BADGER BIONEERS 2012POST-CONFERENCE REPORTCLIMATE ENERGY HEALTH ECONOMY

In Partnership with

GLOBAL HEALTH INSTITUTE AT UW-MADISON

UW OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY

“Imagine if Madison, Wisconsin became the place for research and innovation in using sustainability to drive community progress. That’s my vision.”

- Kristen Joiner, Sustain Dane2

I am proud to say that Sustain Dane’s 2012 Badger Bi-oneers Conference was our best ever! We brought to-gether over 230 diverse leaders in sustainability to en-gage in meaningful and thought-provoking discussion - the kind of discussion that sparks ideas and fuels action. The conference participants represented an important cross section of the community - from educators to exec-utives to elected officials - giving incredible breadth and richness to the discussion.

As I said in my opening remarks - I believe that, as a re-gion, we can experiment, develop ideas, tell our story, share our research, and impact the national dialogue. Madison can be a living laboratory for sustainabili-ty and resilience for the nation. The Badger Bioneers Conference breathes life into this vision, creating a space for all stakeholders to come together and to analyze our current social and environmental challenges and oppor-tunities through a lens of sustainability.

As you browse through this post-conference report, take a moment to reflect on the signficant conversations you had, the influential connections you made, and the the ideas and excitement that they inspired. Then, take ac-tion. Engage stakeholders and mobilize your ideas. Drive forward this vision of Madison as a living laboratory for sustainability and resilience for the nation!

One final note, the Badger Bioneers Conference would not be possible without the generous support of its many sponsors, including American Family Insurance, Kailo Fund, and Organic Valley and others. Please take a moment and read the full list on page 14 of this report.

We’ll see you at the 2013 Badger Bioneers Conference!

Kristen Joiner

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A Note from the Executive Director

BADGER BIONEERS 2012POST-CONFERENCE REPORTCLIMATE ENERGY HEALTH ECONOMY

Dear Readers,

“Impressed, moved, encouraged. Good things going on all over!”- Tweeted by Tim Lang @timothyjlang

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Say What?! Tweets from #BadgerBioneers 2012!Adrienne Nienow @realfoodforallBioneers Conference off to a great start! Can Madison be an example of sustainability for the rest of the world? I think so.

Rebecca Ryan @ngcrebeccaCompanies need big sustainability goals: 25, 35, 50% improvements. Jeff Rich, Gunderson Health #BadgerBioneers

Annemarie Kalson @annemariekalson It’s barely 1 hour into #BadgerBioneers and I’m already overcome worth inspiration thanks to Jonathan Patz and Bill McKibben!

Lisa Peyton Caire @SisterSpeakNewsLifted by the inspired energy & fresh thinking at the @sustaindane 4th Annual Bioneers Conference today.

Maggie Grabow @MaggieGrabow “We need to see the bicycle as a tool for connecting with the community” -Sgt Jim Dexheimer #BadgerBioneers @Sustain Dane

Joshua Feyen @joshfeyen#badgerbioneers The at work session was EXCELLENT - great panelists and info. Nice to hear from local manufacturers and inspiring.

211 BIONEERS KEYNOTE SPEAKERS240 DISCUSSION PANELISTS & MODERATORS231 TOTAL REGISTRANTS

54 Private Sector BusinessesIncluding American Family Insurance, Organic Valley, and MGE

22 Schools & UniversitiesIncluding University of Wisconsin-Madison, Edgewood College, Madison Metropolitan School District, and University of Illinois

21 Non-Governmental OrganizationsIncluding Aldo Leopold Nature Center, REAP Food Group, and Community Groundworks

7 Municipal & Governmental Depts.

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Conference Statistics

BADGER BIONEERS 2012POST-CONFERENCE REPORTCLIMATE ENERGY HEALTH ECONOMY

Drive Alone 33%

Walk / Bike 38.5%

Carpool 15%

Bus10%

Hybrid 3.5%

Method of Transportation*

*49% Responding

Private Sector 46%

Academia 23%

NGO16%

Community11%

Gov’t4%

Registrants by Sector

Do you know someone who is on the frontline, pioneering social & environmental progress within the Madison Region? Nominate him or her to be a 2013 Badger Bioneer at www.sustaindane.org!

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“Kids are not the problem. They are experts in their own lives, and they can be change agents.”

-- Sam Dennis Jr.

At the core of the Badger Bioneers Conference is a selected group of five individuals - our “Badger Bioneers” who represent exemplary visionairies, thinkers and doers from Southern Wisconsin. From a pool of nominations, the Badger Bioneers are are carefully selected for their inspiring stories, active programming and potency as a change agent.

The 2012 Badger Bioneers addressed the conference in TED-style keynote presentations. Here are just a few of the highlights:

Dr. Jonathan Patz, Professor & Director of the Global Health Institute at UW-Madison, announced a global initiative to make Ethiopia the biking sister cities of Madison.

Sam Dennis Jr., PhD, ASLA, argued that kids are experts and agents of community change, sharing his compelling particpatory photo mapping work with youth.

Stephanie Rearick, musician & owner of Mother Fool’s Coffeehouse, inspired the crowd to share their skills as part of the Dane County TimeBank, the largest in the nation.

Kiera Mulvey, Director of FairShare CSA Coalition, lifted up 2013 as the “Year of the CSA” and Wisconsin’s uparalled love affair with the rutabega.

Randy Cortright, Founder and CTO of Virent Energy Systems, recounted the history, the opportunities, and the challenges of bringing bio-based plastics and fuels to market.

