Listening to the Voices of Nature
– Sponsors and Partners –
Conference Home Speakers Program Sponsors and Partners
Partners are organizations that help us get the word out. Sponsors additionally contribute financially to our efforts. These are our valued sponsors and partners since 2014.
Sponsors for Voices of Nature
The vision of the Regenerative Agriculture Foundation is a world in which the boundaries between the human and natural world are indistinguishable and the totality of human needs are produced in a way that regenerates the ecosystems which we inhabit. To accomplish this we support farmers and ranchers, the managers of the vast majority of the nation’s land surface, through research, education and advocacy.
The National Classroom’s curriculum work has been built upon the vision of curriculum development embodied in a project in the 1970’s known as the Whole Earth Curriculum. The National Classroom, Inc. is distributing a powerful film about race, education, and personal transformation from the 1960s, Walk Right In, the story of the Yale Summer High School. Click here for a short description of the film, contact Barney Brawer to obtain a copy.
As the heart of the global wilderness community for over 40 years, the WILD Foundation protects wilderness while meeting the needs of human communities, working across cultures and boundaries by collaborating with local peoples, organizations, the private sector, and governments to create dynamic practical projects, inspiring solutions and communications initiatives.
The Climate Action Business Association is a membership-based organization in Boston, Massachusetts, that helps businesses take targeted action on climate change. We provide our member businesses with the resources and tools needed to work within their business on sustainability efforts, political advocacy and building a community of shared values. In 2016, we merged with nonprofit Climate XChange to increase our capacity and enhance our organizations’ ability to influence climate policy.
For both social and investment reasons, Zevin Asset Management focuses on well-managed companies with sustainable business practices capable of delivering worthwhile returns for a number of years. The securities that we manage are screened for a wide range of social criteria and are voted in a conscientious way. Our shareholder activism includes initiating company dialogues and co-filing shareholder resolutions on behalf of our clients. We carry out in-house primary research on environmental, social, and governance issues as well as employing third party social research services. We involve ourselves in the activities of US SIF, collaborate with other socially responsible investment firms, and have a wide network of NGO contacts that we often consult.
Divine Chocolate is co-owned by the 85,000 farmer members of Kuapa Kokoo, the cooperative in Ghana that supplies the cocoa for each bar of Divine. As owners, they get a share in the profits, a say in the company, and a voice in the global marketplace.
Sponsors and Partners of Yore
The 11th Hour Project, a program of The Schmidt Family Foundation, promotes a fuller understanding of the impact of human activity within the web of interdependent living systems. We connect organizations with good information on how to develop a more responsible relationship with the world’s water, energy, and food resources.
Regeneration International, a project of the Organic Consumers Association, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to building a global network of farmers, scientists, businesses, activists, educators, journalists, governments and consumers who will promote and put into practice regenerative agriculture and land-use practices that: provide abundant, nutritious food; revive local economies; rebuild soil fertility and biodiversity; and restore climate stability by returning carbon to the soil, through the natural process of photosynthesis.
The Tufts Fletcher School Center for International Environment and Resource Policy (CIERP) develops innovative approaches to shifting global development onto a path that is more environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable. CIERP is our conference site co-sponsor.
The Tufts Institute of the Environment (TIE) is an interdisciplinary university-wide institute that initiates, facilitates, and promotes environmental education, research, and outreach toward a sustainable future. TIE is our conference site co-sponsor.
The mission of Nutiva Foundation is to nurture people and planet by supporting the advancement of healthy communities and ecologically sustainable agriculture.
The Organic Consumers Association is an online and grassroots non-profit addressing crucial issues of food safety, industrial agriculture, genetic engineering, children’s health, corporate accountability, Fair Trade, environmental sustainability and other key topics. OCA is the only organization in the US focused exclusively on promoting the views and interests of the nation’s estimated 50 million organic and socially responsible consumers.
