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STROLLING OF THE HEIFERS ANNOUNCES FIRST SLOW LIVING SUMMIT: A June 2011 conference on sustainability and social entrepreneurship

STROLLING OF THE HEIFERS ANNOUNCES FIRST SLOW LIVING SUMMIT: A June 2011 conference on sustainability and social entrepreneurship

PRESS RELEASE: BRATTLEBORO, VT — A well known festival celebrating a slower, more connected lifestyle will branch out this summer by launching a regional conference exploring the concept of “Slow Living.”

The first Strolling of the Heifers Slow Living Summit, scheduled to take place June 1-3 in Brattleboro, will focus on topics of social and economic sustainability with the goal of exploringways to build healthy, thriving local economies while encouraging, mentoring and supporting a new generation of activists, entrepreneurs and engaged citizens.

Strolling of the Heifers, best known for its annual agriculturally-themed parade and festival, is organizing the Summit in partnership with Marlboro College’s Graduate School and World Learning as part of the tenth annual Strolling of the Heifers celebration.

Scheduled speakers include author and environmental activist Bill McKibben, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, entrepreneurship guru Gary Hirshberg of Stonyfield Farm, Slow Food USA president Josh Viertel, Sustainable South Bronx founder Majora Carter, and Vermont Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Ross, and Gardener’s Supply CEO Will Raap.

In addition to the plenary session speakers, the Summit will offer many breakout sessions organized into five topical tracks: food and agriculture; energy and resources; economic issues (business, finances and entrepreneurship); education for sustainability; and quality of life. In the breakout sessions, conferees can learn about diverse topics such as using technology for sustainability, reinventing agriculture, community-scaled renewable energy systems, and how to
tap sources of funding for sustainable enterprises.

The Summit will take place in various locations in downtown Brattleboro, including the Latchis Theatre, the River Garden, Brattleboro Museum & Art Center and Marlboro College Graduate Center. Organizers hope to attract as many as 200 conferees from throughout the Northeast, including representatives of non-profits, businesses, educational institutions, funders and public entities working toward a resilient future for the region.

Why “slow living?” “It expresses a paradigm shift that’s under way in this age,” said Philip Snyder, the meeting’s coordinator. “ ‘Slow’ encodes the transformative change from faster and cheaper to slower and better — where quality, community and the future matter. It’s about slowing down and becoming more mindful of our basic connection with land, place and people, taking the long view that builds a healthy, fulfilling way of life for the generations to come. It is about common good taking precedence over private gain.”

During receptions and other informal networking sessions, the Summit will offer opportunities for attendees to share their knowledge and experiences, make new connections, identify new opportunities and build new collaborations, partnerships and networks. “In particular,” Snyder said, “we hope that this can be a venue for one generation of social entrepreneurship leaders to encourage, mentor and support a new generation by passing along their valuable experience.”

The Summit’s theme is “Common Interests, Common Solutions, Common Good.”

Strolling’s founder and executive director, Orly Munzing, likened the Summit to a “big tent” gathering — “except in Strolling terms, it’s a ‘big barn,’ ” she said. “Strolling of the Heifers has always been a festival celebrating a slower life in which people value local connections to farmers and food producers. The idea of the Slow Living Summit takes that to another level — it is really to help build economies and put people to work in sustainable ways.”

“It will do that by focusing on the socially-responsible and sustainable enterprises and community relationships that will matter in the future, rather than on the environmentally and socially destructive practices of the past,” Munzing explained. “Slow living grows from the strengths, people, resources and history of the region. It is about basing life on the well-being of nature and community, where wealth and money can recirculate locally, combining with innovation and
entrepreneurship, to create jobs.”

The Summit represents one of several new initiatives by Strolling of the Heifers undertaken on the occasion of its tenth anniversary. The Summit takes place Wednesday, June 1 through Friday June 3, just before the tenth annual Strolling of the Heifers Weekend, which begins on Friday evening June 3 and runs through Sunday, June 5.

In addition to the Summit, the Stroll will add the Farm & Food Short Film Festival on June 4, and the Tour de Heifer cycling event on June 5; and it plans to announce a farm and food business plan competition as a lead-up to the Summit. In recent years, the organization also launched a regional microloan fund for farmers, and pioneered a summer apprenticeship program placing youth in farm internships, which is being adopted by the Windham Regional Career Center as part of its new agricultural curriculum.

Registration information for the Summit, and a schedule of events (with new events and speakers still being added) can be found at the Strolling of the Heifers website, www.strollingoftheheifers.com. Organizations interested in attending or sponsoring the event may also call Munzing at 802-258-9177 or email her at orlymunzing@gmail.com.

Through May 14: General registration: $150; student registration $105.
After May 14 or on-site: general registration $180; student registration $115.
Direct registration link: http://bit.ly/SlowLiving2011

Media Contact:
Martin C. Langeveld
802-380-0226
langeveldvt@comcast.net

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