Bio: John wears many hats, but works mainly as a Journalist, Filmmaker, Ecologist, Writer, and Public Speaker.

Since 1979, John has been an ecological filmmaker, covering ecosystem restoration stories such as the Leoss Plateau in China. His work in ecosystem restoration has taken him to 90 countries and 6 continents, and led to iconic films such as “The Lessons of the Loess Plateau”, ““Hope in a Changing Climate”, and “Green Gold – Regreening the Desert”.

John D Liu is currently Ecosystem Ambassador for the COMMONLAND FOUNDATION which has been pioneering privately invested ecosystem restoration around the world. https://www.commonland.com/

John also is the founder of the Ecosystem Restoration Camps Movement that has together with many partners created of 56 Ecosystem Restoration Camps throughout the world. *https://ecosystemrestorationcamps.org/

Talk Name: The Great Work of Our Time

Description: John has witnessed the restoration of vast landscapes across the world, from the Leoss Plateu in China, to forests in Ethiopia and Uganda, and villages in Portugal.  If humanity is to survive the 21st century, we must all take part, and support the work of Ecosystem Restoration.   

In this talk, John shares how you can take part in the Great Work of Our Time: Restoring our Ecosystems and Our Climate.

Bio:  Ray Archuleta is a Certified Professional Soil Scientist with the Soil Science Society of America and has over 30 years experience as a Soil Conservationist, Water Quality Specialist, and Conservation Agronomist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). During his tenure with the NRCS Ray served in New Mexico, Missouri, Oregon, and North Carolina.

After his retirement from the NRCS in 2017, Ray founded Understanding Ag, LLC, and Soil Health Academy, LLC, to teach Biomimicry strategies and Agroecology principles for improving soil function on a national scale. Ray also owns and operates a 150-acre farm near Seymour, Missouri that he operates along with his wife and family.

 Talk Name: Regenerative Agriculture: A Journey of Ecological and Economic Healing

Description: In this talk, Ray shares 3 decades of experience as a soil scientist and consultant.  After helping thousands of farmers across America, Ray has learned key insights that could help us stabilize our climate and our economies.  

Ray shows why it’s so important to cover the soil, and why water, and soil conservation are the greatest factor to restoring our climate.  Our lives and our planet depends on healthy, un-tilled, covered soils.

Bios: Dodick and Stephanie are researches at the University of New Brunswick.  They are working on pioneering watershed restoration mapping that can be applied globally.

Talk Name: Planning Natural and Nature Based Flood Mitigation

Description: Flood is difficult to plan for, but new tools pioneered by Stephanie and Dodick are making it easy to map watersheds so they can be restored.  In this talk, learn a scalable methodology for the mapping ad identification of effective flood control structures in watersheds.

Bio: Rhamis Kent is a consultant with formal training in mechanical engineering (University of Delaware, B.S.M.E. ’95) and permaculture-based regenerative whole systems design serving as a registered certified Permaculture Design instructor with PRI Australia. He also serves as a co-director of the Permaculture Research Institute (PRI), a member of Permaculture Sustainable Consulting Pty Ltd (PSC), and on the Supervisory Board of The Netherlands-registered non-profit Ecosystem Restoration Camps.

Rhamis has taught Permaculture Design Courses and directed consultation projects. on nearly every continent, in some of the most arid regions on earth.

Talk Name: A Revolution in a Green Desert (Interview)

Description: In this interview, Rhamis shares his journey and approach for working with villages and cities to restore degraded lands back to life.  Using permaculture design and water capture, Rhamis has a revolutionary vision for the re-greening of some of the worlds most degraded lands.

Bio: Lucio is the cofounder and sustainable agriculture director of Arca Tierra in Mexico City. After working on small scale organic agriculture systems the last 12 years, Lucio’s mission is to grow and revive the ancient Chinampa systems of Mexico City into a global model for thriving, regenerative food production

Talk Name: Arca Tierras: Restoring the Chinampas

Description: The Chinampa Systems of Mexico City were historically one of the most abundant, stable food production systems in history…but they were slowly destroyed by the growth of Modern cities.  In this talk, learn how Lucio is restoring the Chinampa systems to create a food rich, biodiverse oasis right outside of Mexico’s largest city.

Elham R. Alabbadi founder of albalqa innovation institute president of Bayoudha village farmers’ cooperative which was founded by her great grandfather since 1962.

A Jordanian environmental pioneer from Bayoudha village. AlBalqa governerate. An entrepreneur in permaculture, farming and livestock production that is committed to providing innovative solutions to assist her local community in the village of Bayoudah.

Talk Name:  Ecosystem Restoration of Bayoudah Village

Description:  In this talk, Elham reveal’s her community’s journey to establish a stable permaculture economy in Jordan.  

From permaculture tree systems and farms to water capture systems, learn how community resilience in reversing thousands of years of ecological destruction.

Bio: Natalie Topa is a global ecosystem restoration consultant. She has worked the last 25 years establishing stable village permaculture and water systems in some of the most vulnerable areas on earth. This work has taken her 60 countries across the world, including Yemen, Sudan, Ethiopia, Congo and Tanzania. She has worked with the Danish Refugee Council and other NGO’s to bring peace to regions in conflict through ecosystem restoration.

Talk Name: Regenerative Design for Water Security

Description: From the most extreme droughts, to massive floods, Natalie has helped villages and displaced people restore their livelihoods by using permaculture water systems.  Learn global case studies for how we can use water capture and design to create abundant landscapes, and restore stable ecosystems.

Bio: Dr. Rajendra Singh is the founder of Tarun Bharat Sangh, and is known across the world as “The Waterman of India”. Starting as a doctor in rural Rajasthan 35 years ago, he saw how health problems were caused by drought, so he changed his focus to restoring ecosystems. 35 years later, his work and foundation has revived 7 rivers, restored water for a million people, and created tens of thousands of water bodies. He was awarded the Stockholm Water Prize in 2015.

Talk Name: Bringing back Water in Rajasthan: Restoring Rivers and Hope

Description: Dr. Rajendra Singh set out to help a small village in rural Rajasthan.  He was told by a village elder the greatest way he could help was to bring back water, so he dug a small dam.  30 years later, Rajendra’s organization has restored 7 rivers and restored water for a million people.  In this talk, learn his approach and the wisdom of decentralized water management.