Program

CONFERENCE TRACKS

CREATING AND CROSSING DIGITAL BRIDGES
Using Digital Technology to reduce inequities among and within countries. Digital Bridges are at the heart of our globalization and inter-connectedness as a world. This theme will explore how to CREATE digital bridges that are more accessible and useful, and CROSS the bridges with content that enriches the lives of all.

CREATING SUSTAINABLE PEACE
How can we create a culture of peace? What contributes to harmonious communities? How do we live in balance with one another? This paradoxical world requires appreciation for diversity, conflict resolution skills and compassion for suffering. Discover values and practices that contribute to a life of dignity, justice and equanimity in an interdependent world.

ECOTOURISM THAT WORKS
Tourism is a complex and multi-disciplinary industry challenged with balancing stakeholder interests and the protection and preservation of cultures and the environment. It is also an increasingly important strategy for economic development and poverty alleviation. Join us as we offer insight, education and inspiration through an international group of leaders in the field of eco-tourism.

FEEDING THE WORLD
Surprisingly enough, food production is growing faster than the global population. Yet, global food demand is growing along with a population explosion. The challenge at local and global scales is to sustainably and equitably grow and distribute food in diverse ecozones and political climates.

GEN7: THE YOUNGER GENERATION
Faced with ineffective solutions to insidious problems, we, the next generation, will always sit back in complacency. But something’s different at SR‘04: we’re not just talking about the world’s problems—we’re doing something about it.. So. You’re here. We’re here. Let’s connect. Now. We can’t wait—and neither can the future.

LEARNING FROM NATIVE CULTURES
This track will provide opportunities to reconnect with natural cycles and to learn sustainable stewardship as practiced by native peoples for millennia. Activities will involve direct experience with authentic indigenous wisdom-keepers, including ceremonies, music, dance, and storytelling, to encourage a heart-centered exchange between cultures and generations.

LIFE’S DESIGNS
After 3.8 billion years of evolutionary adaptation, life has learned what works, what lasts, and what is appropriate. Drawing on the natural genius that surrounds us, this track will explore what we can learn from nature rather than how much we can extract from her.

NEW ECONOMIC PARADIGMS
New or remodeled economic systems are making an important impact in many parts of the world. Examples include micro-finance, community exchange methods, corporate responsibility, eco-preneurship, fund-raising, and social ventures. From remote villages to modern cities, the social and environmental consequences of economic systems are increasingly interdependent.

DEVELOPING WORLD NEW ECONOMICS MODELS

Real development goes far beyond charity and the donation model. Examples include microenterprise businesses, microcredit and lending, open source and alternative currencies. This track seeks to complement the partnership between new economic ventures in developing countries and their supporting organizations, new connections that will enable businesses to locate the resources they need, increase their customer base and expand their efforts into new places and markets.

PRACTICAL ENERGY
50% of the world's population lacks adequate energy. Much of the rest of the world relies on unsustainable energy. Renewable energy is reliable, sustainable, and can be affordable. It can help improve the quality of life for people by improving education, health care, domestic energy, agriculture, and income generating opportunities.

REINVENTING EDUCATION FOR A SUSTAINABLE WORLD
Education is internationally recognized as one of the most important resources for global sustainable development. The United Nations has designated the decade commencing in 2005 as the "Decade of Education for Sustainable Development." Effective ways that people around the world are developing to impart useful learning to achieve local and global sustainability will be presented and discussed.

SUSTAINABLE BUILDING SOLUTIONS
Twenty percent of the world lacks adequate shelter while many building techniques and materials are unsustainable. Sharing low-cost, low environmental-impact, community-driven solutions can improve living standards globally. Both modern and traditional cultures can benefit from the exchange of ideas.

SUSTAINING HUMAN HEALTH
These sessions present innovative models for health promotion in the context of Health as Human Rights, Ecological Medicine and Complementary Medicine. Explore solutions to environmental threats, diseases such as AIDS and malaria. Delve into the overall interconnectedness of all, including public health policy.

WATER FOR LIFE
Though we live on a blue planet, over 1 billion people do not have access to safe water; contributing to disease, conflict and cycles of poverty. The goal of the Water for Life Track is to seek integrated solutions to clean water and sanitation issues in both urban and rural environments.