Prescott College Participates in the 37th Annual Bioneers Conference – March 26-28 in Berkeley, California
By Lori S. Curtis, Instructor
Graduate Programs
When asked if he was pessimistic or optimistic about the future, Paul Hawken once said,“…my answer is always the same: If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t understand the data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren’t optimistic, you haven’t got a pulse…”
Nowhere is Hawken’s comment more applicable than the Bioneers Conference where I am womaning an information table on behalf of Prescott College. Now in its 37th year, it is an extraordinary gathering attracting thousands of thoughtful, civic-minded people who come to hear from hundreds of inspiring, visionary social justice and sustainability leaders with bold and diverse perspectives that connect people and planet. I found myself in a flood of tears on day one of the conference, listening to composer Garth Stevenson play whale sounds on his bass, Terry Tempest Williams share her vision of “Glorians,” and Saru Jayaraman address the fight to save democracy. The Bioneers Conference shines a spotlight on an extraordinary positive force pulsing through our otherwise negatively charged social and political environment.
As Prescott’s mission is to create interdisciplinary, experiential, and diverse learning environments that inspire future leaders to create a healthy, just, and sustainable world, it made sense to host a table at this event. Conference attendees are just the kind of people we hope to attract to Prescott College – those who seek opportunities to effect positive change in our society, in our environment and in education. Bioneers is a match to Prescott’s innovative, student-centered learning approach and our high student to faculty ratio where students have unique opportunities to plant their own seeds and flourish.
My reason for wanting to represent the college is professional and personal. I have been an instructor in the MSESS graduate program at Prescott since 2019, and since 2011 while at Green Mountain College—where the program was born. But I am also a graduate of the program and can attest to the change of life I experienced as a direct result of it. I returned to college after a long and successful high-tech career in the Silicon Valley with the hope of finally engaging in meaningful work through which I could contribute to the conservation of our little blue globe. I earned my master’s later in life with a dramatically changed perspective on, well, on everything. All of my courses in the program, as it is for many of our students, enabled me to apply my coursework to the community in which I lived. And, my Capstone enabled me to engage with dozens of conservation professionals and to publish a book that serves as a natural and cultural history primer to my home, the Flathead Watershed.
I can say to Paul Hawken, I’m a scientist and I do understand the terrifying data, but—surrounded by all of this positive energy at the Bioneers Conference—I’ve also got an optimistic pulse!
