Excerpt from Welcome by Courtney White:
"Life in the Age of Consequences

"Although no one knows precisely what the decades ahead will bring, there are enough indicators to say with confidence that the 21st century represents a new era. Whether the concern is climate change, peak oil, overpopulation, species extinction, food and water shortages, or something else, the challenges ahead are varied and daunting.

"They are elements of what I call the Age of Consequences - the era in which we, and subsequent generations, begin to grapple with the cumulative effects of two hundred years of full-throttle industrialism. It is not just about the effects of greenhouse gases or toxic wastes, but also our decisions. Action has consequences, of course, but so does inaction - and we did plenty of both last century.

"Metaphorically, I think of the Age of Consequences as a hurricane that has been building slowly over open water for some time but is now approaching shore. We can already feel its winds. Naturally, a strenuous effort is needed to lower the wind speed of this hurricane as much as possible - such as reducing the amount of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere. However, we must also prepare basic support systems, including food, fuel, and shelter, since the hurricane is destined to make landfall no matter what we do.

"In other words, we need to build ecological and economic resilience - which the dictionary defines as 'the ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change' - among landowners, organizations, and communities so that they can weather the coming storm.

"Ecologically, building resilience means reversing the downward trend of ecosystem health. And it needs to happen on a global scale. Fortunately, there has been early progress on this front, including the development of progressive land restoration and management methods, sustainable farming and ranching practices, production of local food, expansion of watershed-based democratic collaboratives, and the exploration of regenerative economic strategies, albeit on small scales so far.

"Economically, building resilience means re-localization - a word that will likely dominate our lives soon. The inevitability of rising energy costs, for instance, means more and more of our daily lives, from food production to where we work and play, will be lived closer to home. This won't be by choice, as it is currently, but by necessity.

"Re-localization can be a form of rediscovery - learning about our roots, about community, neighbors, gardens, and doing with less in general. One could look at re-localization entrepreneurially - those individuals and organizations that get into the game early, by providing re-localized goods and services, stand a very good chance at a profitable living as the Age of Consequences begins to unfold.

"In this Conference we feature stories of resilience and hope. Speakers will explore the challenges we face in an Age of Consequences, the principles of adaptation, coexistence, and renewal, as well as, instructive examples of endurance.

"Please share your stories of resilience too!"