Green Mountain Global Forum

Join us for a lively Pecha Kucha-style presentation, featuring a panel of experts who will each speak for five to 10 minutes, and will be followed by an in-depth discussion and Q&A with the audience. Come learn about some initiatives, ideas, and new thinking around what Vermont and Vermonters can do to support community, build security, and protect autonomy. Details...

Ginny McGinn, Executive Director of the Center for Whole Communities will talk about how we can show up more fully in our own lives and in our communities to make lasting change, especially as we understand more fully how change happens, both internally and externally. Details...

Ben Falk, M.A.L.D.

Drawing on strategies developed at the Whole Systems Research Farm in Moretown, VT, Ben Falk, M.A.L.D. highlights systems employed which radically decrease vulnerability to acute climate change events, oil price spikes, grid failure and other systemic challenges which will become increasingly frequent as we settle into the 21st Century.  Join Ben on a stunning, image-filled tour through powerful local solutions to global challenges. Details...

The extraction of oil from Tar Sands is more than an environmental disaster isolated to the regions from which it is produced.  It affects every community through which it is transported and refined. A panel of experts from Vermont and Canada will review the issue and explain how local communities can block the transportation of tar sands oil and prevent environmental and human disasters in our backyards. Details...

This film is a stunning 2-hour immersion into the issues connected to oil sands development, transportation and refinement. Oil from tar sands is more than an environmental disaster isolated to the regions where it is extracted. It may be headed through Vermont, en route to Portland, Maine, through old pipelines not designed to contain this hazardous, highly corrosive oil. Come learn more about the impacts of this popular area of energy development.

James Martin, local scholar and author, speaks on the Transformation of Humankind. His inter-disciplinary approach and scholarly work have been lauded around the world. According to Martin, "We are now in the middle of the biggest revolution ever." In this presentation, Martin will discuss his views on a need for extreme paradigm shifts in the near future that are diverse in nature, and for which he and others say we are almost totally unprepared. Details...

David Cobb spoke on how we can re-establish a balance between corporate power and the interests of the people. He outlined the key issues of the Move to Amend campaign, an organized nationwide effort to create a 28th amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Senator 'Ginny' Lyons brought detail on the 60 Vermont towns that passed resolutions calling upon Congress to amend the US Constitution to state that "corporations are not people" and "money is not speech." Details...

Filmmaker Michael Sheridan will present and discuss excerpts from the collection of ten remarkable short films presented under the title The Fruit of Our Labor: Afghan Perspectives in Film, a series of short documentaries. The films focus on issues of social and economic development, as documented and told by Afghans themselves, and present intimate glimpses into routine struggles of employment, education and health and of accomplishments and failings at the level of community and infrastructure. Details...

The top-secret world that the government created in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks has become so enormous, so unwieldy, and so secretive that no one knows how much money it costs, how many people it employs or exactly how many agencies duplicate work being done elsewhere. The result is that the system put in place to keep the United States safe may be putting us in even greater danger. Details...

Silenced Voices examines the untimely passing of Jose Obeth Santiz Cruz, a Vermont migrant worker, and the impacts of his death on his family and community in Mexico. A discussion followed with members of the Vermont Migrant Farmworker Solidarity Project and with a migrant worker currently employed in Addison County. Details...

Reflect on the current state of our financial situation and envision a compelling path forward with ecological economist Joshua Farley PhD. Farley is Associate Professor in Community Development and Applied Economics and Fellow at the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics. Details...

Ms. Vaishali Patil, Indian activist and international grassroots organizer, has led the charge for five years against the construction of the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant in the Maharashtra district on the western shores of India. Come and learn how this community banded together and became an organizational and strategic force against the big powers of government and energy corporations. Details...

