Speaking Invitation Related to Rural Renaissance

Inviting John Ivanko and Lisa Kivirist as Speakers or Presenters

Consider inviting Lisa Kivirist and/or John Ivanko to present a keynote or plenary, or faciliate a workshop related to one of the many themes explored in Rural Renaissance. We welcome opportunities to work with conference planners or workshop review committees to devise the most appropriate and engaging presentation for those in attendence.

Speaking Background

Included among the speakers on EcoSpeakers.com (John or Lisa), American Entertainment Speakers International (AEI), BME Global, we have given numerous talks about a wide range of topics at such venues as the Midwest Renewable Energy Association's Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Fair, Upper Midwest Organic Farming Conference, National Audubon Society Conference, Living Green Expo (Minneapolis, MN), SolWest (John Day, OR), I-Renew's Energy Expo (IA), Wisconsin Governor's Conference on Tourism, Midwest Environmental Educators Conference (IA), Living Lightly Conference (Michigan Friends; Chelsea, MI), Penn State Green Design Conference, Pennsylvania Environmental Congress, Gathering Waters' Land Stewardship Conference, and the Midwest Birding Symposium. From ecopreneuring to sustainable living to diversifying on-farm income, from bluebird conservation to traveling as an ecotourist, we draw from our local -- and global -- experiences, often complimented by John's professional photography.

Possible Speaking Topics

(1) Achieving the Good Life

A department store goliath says you can shop for the good life. Some claim the good life comes only in retirement. Lisa Kivirist, co-author of Rural Renaissance disagrees. The good life is not about the goods of life, or waiting until you're retired to do what you love to do and live according to your values. It's about a more self-reliant, simple, and ecologically mindful lifestyle that's merged with a more meaningful livelihood that supports a living, restorative and local economy.

Join the quest to explore what more sustainable living means in the 21st century by:

generating our own power;
growing our own food;
raising our children;
building our own structures (perhaps, even, with straw bales);
cultivating a "workstyle" that is meaningful, green and often, entrepreneurial;
restoring the health of our community, on which our own health depends.

Drawing from Kivirist's experiences with her husband and son as well as others around the country, learn about what steps can be taken -- big or small -- that celebrate the most basic of all American rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Format: to possibly include photographic essay through slides and 1-page activity worksheet for audience to complete.

(2) Small is Beautiful

This century is the "Century of the Small," says Paul Hawken, author of The Ecology of Commerce. Small businesses, small towns and small cars. Join John and Lisa, co-authors of ECOpreneuring and Rural Renaissance, to examine how this transformation is already taking place in a community near you and how you can join what is quickly becoming one of the most widespread -- albeit silent -- grassroots movements in decades.

Whether you're among the 25-percent of working Americans who have started their own small business or free-lancing enterprise or the swelling ranks of home-based do-it-yourselfers who have downscaled consumption and upscaled their satisfaction with life with their family, spouse or community, small is beautiful, sustainable, economically viable, and more spiritually fulfilling. Ivanko and Kivirist will share how.

Format: to possibly include photographic essay through slides and 1-page activity worksheet for audience to complete.

(3) Farm Diversification & Managing the Media

Download the powerpoint presentation made at the Upper Midwest Organic Farming Conference, February, 2005, and other venues (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing).

(4) Agritourism Meets Ecotourism

Download the powerpoint presentation made at the Wisconsin Governor's Conference on Tourism, March, 2005 (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing).

(5) Sustainable Living Simplified

Despite what ad campaigns tell us, "the good life" can't be bought on a credit card. Craft your own definition of "the good life" and simplify, declutter, reduce and recycle. Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko, co-authors of Rural Renaissance, share creative ideas and approaches to sustainable living in this "show-and-tell" format.

(6) Green Living on a Dime

Want to power your home by the wind or sun? Create an eco-friendly home on a shoestring budget? Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko, co-authors of Rural Renaissance, share their story from green living rookies to running Inn Serendipity B&B, a nationally-recognized model for sustainable living.

(7) Eco-preneuring and Small Business Management

Drawing from over a decade of first-hand experiences as well as interviews of other rural entrepreneurs for the non-profit organization, Renewing the Countryside, Ivanko and Kivirist will delve into the practical aspects of what it means to be an eco-preneur and small business proprietor, and what it means to the health and well-being of your community. Examples feature ways businesses can be more green, how to green existing nature-based businesses (such as ecotourism enterprises), and the many benefits of being a more sustainably managed business, including becoming more profitable.

Discussion explores the changing environment of business from the perspective of:

placing greater emphasis on the importance of local, family owned businesses (often from home offices) to the health and well-being of communities
using powerful computers and technology
leveraging the Internet to collapse the "friction of distance"
capitalizing on the reality that small, human-scaled enterprises offer greater balance of life and family integration possibilities
capturing the growing trend of creativity-based livelihoods, as evidenced in such best-selling books as Free Agent Nation, Creative Class and Cultural Creatives.

(8) Ecotourism: Wisconsin's Point of Difference/Travel Green Wisconsin

Download the powerpoint presentation made at the Wisconsin Department of Tourism Marketing Meeting, December 8, 2005 (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing).

(9) Enrichment Travel: Experiences ARE the Difference

Download the powerpoint presentation that addresses enrichment travel, ecotourism and agritourism made at the Wisconsin Governor's Conference on Tourism, March 14, 2006 (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing). 7.2 MB file.

Fees and Scheduling

To determine availability, contact Lisa Kivirist or John Ivanko at (608) 329-7056, info@ruralrenaissance.org, or write to 7843 County Rd. P, Browntown WI 53522. Presenter(s) honorarium, travel, lodging and meal expenses are flexible, depending on the venue and audience. Either Lisa or John, or both together, can make the presentations, depending on the needs of the conference planners.

About Rural Renaissance

Rural Renaissance Network
P.O. Box 811
Monroe WI 53566
E-mail: info@ruralrenaissance.org
www.ruralrenaissance.org