EPIC sets the industry standards by sourcing meats from ranchers who validate that their animals receive the utmost humane treatment. EPIC animals always live pasture-centered lives where turkeys forage, pigs wallow, and buffalo roam. By combining these healthful, delicious tasting and lightly smoked animal protein with savory nuts and dehydrated fruits, EPIC foods taste amazing! And they are unique: more savory, tender, and flavor-forward than jerky, without the high carbohydrate and sugar load of other bars. Reconnect with your ancestral diets and enjoy every bite of it!
The Savory Institute works to remove barriers that stand in the way of successful large-scale change to how the world’s grasslands and other resources are managed. Their work to remove barriers takes many different shapes, including monitoring, curating and conducting research; informing policy; identifying and establishing market incentives; and increasing public awareness.
Humans are increasing the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. There are plenty of intertwined reasons; political, economic and social. What’s certain is that its contribution to climate change and ocean acidification will have a devastating outcome if we don’t do something about it. That’s where the Virgin Earth Challenge comes in. It’s a prize for sustainable and scalable ways of removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
The Bionutrient Food Association is a national association of voting members who agree to uphold the mission of the organization and advocate for vital soils, nourishing food and healthy people.
The Institute for Sustainability and Post-Carbon Education (ISPE) at Bristol Community College educates the community on the impacts of fossil fuel declines in industrial society and the processes that foster post-carbon sustainability.
Cambridge Naturals was founded in 1974 to provide the best choices in nutritional supplements, clean body care products and organic foods. It is committed to sourcing products locally, organically, and ethically via fair trade and direct trade channels, and to donating a portion of its profits to social and environmental organizations that impact the local community.
Carbon Drawdown Solutions offers the missing link to climate change, converting the liability of waste to the assets of electricity and biochar, soil fertility and carbon drawdown.
Center for Food Safety (CFS) is a national non-profit public interest and environmental advocacy organization working to protect human health and the environment by curbing the use of harmful food production technologies and by promoting organic and other forms of sustainable agriculture. CFS also educates consumers concerning the definition of organic food and products. CFS uses legal actions, groundbreaking scientific and policy reports, books and other educational materials, market pressure and grass roots campaigns through our True Food Network. CFS’s successful legal cases collectively represent a landmark body of case law on food and agricultural issues.
In 1986, Equal Exchange was founded to challenge the existing trade model, which favors large plantations, agri-business , and multi-national corporations; support small farmers; and connect consumers and producers through information, education, and the exchange of products in the marketplace. With our founding, we joined a growing movement of small farmers, alternative traders (ATOs), religious organizations, and non-profits throughout the world with like-minded principles and objectives. Underlying our work is the belief that only through organization, can small farmers survive and thrive. The cooperative model has been essential for building this model of change.
Flag Hill Farm creates handcrafted, traditional, farmhouse-style Vermont Hard Cyders, all organic since 1984 and wild yeast fermented, as well as distilled fruit spirits, Pomme de Vie and Stair’s Pears. You might think of them as Vermont brandies, similar to Calvados Poire William. We think of them as ‘the spirited essence of fruit. They are the perfect complement for regional and seasonal cooking, foods, & menus, and a stylish & unique after dinner or apres-ski drink!
The goal of Friends of Alewife Reservation (FAR) is to preserve the Alewife Urban Wild in Cambridge, Massachusetts FAR into the Future. FAR provides opportunities for explorations in forest and Wilderness therapy, forest walks, bird habitat and birding, wild flowers and plants, education at all levels, outdoor recreation, cleaner air, nature drawing, small river floodplain forest dynamics, and carbon sequestration.
Dr. Mercola recommends products that he has actively researched and found to be the best in that category for your health. A portion of the profits generated from the sale of these products goes to a variety of non-profit organizations which protect your health freedom and provide you with valuable information to help you Take Control of Your Health!
NOFA/Mass promotes organic agriculture to expand the production and availability of nutritious food from living soil for the health of individuals, communities and the planet, supporting methods of farming and gardening that can continue for generations because they show respect for the soil, water, and air.
