BRATTLEBORO — Area residents interested in attending portions of the upcoming Slow Living Summit in Brattleboro may attend plenary sessions for a suggested contribution of $10, or they may avail themselves of special one-day-only rates.
The conference, organized by Strolling of the Heifers in partnership with Marlboro College Graduate School and World Learning, will bring together a wide variety of speakers and panelists on sustainability, social entrepreneurship, and building local economies.
Speakers and presenters include well-known figures from these fields, including Bill McKibben, author, activist and founder of 350.org; Majora Carter, founder of Sustainable South Bronx and host of public radio's “The Promised Land”; and Gary Hirshberg, the entrepreneurship guru who founded Stonyfield Farms.
The sessions all take place in downtown Brattleboro, at the Latchis Theatre, Marlboro College Graduate Center, and the Robert H. Gibson River Garden, beginning Wednesday evening, June 1 and continuing through Friday, June 3.
Day rates for either Thursday, June 2, or Friday, June 3, include admission to plenary sessions, breakout sessions with panel presentations, additional unstructured networking sessions, and lunch each day. General day rate registration is $95, student day rate is $65. Full conference registration continues to be available at $180 for general registration, $115 for student registration.
The following plenary sessions, all at the Latchis Theatre, will be open to the public, with a requested contribution of $10 at the door:
• June 1 at 6:30 p.m.: Opening keynote presentation with Will Raap, founding CEO, Gardener's Supply; Josh Viertel, president of Slow Food USA; Majora Carter, President, Majora Carter Group, and founder of Sustainable South Bronx; John Cavanagh, Institute for Policy Studies and the New Economy Working Group, and Trish Karter, CEO of Dancing Deer Baking Co. (moderator & speaker)
• June 2 at 9 a.m.: Plenary Presentation: “Whole Systems Approach to Sustainability” by Chuck Ross, Vermont Secretary of Agriculture
• June 2 at 1:30 p.m.: Plenary Presentation: “The role of entrepreneurship and large-scale organics in building a resilient, sustainable New England based on the Common Good” by Gary Hirshberg, founder and “CE-Yo” of Stonyfield Farm
• June 3 at 9 a.m.: Plenary Presentation by Christine Bushway, CEO, Organic Trade Association, introduced and moderated by Ellen McCulloch-Lovell, president of Marlboro College.
• June 3 at 3 p.m.: Ending keynote: The Slow Living Paradigm for Local Agriculture, Local Economies, and Sustainable Energy by Bill McKibben, author and activist, founder of 350.org.
For a complete schedule of all sessions and online registration for the full conference or for one-day-only registration (Thursday or Friday), visit www.strollingoftheheifers.com.