Dr. Margaret Geller and Dr. Scott Kenyon will give a joint talk on the astrophysics of the warming of planets throughout the history of the solar system. They will discuss the impact of greenhouse gases on the equilibrium temperature of the Earth and how increasing energy use by humans leads to increased global temperatures. As the Sun evolves over the next 5 billion or so years, the Earth will become uninhabitable. To try to find other hospitable places to live, we will take fanciful voyages to other planets in the solar system. Details...

Dr. Quinn Mecham, an Associate Professor at Middlebury College and leading specialist on Middle Eastern politics will give a talk about current events in Egypt and the region. Please join us for this timely event to gain insight into the fomenting revolutions in the Middle East and to learn what is at stake for countries such as Egypt, Algeria, Iran, and Yemen. Details...

The Green Mountain Global Forum and the Warren United Church jointly present Rebuilding Hope, an award-winning documentary film about the efforts underway to rebuild war-ravaged Southern Sudan. The film will be followed by a short presentation and Q & A with Abraham Awolich, founder of the Sudan Development Foundation (SUDEF) in Burlington. More...

Dr. Alice Rothchild, Jewish-American author, physician and activist, discussed her medical and humanitarian work and current conditions in the West Bank and Gaza. More...

Hallie Tamez, Executive Director of Next Generation Nepal, presented an overview of the causes, tragic implications and hopeful prevention efforts to curb the global marketing of children. Next Generation Nepal is a US and Nepal based non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to reconnecting families in Nepal torn apart by child trafficking in post-conflict Nepal. More...

Dr. Helen Caldicott is the single most articulate and passionate advocate of citizen action to remedy the nuclear and environmental crises. Dr. Caldicott has devoted the last 38 years to an international campaign to educate the public about the medical hazards of the nuclear age and the changes necessary in human behavior to stop environmental destruction. More...

Sustainable is a popular word these days. But what does it mean to live an ecologically sustainable lifestyle? What roles should consumers, governments, and businesses play in promoting ecological and economic sustainability? Are there trade-offs between local, regional, national, and international sustainability? Members of the panel included: Dr. Saleem Ali, Associate Professor in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, UVM; Michael Dupee, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters; and Christopher Bray, Vermont State Representative from Addison County. Details...

In the timely new book (Yale University Press; publication date October 27, 2009; $26), Allison Stanger provides a definitive and disturbing look at one of the most important trends in politics: the privatization of American foreign policy and its consequences. Michael Ignatieff, the Leader of the Liberal Party in Canada calls the book "a clarion call to bring the business of government under more effective public control." Details...

How are the planet's coral reefs and rainforests faring? How are they affected by climate change and carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere? What is the prognosis on the future health of these two ecosystems? Dr. Richard Murphy, Director of Science and Education with the Oceans Future Society and long-time colleague of Jean-Michel Cousteau and Jacques Cousteau, will be addressing these questions and speaking about the connections between climate change and the health of the world's oceans, coral reefs, and rainforests. Details...

According to US and international health officials, a new round of pandemic flu could hit the US within weeks. Come hear a panel of experts update us on the global movement and severity of H1N1, medical aspects of the illness, and how to prepare and protect ourselves, our families and our communities. Details...

The World Health Organization estimates that 80% of cancer is from environmental causes. Linking the manmade chemicals that we have spread across this Earth to significant health effects, including infertility, hormonally triggered cancers, and neurological disorders in childhood, Steingraber has an amazing ability to reduce scientific findings of great intricacy to elegant terms and stories. She will not only inform us but also lay the groundwork to inspire activism. Details...

What are the causes of fundamentalist terrorism? How does terrorism differ from insurgencies? What feeds these flames, and what can the United States do to help quench them? What are the strategic realities around mitigating the threats we face? Details...

The war in Gaza, coming in the final hours of the Bush Administration, created new realities for the already complicated Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The results of the recent Israeli elections are likely to complicate peace efforts even further. Why did Israel invade Gaza? What impact did the Gaza invasion have on the outcome of the recent Israeli elections? Who is Hamas and what are its objectives? How should the Obama Administration proceed in its efforts to promote a permanent peace settlement? Details...

