Viterbo to Host Free Traditional Ecological Knowledge Conference Oct. 14; Registration Now Open

Thursday, September 29, 2016

The Viterbo community and the general public are invited to learn about the Rights of Nature movement, environmental awareness and advocacy, ecology, conservation, and indigenous wisdom of the natural world at the Traditional Ecological Knowledge Conference Friday, Oct. 14 in the Fine Arts Center.

“The conference will engage participants in holistic thinking by presenting varied perspectives about understanding earth systems, including a qualitative side of knowledge that is often overlooked,” said Michael Alfieri, biology, and conference co-organizer. “Speakers will share their work and viewpoints while leading discussions about establishing and maintaining a deep relationship with our fresh water, forests, land, plants and animals, and ourselves.”

The conference will feature 14 presenters. Featured speakers and their topics include:

  • Winona LaDuke, Honor the Earth: “Rights of Nature.” LaDuke will give the keynote address at 7:30 p.m. that evening in the Fine Arts Center Main Theatre. Her presentation is free and open to the general public, not just conference attendees. A reception will follow the event.
  • Elise Amel, University of St. Thomas: “Leverage Psychology for Sustainability”
  • Paul DeMain, Indian Country Communications, Inc.: “Historic Tribal Economies and Indigenous Languages: Food, Fuel and Medicines for the Future”
  • Mari Margil, Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund – “Indigenous Rights and the Rights of Nature”

“Viterbo is honored that several indigenous leaders will share their life stories, cultural wisdom and traditional ecological knowledge at the conference,” said Juliee de la Terre, adjunct faculty member, and conference co-organizer. “The TEK conference provides a nexus between indigenous, subjective, earth-based experiential knowledge and western, data-driven, objective, research-based science. It is the space of overlap of these knowledge types where we can understand contemporary challenges and imagine and co-create a way forward that heals the planet and ourselves.”

The conference is sponsored by the Ho-Chunk Nation, the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership, and the Viterbo biology department. It is free and open to the public with limited registration. For complete details and registration information, visit http://www.viterbo.edu/tekconference.