Pearl’s Premium is an organic approach to lawn care that is over-due for so many reasons: lawns are depleting our groundwater supplies, wasting energy and adding to greenhouse gases, run off and unnecessary health risks, what ends up in our homes affects children, animals and others. The secret is in Pearl’s Premium’s very deep roots after one year, resulting in a lawn that taps into naturally-occurring moisture to minimize watering and better resist drought, and absorb soil nutrients to minimize need for chemical treatments. It grows very slowly above ground to minimize mowing, and nutrient requirements. Jackson Madnick researched grass seed and lawn care for over eight years to find the best seed varieties and the ideal percentage blends of these varieties to achieve break-through, low-maintenance lawn care.
Wright-Locke Farm is Winchester’s own organic farm and a fun place to visit, volunteer, and get involved. An astonishing 374 years old, Wright-Locke Farm is now being reborn as a community-based farm where young and old can enjoy spending time in the outdoors, help grow super-local organic produce, and learn what it takes to create a healthy farm.
The Climate Action Business Association’s mission is to help solve the climate crisis by organizing local small business leaders to be more effective advocates for climate change mitigation and adaptation within our communities, at the business, local, state, regional, national and international levels.
Harvard Extension School—Sustainability and Environmental Management programs
Explore the critical environmental factors affecting air, water, and climate through Harvard Extension School’s array of programs in Sustainability and Environmental Management. In their part-time degree program, you’ll gain the insights and tools needed to develop solutions to the environmental issues affecting our global community. Further hone your skills in one of their certificate offerings covering topics like green building design, corporate sustainability, environmental policy, or natural resource management.
Irving House is a B&B where energy efficiency and environmental responsibility have always been core values. In 2005 Irving House joined the EPA’s Energy Star program and was awarded their Energy Star for our performance in 2006. As technologies for best environmental practices evolve, we continue to find new ways to lighten our footprint while maintaining a high level of services to our guests.
Quinton Zondervan is an environmental activist, a successful biotech entrepreneur and an award-winning software engineer. In addition to his work as Executive Director at the Climate Action Business Association, he serves as president of Green Cambridge, a non-profit organization that promotes energy conservation, recycling and other sustainability initiatives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT and two bachelor’s degrees in the fields of mathematics and computer science from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Partners
International Year of Soils. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is implementing the IYS 2015. Its specific objectives of the IYS 2015 are to raise full awareness among civil society and decision makers about the profound importance of soil for human life; educate the public about the crucial role soil plays in food security, climate change adaptation and mitigation, essential ecosystem services, poverty alleviation and sustainable development; support effective policies and actions for the sustainable management and protection of soil resources; promote investment in sustainable soil management activities to develop and maintain healthy soils for different land users and population groups; strengthen initiatives in connection with the SDG process (Sustainable Development Goals) and Post-2015 agenda; advocate for rapid capacity enhancement for soil information collection and monitoring at all levels (global, regional and national).
Archangel Ancient Tree Archive is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that locates and propagates the world’s largest and most iconic trees. AATA creates living libraries of old-growth tree genetics by cloning these old growth trees through traditional and advanced horticultural propagation for the purpose of future research and functional reforestation. We promote the use of the right trees for the right application for a balanced, sustainable environment. We want, and need to replace the natural filter systems of our water and air to fight global warming caused climate change, and protect our freshwater ecosystem to restore the health of our planet. https://www.ancienttreearchive.org/
Better Future Project accelerates the growth of a powerful grassroots movement to address the climate crisis and make stronger, healthier, and more resilient communities by advancing a rapid and responsible transition beyond fossil fuels.
The Cambridge Green Schools Initiative (CGSI) was launched in September 2011, and is run out of the school department’s Office for Sustainability. The program involves environmental initiatives across the district in the categories of Products, Food, Energy, Waste, and Greenspace.
The Carbon Farming Course – “Severe soil degradation, rising input costs, and a chaotic climate are putting unprecedented pressure on agriculture. We’ve got to feed millions more people every year – but do it in a way that does not destroy soil, water, and local economies. Carbon Farming is the way to do it,” said Ethan Roland, Executive Director of the Resilience Foundation, where the Carbon Farming Course was developed.
