Theme: Women’s Leadership
Thursday, April 6th
Understanding the history of women’s pivotal roles in revolutions is essential to helping us create a new map that will permit us to move forward into far more enlightened and compassionate societies around the world. This panel will explore women’s game-changing roles in anti-colonial and liberation movements, from Algeria, Chile and Liberia to the courageous present-day women in Iran. We will survey the strategies and themes of several effective women-led revolutions in history, as well as the necessity of the everyday “inward revolution” required to shape the outer change we seek as a collective. With: Azita Ardakani, Iranian-born entrepreneur and social activist; Zainab Salbi, Iraqi American women’s rights activist and writer, co-founder of Women for Women International. Moderated by Bioneers co-founder, Nina Simons.
April 6th | 4:45 pm to 6:00 pm | Berkeley Ballroom, Residence Inn
Panelists
Azita Ardakani
Philanthropist / Impact Investor
Azita Ardakani is a serial entrepreneur, social activist and human centered communication expert. Azita created Lovesocial in 2010, an award winning creative agency which developed human driven campaigns and strategies mapping organizational community behavior. In 2016 she launched Honeycomb Portfolio, an experimental investment vehicle. Honeycomb is driven by nature's intelligence and is looking to bridge our entrepreneurial, social and emotional economic frame by deferring to nature.
Zainab Salbi
Co-Founder | Daughters for Earth
Zainab Salbi, frequently named one of the “women changing the world” by leading publications ranging from Newsweek to The Guardian, founded Women for Women International, a humanitarian organization dedicated to women survivors of wars when she was just 23. Under her leadership (1993–2011), it grew from assisting 30 women to helping more than 420,000. The author of several books, including the best seller Between Two Worlds: Escape from Tyranny and her latest, Freedom is an Inside Job; in 2022 Zainab co-founded (with Jody Allen) Daughters for Earth, a new fund and campaign that aims to inspire all women to engage in climate change action to protect and restore the Earth.
Nina Simons
Co-Founder and Chief Relationship Strategist | Bioneers
Nina Simons, co-founder of Bioneers and its Chief Relationship Strategist is also co-founder of Women Bridging Worlds and Connecting Women Leading Change. She co-edited the anthology book,Moonrise: The Power of Women Leading from the Heart, and most recently wroteNature, Culture & The Sacred: A Woman Listens for Leadership.An award-winning social entrepreneur, Nina teaches and speaks internationally, and previously served as President of Seeds of Change and Director of Strategic Marketing for Odwalla.
Friday, April 7th
The dominant culture that brought us colonialism, patriarchy, white supremacy and capitalism has led us to the brink of global ecological, economic and social collapse. In this session we will hear from women leaders who are lifting up frontline women around the world. They will share what they see as emergent directions in movement-building, healing and transformative change. They will describe inspiring examples of grassroots women’s Climate Justice initiatives offering equitable and vibrant solutions. They’ll show how it’s essential to amplify and invest in BIPOC and grassroots women climate leaders globally. With: Osprey Orielle Lake, founder and Executive Director of the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network International; Leila Salazar Lopez, Executive Director of Amazon Watch; Zainab Salbi, founder of Women for Women International, author of Freedom is an Inside Job; Amira Diamond, co-founder and Co-Director of Women’s Earth Alliance (WEA).
April 7th | 3:00 pm to 4:15 pm | Freight & Salvage
Panelists
Leila Salazar-López
Executive Director | Amazon Watch
Leila Salazar-López, Executive Director of Amazon Watch since 2015, leads the organization in its work to protect and defend the bio-cultural and climate integrity of the Amazon rainforest in solidarity with Indigenous and forest peoples. For 25+ years Leila has worked to defend the world’s rainforests, human rights, and climate through grassroots organizing and international advocacy campaigns at Amazon Watch, Rainforest Action Network and Global Exchange. She is also a Global Fund for Women Advisor for Latin America, a Greenpeace Voting Member and serves on the Advisory Circle of Daughters of the Earth. (amazonwatch.org)
Zainab Salbi
Co-Founder | Daughters for Earth
Zainab Salbi, frequently named one of the “women changing the world” by leading publications ranging from Newsweek to The Guardian, founded Women for Women International, a humanitarian organization dedicated to women survivors of wars when she was just 23. Under her leadership (1993–2011), it grew from assisting 30 women to helping more than 420,000. The author of several books, including the best seller Between Two Worlds: Escape from Tyranny and her latest, Freedom is an Inside Job; in 2022 Zainab co-founded (with Jody Allen) Daughters for Earth, a new fund and campaign that aims to inspire all women to engage in climate change action to protect and restore the Earth.
Osprey Orielle Lake
Founder and Executive Director | Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International
Osprey Orielle Lake, founder and Executive Director of the Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International, works with grassroots and Indigenous leaders, policy-makers and scientists to promote climate justice, resilient communities, and a just transition to a democratized energy future. She also serves on the Executive Committee for the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature and is the author of the award-winning book, Uprisings for the Earth: Reconnecting Culture with Nature.
Amira Diamond
Co-Founder and Co-Director | Women's Earth Alliance (WEA)
Amira Diamond, co-founder/Co-Director of Women’s Earth Alliance (WEA), has over 2 decades’ experience delivering community-driven, rights-based programming at the intersection of gender, racial, economic, environmental and climate justice around the world. Before WEA she had stints as: West Coast Director of Democracy Matters, on the team of Circle of Life, and founding and performing with the ensemble, the Social Prophet Choir. Amira, also a leadership trainer, facilitator and strategic planner, has served on a number of organizations’ boards and advisory councils.
Saturday, April 8th
Introduction by Osprey Orielle Lake, founder and Executive Director of the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International
How we imagine what’s possible, what matters. Who we are shapes what we do, and what we do in the present shapes the future. In addition to the many practical, scientific and material aspects, the climate crisis has cultural aspects with which we need to engage in order to meet this emergency. Drawing from the new anthology she co-edited, Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility, Rebecca Solnit will talk about the stories emerging from what science, Indigenous leadership, good organizing, and visionary thinkers are giving us. These stories offer the grounds for hope and the work hope does. What are the ways that what the climate requires of us could mean ushering in an age of abundance rather than austerity?
April 8th | 11:59 am to 12:21 pm | Zellerbach Hall
Introduced by
Osprey Orielle Lake
Founder and Executive Director | Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International
Osprey Orielle Lake, founder and Executive Director of the Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International, works with grassroots and Indigenous leaders, policy-makers and scientists to promote climate justice, resilient communities, and a just transition to a democratized energy future. She also serves on the Executive Committee for the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature and is the author of the award-winning book, Uprisings for the Earth: Reconnecting Culture with Nature.
Keynote
Rebecca Solnit
Author & Journalist
Rebecca Solnit, one of our nation’s most influential writers, thinkers, historians and activists, is the author of 20+ books, including: Orwell’s Roses; Recollections of My Nonexistence; Hope in the Dark; Men Explain Things to Me; A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities that Arise in Disaster; and A Field Guide to Getting Lost. She is also co-editor of Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility (coming April 2023) and writes regularly for the Guardian, serves on the board of the climate group Oil Change International, and just launched the climate project Not Too Late.
Keep Your Finger on the Pulse
Our bi-weekly newsletter provides insights into the people, projects, and organizations creating lasting change in the world.