View the presentations On-Demand through the Madison City Channel website. Visit www.cityofmadison.com/citychannel/ and search “Badger Bioneers”.

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2012 Badger Bioneers

BADGER BIONEERS 2012POST-CONFERENCE REPORTCLIMATE ENERGY HEALTH ECONOMY

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“Madison: A Living Laboratory for Sustainability & Resilience” Plenary ForumPanelists, L to R: Erik Ranheim, Lisa Peyton-Caire, Michael Mucha, Noah Feinstein

10 distinct panel discussions gave conference goers the chance to interact on various topics related to sustainability and resilience in business, in education, and in the community. A diverse group of 40 expert panelists and moderators led the discussions, with a few highlights mentioned here:

During the session, “The Paradigm Shift Toward Sustainable Business,” Bruce Wright shared Uniek, Inc.’s, pragmatic approach to sustainable business innovation. The Waunakee-based manufacturer accepts non-recyclable styrofoam and converts it into picture frames - creating a free raw material stream while giving consumers a landfill alternative for styrofoam disposal.

Frank Kooistra, UW-Madison Sustainability Operations Coordinator, underscored the importance of promoting the ideas of sustainability as the norm, and that waste is stupid in the session, “Sustainability on the College Campus.”

In the “How Resilient is Madison?” community panel session, Jim Lorman, Academic Director of the Sustainability Leadership Graduate Program at Edgewood College challenged participants to find where in their lifestyles “efficiency” inhibits “resilience.”

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Panel Discussions

BADGER BIONEERS 2012POST-CONFERENCE REPORTCLIMATE ENERGY HEALTH ECONOMY

“Madison: A Living Laboratory for Sustainability & Resilience” Plenary ForumPanelists, L to R: Erik Ranheim, Lisa Peyton-Caire, Michael Mucha, Noah Feinstein

EducationBusiness

Community

“We are committed to supporting school gardens and the effort to raise children’s understanding and enjoyment of locally-grown, healthy food.”

-- Tim Metcalfe, Metcalfe’s Markets10

The Metcalfe’s School Garden Leader Awards recognize the important role that school gardens play in our community. Not only do gardens teach our children about healthy food and an active lifestyle, they help learning come alive – boosting academic achievement,

cultivating pro-social skills and behavior, and promoting citizenship and environmental stewardship. Each award winner received $1000 towards her project. Sustain Dane and Metcalfe’s recognized the winners at the annual Badger Bioneers Conference. The 2012 winners are:

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Metcalfe’s School Garden Leaders

BADGER BIONEERS 2012POST-CONFERENCE REPORTCLIMATE ENERGY HEALTH ECONOMY

Cheryl StoutOregon Middle SchoolCheryl Stout has guided the transfor-mation of the Oregon Middle School landscape, working from the humble beginnings of prairie plantings to the dynamic vision of bringing a school vegetable garden into full produc-tion, with goals to integrate it into ev-ery classroom within two years.

Mary MichaudVan Hise ElementaryThanks to Mary’s efforts, Van Hise El-ementary students enjoy an Outdoor Garden Classroom, which consists of five raised beds, twelve loose beds, compost bins, a shed, two hoops houses and a 700 square-foot rain garden with more than 25 species of native prairie and wetland plants.

Natalie & Gabrielle Hinahara, Clark Street Community SchoolIn 2011, the Hinaraha sisters started Growing Food and Sustainability, a program designed to engage and educate school-aged children in en-vironmental education through food production, nutrition, cooking, art, biking, and multi-age relationship building.

Thank you to all of our 2012 Badger Bioneers Sponsors!12

2012 Badger Bioneers Sponsors

MONONA

MENDOTA

Interested in sponsorships or exhibitions at the 2013 Badger Bioneers Conference? Contact Amy Soyck, amy@sustaindane.org.

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BADGER BIONEERS 2012POST-CONFERENCE REPORTCLIMATE ENERGY HEALTH ECONOMY

KEGONSA

WAUBESA

WINGRA

Think of us as sustainability entrepreneurs and networkers. Movers and shakers.

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CONNECT WITH SUSTAIN DANE@SustainDaneFacebook.com/SustainDaneSustainable Business Network Groupwww.sustaindane.org

We are a non-profit organization based in Madison, Wisconsin, committed to creating a community that deeply enjoys, cares for and is sustained by its unique environment. We serve as a central hub of sustainability and resilience, connecting world trends to local needs and interests in order to create innovative new programs and projects. We find fresh thinking, identify exciting opportunities, and convene groups that will make ideas into realities. With a comprehensive approach to sustainability, we work with all the sectors that affect our daily lives, including school districts, municipal governments, business communities and neighborhoods.

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About Sustain Dane

BADGER BIONEERS 2012POST-CONFERENCE REPORTCLIMATE ENERGY HEALTH ECONOMY

Board of DirectorsSara AlvaradoJim BradleyJoann KelleyMichael MuchaJonathan PatzLisa Peyton-Caire

Jordan HemaidanCate RanheimErik RanheimRebecca RyanWilla Schlecht

StaffKristen Joiner, Executive DirectorJessie Lerner, Director, Sustainable Business InitiativeJulie Jarvis, Director, Sustainable Schools InitiativeAnnemarie Kalson, Program Manager, Sustainable Business InitiativeAmy Soyck, Program & Administrative AssistantDanielle Russell, Program Manager, Communications & Development

SUSTAIN DANE211 S. Paterson St.Madison, WI 53703

(608) 819 - 0689www.sustaindane.org