Dr. Saleem Ali discusses the relationship between resource scarcity, environmental concerns, and global conflict. The talk covered how the concept of "national security" is evolving in the face of globalization, scarcity of resources, and environmental concerns. Dr Ali focused on his particular research interest: the causes and consequences of environmental conflicts and how ecological factors can promote peace. Details...

Mark Crispin Miller speaks eloquently about the greatest challenge to American Democracy since its inception, whether or not the United State's democratic process is currently capable of holding free and fair elections. Professor Miller presents extensive documented evidence that the American democratic process has been successfully subverted through a variety of old style and novel political manipulations over the last two presidential and midterm elections. Details...

Fred Magdoff discussed the compounding factors that are leading to greater starvation and malnutrition and presented potential solutions to both the acute and underlying food security crises. Details...

Diane Wilson, an extraordinary "unreasonable woman" will speak on the topic of her environmental activism and her book, An Unreasonable Woman. Details...

Joseph Gerson will discuss China's rise in the current global era, Chinese nationalism, the plight of the Tibetan people and the current situation with the 2008 summer Olympics. Gerson will address the crises surrounding both Tibet and the Olympics while focusing on the deeper and ultimately more important and decisive dynamics involved in China's rise and the United State's policies on Asia. Details...

Malcolm Beck has spent almost a lifetime in the study, experiment and practice in the areas of soil building and maintenance and of the recycling of organic wastes. Malcolm owned and ran Garden-Ville, a successful organic farm with its own marketing center, for decades. Gradually his interest focused on how to achieve and permanently maintain the finest soil quality. Now he operates a successful business in composting and selling soil mixes that enrich countless gardens and fields. Details...

Local Montpelier legend Dot Helling teams up with Vermont Natural Resources Council Water Program Director Jon Groveman to help us understand the global and local issues we face around water. This summer, Dot joined an international team of athletes in a run across the world, passing the baton in cities, town squares, deserts and rural communities to raise awareness about the need to protect the world's fresh water. Details...

As a backdrop for his strategies for political change, Robert Jensen, journalism professor and political activist, will begin his talk with an assessment of the state of the world around us. After discussing the urgent real world situations that we face, Jensen will offer a thoughtful assessment of goals and strategies for moving forward. Acknowledging that old models of political activism have largely failed to bring about the needed response along with real change, he will offer reflections from his own experience as a journalist, writer, and political activist.

Dr. Nils Daulaire, renowned international health expert, offered an overview of the current issues in global health, speaking on the challenges and opportunities to improve the health status of people around the world. He has testified before Congress on numerous occasions and has appeared widely in the media as an expert on global health issues.

James Heintz, from the Center for Popular Economics of UMASS, discussed why multinational corporations pressure our administration to encourage unregulated trade, the resulting impacts of free trade on lower-income countries (who shoulders the costs, "free" for whom), and how our current free trade policies are connected with increasing inequalities across the globe. The presentation also explored whether "fair trade" business models and campaigns can be a workable alternative to free trade policies.

Zia Mian is a physicist and member of the research staff at Princeton University's Program on Science and Global Security. His work focuses on nuclear weapons and nuclear power issues, especially in South Asia. His work is published in technical journals and magazines, as well as newspapers in a number of countries. In addition to his research and writing, he is active with a number of civil society groups working in the area of nuclear disarmament and with the peace movement.

America faces a daunting dilemma. Oil prices have hit record highs, foreign conflicts highlight our increasing dependence on energy imports, and our energy policy is the single most important challenge to our environment. The pursuit of energy efficiency is vital to the health of America, and the world. Michael Dworkin, a Vermont Law School professor and Chair of the Vermont Public Service Board from 1999 to 2005, is a nationally recognized leader in energy and environmental law. See Michael Dworkin's power point presentation.