The Carbon Underground was created to be the umbrella organization responsible for organizing, communicating and educating the world about the powerful climate change-reversing ability of healthy soil, and for helping to create the transformation of enough farms and grasslands to restore a healthy climate. The Carbon Underground’s online platform under development will provide a dynamic data-sharing home for farmers, governments, NGOs, and scientists to both improve results and proliferate transformation.
Since 1984, Chelsea Green has been the publishing leader for books on the politics and practice of sustainable living, and is a founding member of the Green Press Initiative. It has led the industry in use of recycled paper, and in foundational books on renewable energy, green building, organic agriculture, eco-cuisine, and ethical business. Chelsea Green is the publisher of Judith Schwartz’s landmark book, Cows Save the Planet. 
Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) is a 7-year old, nonprofit, grassroots volunteer organization focused exclusively on passing a revenue-neutral carbon fee and dividend (CFD) to address climate change. CCL provides its members with tool kits for direct lobbying of local and national elected representatives and their staffs; conducts monthly actions and conference calls with experts to expand members’ personal political power; trains them in placement of public comments in print media and in building relationships with editorial boards, and organizes at a grass-roots level to build consensus. CCL empowers individuals to find their voice in the climate debate.
ClimateStore is dedicated to providing great products and ideas to help people reduce their carbon footprint in the age of human caused climate change. At ClimateStore you can learn about climate change, shop for solutions and build a plan for low carbon living. Want to keep up with what’s happening? Follow us on our social media feeds, sign up for our newsletter and check out our blog ClimateActions.
The Arthur Morgan Institute for Community Solutions, founded in 1940 as Community Service, Inc., is a non-profit organization that advocates for small communities and the benefits of face-to-face relationships in a particular place. The organization envisions a world where people live sustainably and cooperatively in smaller communities which are diverse, equitable, and just.
Cuisine en Locale uses all local ingredients in Massachusetts and that’s no simple task. We are often asked why we bother. The simple answer strikes to the heart of the company’s mission: to support the growth of farms and farmers, and increase the value of food in the area where we live, and eat. It’s a selfish mission, really: we want to eat real food, and we want to offer our family and friends that same opportunity. We are grateful every day for the farmers we buy our food from, and they are grateful for us. It is a simple, solid relationship of which we are proud.
Earthos is about changing the way we construct our environment, from our buildings to our food production, to protect the earth and its systems. It is dedicated to accelerating the translation of knowledge of sustainability into practice in the built environment. Earthos offers a unique combination of expertise in architecture/urban planning and nonprofit collaborative enterprise, establishing effective cross-disciplinary teams that can develop and implement design practice models that promote true sustainability.
The Ecological Landscape Alliance advocates for responsible stewardship of land and natural resources in landscaping and horticultural practices.
Environmental news for Southern New England.
Edible Landscapes is will help you create low-maintenance perennial edible landscapes to feed your friends and family for years to come. Imagine your yard transformed into an inviting garden of greens, veggies, fruits and herbs that you can harvest year after year!
Elders Climate Action is a campaign, a movement of elders committed to making our voices heard…to change our nation’s energy policies while there is still time to avoid catastrophic changes in the Earth’s climate.
Elders Climate Action is calling on elders to take the pledge and stand together behind our common commitment to restoring a livable climate for future generations. Through this unified voice we can create the political will necessary to break through the gridlock.
Food Tank is focused on building a global community for safe, healthy, nourished eaters. We spotlight environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable ways of alleviating hunger, obesity, and poverty and create networks of people, organizations, and content to push for food system change.
Gardens for Health International is changing the way that malnutrition is treated: by moving away from short-term handouts and towards equipping families with the knowledge and resources to grow their own nutritious food and improve their health. We envision a future in which the key to lasting food and nutrient security for vulnerable families lies in their own backyards.
