BRATTLEBORO — The 10th annual Slow Living Summit has been reimagined as a virtual conference.
Presented by Strolling of the Heifers and Windham Grows, the Summit's theme is “Take a Bite Out of Climate Change” with live keynote presentations by Bill McKibben, Frances Moore Lappé, Tom Newmark, and Sandra Steingraber.
“These past few months dealing with a global health crisis has shone a light on how incredibly urgent climate change issues are,” said Summit organizer Jennifer Brandt in a news release. “We are encouraging panelists to discuss the ways in which COVID-19 has changed the very nature of their businesses. This truly has affected us all.”
Keynote talks will be presented live via Zoom on Thursday, June 4, and Friday, June 5. Each keynote will be followed by a discussion.
Panel discussions with audience participation will happen daily Monday, June 8, through Friday, June 10. Panelists will include representatives from Pete & Gerry's Organic Eggs, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, Real Pickles, VSECU, and Vermont Employee Ownership Center, as well as many farmers, a winemaker, and Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman.
The Summit also includes two virtual happy hours, on Friday, June 5, and Thursday, June 11, giving all attendees a chance to connect with keynote speakers and panelists in a more informal setting.
Thanks to the new virtual format, the Summit will feature presentations not previously possible. A couple of highlights are Dave Cohen of Vbikes with a presentation and virtual E-bike demonstration and Karen Washington of Rise and Root farm doing a farm tour and talk.