Green Mountain Global Forum is pleased to be a co-sponsor of this community wide effort to host seven days of education, discussion, workshops and earth-friendly activities to honor and heal our planet. To see the full listing of all related events, please see our friends at www.yestermorrow.org for the most up to date listings and information, visit the Step it Up website, or view our PDF.

Michael Taylor's compelling movie about climate change, The Great Warming, was shown as part of the co-sponsored event Step it Up 2007 at The Big Picture Theater. The director was joined by Middlebury College professor Dr. Jon Isham for a panel discussion.

As part of the community effort "7 Days for the Earth" which features seven days of education, discussion, workshops and earth-friendly activities to honor and heal our planet, GMGF presented the films Affluenza and Escape from Affluenza. These two-hour long films explored the high social and environmental costs of materialism and over consumption. More...

Former Middlebury College president Olin Robison spoke on the influence of ideology and religion and their increasing roles in today's global policy decisions. How has the United States altered its world view in response to ideological pressure? What are the direct and indirect consequences of this perspective? How does the rest of the world view us as a result? View MRVTV Presentation.

Scott Ritter, Former UN Chief Weapons Inspector in Iraq, spoke about his concerns regarding Iran, the Bush Administration's current policies and covert actions, and the very real risk we face of a war with Iran should these policies continue.

Diane Wilson, activist and author of Unreasonable Woman, and Bill McKibben, author and speaker, were "back to back" keynote speakers for the Action Coalition for Media Education (ACME) Conference October 6, 2006 from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the Wyndham Hotel in Burlington.

Quinn Mecham, Assistant Professor, Middlebury College, gave insight into the current crisis unfolding in the Middle East, a region that ripples with complexity. Who is Hezbollah? What are the roots of the current crisis? Who are the other regional players and what do they want? What is the role of the United States in the region?

Patrick Giantonio,Vermont Refugee Assistance director, Michelle Jenness, legal services coordinator, and Mohamed Cherfi, board member and an Algerian who was granted asylum in 2005.

Hear firsthand about the challenges facing those who flee religious and political persecution, rape, and torture in foreign lands to arrive in our country in search of refuge only to be unnecessarily detained in US prisons for months and even years.

Patricia Siplon, associate professor, author and researcher, highlighted accomplishments and developments in the global AIDS crisis.

The Big Picture Theater also presented a film on AIDS, "And The Band Played On," after the live presentation.

Gordon Robison, journalist for CNN and Fox News in the Middle East, discusses media in Iraq. View MRVTV presentation.

David Bornstein, author. Book website . View video of the event. View Seven Days press.

James Kuntsler, Author

Panelists: Dan Reicher, Assistant US Secretary of Energy under President Clinton; Scudder Parker, former head of Vermont Energy Efficiency Division; and Lawrence Mott, general manager of Earth Turbines.

Robert Barry, US Foreign Service professional, former US Ambassador to Bulgaria and Indonesia, and foreign election consultant.

Bill McKibben, noted author and environmentalist.

Mansour Farhang, former Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations and professor at Bennington College.

Rick McDowell and Mary Trotochaud, international aid workers.

John Feffer, noted author, foreign policy consultant, and Korea expert.

Thom Hartmann, author, national talk show host and media activist.

Documentary by Amy Goodman, and panel discussion with Ken Squier, David Goodman, Fran Stoddard, Thom Hartmann, and John Barkhausen.

Devindar Sharma, internationally renowned Indian journalist and food and trade policy expert.

Ray Close, CIA veteran and former Saudi Arabia station chief.

Thom Hartmann, author, national talk show host and media activist.

Panelists: Ben Scotch, Executive Director of ACLU; Trina Magi, past President of the Vermont Library Association; and Michael Katzenberg, owner of Bear Pond Books, Montpelier, Vermont.

Joseph Gainza, teacher, community organizer and Vermont Program Coordinator of the American Friends Service Committee.

Charlotte Dennett and Gerald Colby, researchers and authors.