The Global Coral Reef Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to growing, protecting and managing the most threatened of all marine ecosystems—coral reefs. Founded in 1990, GCRA is a coalition of volunteer scientists, divers, environmentalists and other individuals and organizations, committed to coral reef preservation and restoration.
Green Cambridge works to create a more sustainable Cambridge, and to protect the environment for the health and safety of all. It is currently working on several projects including advocating for net-zero fossil fuel energy buildings, promoting food waste composting, promoting local renewable energy, working with DPW to increase recycling by Cambridge businesses, and many others.
The Greenscapes Massachusetts Coalition collaborates with many Massachusetts cities and towns, with additional support from our supporters, advisors and affiliates. The Greenscapes Massachusetts program seeks to educate citizens and professionals about landscaping practices (particularly irrigation and chemical use) to have less impact on the environment; create an informed and proactive citizenry that acts as environmental stewards in their own backyards; and generate broad support for the responsible public management of water resources (quality and quantity).
Healthy Soils Australia (HSA) is a public not for profit company with a national outlook, and an inclusive focus to build a network of awareness about healthy soil. HSA supports a wide range of proven approaches to build healthy, carbon-rich soil.
The International Biochar Initiative promotes good biochar industry practices, stakeholder collaboration, and environmental and ethical standards to foster economically viable biochar systems that are safe and effective for use in soil fertility and as a climate mitigation tool.
The organizational mission of Kiss the Ground is to inspire global participation in the restoration of our precious soils.
Life’s Epiphany, regenerative living: ecological and edible landscape design, compost and soil services, holistic health services, and holistic health coaching. Unlocking the health of the mind, body, spirit and environment through education, awareness and action. Located on the South Coast of Massachusetts.
The Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions is a statewide non-profit whose members are local conservation commissions, individuals, businesses, and organizations that support protecting wetlands, open space, and biological diversity. MACC’s mission is to protect Massachusetts natural resources by supporting conservation commissions through education and advocacy.
The Massachusetts Climate Action Network (MCAN) is a statewide organization that coordinates the work of locally organized groups across Massachusetts fighting the climate crisis. We have a large and vigorous community of 46 chapters (in a fifth of MA communities), hundreds of members, and others who communicate, network, and share information related to climate action.
Mni is a grassroots, non-profit, indigenous-led collaboration to restore the water cycle world wide using eco-friendly rainwater harvesting techniques. One of the leaders of Mni, Candace Duchenaux, is a speaker at our 2014 conference. See recent article in Yes! Magazine.
Founded in 1993, the Marion Institute is a non-profit that acts as an incubator for a diverse array of programs and projects that delve into the root cause of an issue and seeks to create deep and positive change. We work with individuals, schools and communities to inspire change in the areas of health and healing, sustainability, green economics, environmental education, spirituality and much more.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is a federal agency that works hand-in-hand with the people of Massachusetts to improve and protect their soil, water and other natural resources. For decades, private landowners have voluntarily worked with NRCS specialists to prevent erosion, improve water quality and promote sustainable agriculture.
The purpose of the Planetary Emissions Management (PEM) Forest Legacy Carbon Initiative (FLCI) is to provide a new and unique opportunity to support land conservation and management by directly valuing the sequestration of atmospheric carbon by diverse land types. In cases where land conservation is the primary goal, such as in existing forests and afforestation, simply allowing trees to grow may enhance the landowners compensation through natural carbon sequestration that is verified by direct measurement.
Polyface, Inc. is a family owned, multi-generational, pasture-based, beyond organic, local-market farm and informational outreach in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Polyface is in the redemption business: healing the land, healing the food, healing the economy, and healing the culture.
Ecosystem-Based Management for the 1,320 square mile Port Orford Community Stewardship Area (POCSA) is promoted by various stakeholders to improve collaboration among the individuals, agencies, and NGOs working in the POSCA. POSCA supports the understanding that our common good and well-being is directly connected to our natural resources.
