involved with, especially the Ecovillage Network. The facilities were great, the public very stimulating and attentive and the moderators did a great job with background information and follow up during both of my presentations and those that I attended. People were very interested in hearing about ways to integrate all the great information that was presented during the conference and I believe that Ecovillages offer much in that regard. It is my desire that you can look back at the conference and feel a great sense of pride in what you accomplished with your very hard work. I hope that you can foresee a next conference after the obvious great success of this year's conference. Viva la sustentabilidad!!!!!!" - Giovanni Ciarlo, Global Ecovillage Network

"Congratulations on such a well-attended, well-run conference." - Aaron Slettehaugh, ApproTEC-USA

"I would like to thank you for the wonderful conference you sponsored. I have told many people at my NGO in Canada about your Conference and I think more people from Canada will attend next year." - Howard Weinstein, Godisa Technologies Trust

"thanks for doing such a good job as host! i really enjoyed our session and the other water track talks." - Charlie Huizenga, APLV

"It was a joy to serve such a worthy event." - Spense Havlick

"It was indeed a pleasure to be involved, especially to have the opportunity to make such valuable contacts for future collaboration." - David R. Muñoz, Colorado School of Mines

"What a great event!" - Johnny Weiss, SEI

"Great job on the conference. Amazing. God bless you and thanks for all your hard work." - Katie Gesto, Sudan

"The conference was well worth being a part of and I hope you all think about not only attending and participating next year but also helping in the preparations and seeing about being a presenter." - Blake Schmidt

"SR4 was an amazing experience for me. I don't know how you did it. I believe the time is right and I sincerely hope it continues and that I can contribute somehow in the future." - Amy Smith

"Thank-you for such a wonderful, wonderful conference! Everyone said it was better than the first one and it really went well." - Ellen Fisk

"I want to thank you and your staff for all the work that went into pulling off a very meaningful and significant SR04 conference. I look forward to continuing along this path together and will be available for further work as we move along." - John Guffey

"Really good job. I made many new contacts/friends and SR was of a scope where I was able to re-establish and build upon many existing relationships specifically within the natural/sustainable building realm. There was the typical problem of 'too much to do'; but that is a sign of richness. The keynotes were very well chosen and as one working in tribal communities I was encouraged by the level of native involvement... It is also clearly very important for the sustainability community to get together and compare notes/gather strength and momentum within the movement." - Nathaniel Corum, Red Feather Development Group

"I thoroughly enjoyed the weaving together of diverse topics during the sessions,,,At most conferences that I attend or am asked to speak at there is significant similarity across the topics included in presentations within individual sessions. This obviously takes considerable attention to work effectively and this emphasis on similarity may give the the audience a deeper examination of a particular topic. However, over time, we often end up speaking amongst ourselves, or amongst a defined community, and rehashing the same or similar content repeatedly. The Water for Life sessions gave us all the chance to see how our work fits within the bigger context of sustainability. We all understand the importance of sustainability at some visceral level and it obviously motivates us each personally. But, I don't think we step back often enough to see how our individual efforts fit within this larger context nor do we take the time frequently enough to gain exposure to other work within this broader arena. I found this exposure and opportunity for perspective very uplifting and inspiring. I only wish that I had dedicated more time to attend sessions during the conference (time management being a bigger obstacle for those of us who work in the same town as the conference). Thanks for all your great work." - Nicole Silk, The Nature Conservancy

"We have been working with the contacts we made at SR4 none of which could have happened without all the hard work put in by all of you, the patience you showed with our many requests and questions, and being there to make sure everything went as planned." - Bob McCormick, GPI

Feedback from Sustainable Resources 2003