Project Drawdown is a book, a digital platform, and database about how we are and can reduce carbon in the atmosphere over the next thirty years. Detailing and measuring technologies that are already available, Drawdown describes the beneficial financial, social and environmental impact state-of-the-shelf solutions can deliver. By scaling existing solutions, we can mitigate and functionally reverse the build up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
The Quincy Climate Action Network is committed to reduce fossil fuel usage and increase the production of clean renewable energy in our city. Many QCAN members serve on the mayor’s Climate Change Committee. Quincy is currently a contender for the Solarize Massachusetts program and QCAN will work with the state and solar installer to maximize residential solar installations if/when awarded.
Remineralize the Earth (RTE) promotes the use of natural land and sea-based minerals to restore soils and forests, produce more nutritious food, sustainable biofuels and remove excess CO2 from the atmosphere. RTE networks worldwide with farmers and gardeners, scientists and policymakers to initiate projects and partner with NGOs, government agencies, and companies to make the transition from an economics of scarcity to an economics of abundance.
The Schumacher Center for a New Economics educates the public about an economics that supports both people and the planet, and that a fair and sustainable economy is possible and that citizens working for the common interest can build systems to achieve it. The Center combines theoretical research on economics with practical application, deliberately focusing on transformative systems and the principles that guide them.
Seeds of Sustainability is student club based in Fall River, Massachusetts at Bristol Community College whose goals are to encourage and promote education, leadership and the practice of sustainable living. SOS aims to provide the availability of fresh, local and organic food on campus, to support local organic agriculture and to foster sustainable practices throughout the surrounding community. Another of its objectives is to build a lasting relationship between the school’s administration, the student body and eventually the greater community. SOS is building a foundation for present and future members to grow in three major areas of a sustainable lifestyle. These are to be economically sound, ecologically responsible and socially equitable.
Shared Harvest CSA is a multiple-farm winter Community-Supported Agriculture enterprise located in Arlington, Massachusetts. Shared Harvest connects local, small-scale farmers with people who wish to eat well off-season while supporting local family farms.
Somerville Climate Action (SCA) is a grass-roots collaborative working for a safe and stable climate while helping to build a resilient, just, and sustainable community. We are focused on transitioning from fossil fuel dependence, ecological degradation, economic instability and social disconnection to low carbon lifestyles, ecosystem restoration, a local living economy and a vital close-knit community.
The Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture is working to improve the way America eats and farms. On December 3-5, 2014, it will host the 7th annual National Young Farmers Conference, providing participants with access to inspiring keynotes and unique workshops that address soil science, technical skills, agricultural policy, farm business management, conservation and more.
Sustainable Land Development Initiative is a stakeholder social media association now positioned to help transform the industry that creates the very infrastructure of our civilization. SLDI is dedicated to delivering sustainable land development technology and knowledge resources to promote and enable fully integrated sustainable land development worldwide.
Sustainable Milton is a community organization in Milton, Massachusetts whose goals are to:Educate through workshops on living green, an environmental speaker series, green tours and seminars, and school programs. Communicate with our Green News newsletter, placing environment articles in local publications, promoting new town initiatives, and publishing a monthly e-bulletin. Promote reducing, reusing and recycling; energy efficiency and renewable options; and healthy homes, schools and building.
Sustainable World Media creates media that matters, films that highlight change makers across the globe, people who are achieving real results and whose work focuses on solutions that benefit both people and planet. Watch our videos to learn about Permaculture, Rainwater Harvesting, Organic Farming, Food Forests, Keyline Design, Rangeland Management and much more. Sustainable World Media videos are produced by Carol Hirashima and Jill Cloutier.
Tree Of Life Sustainable Development Consulting is dedicated to restoring the combination of life forms, and their interactions with each other and with the rest of the environment, that have made Earth a uniquely habitable place for humans. Biodiversity — the variability within and among living organisms and the systems they inhabit — is the foundation upon which human civilization has been built. The retention and management of diversity is urgently needed in order to build “designer ecosystems” that will replicate the natural systems that have evolved over 4 billion years on this planet and that create the very conditions for life to exist.