Chris Martenson

Economic Researcher and Futurist, Founder, ChrisMartenson.com

Fellow of the Post Carbon Institute

There are big changes in play at this moment in history. The converging of our broken global economy, peak oil, and fast-depleting natural resources virtually ensures that the next twenty years will be completely unlike the last twenty. Understanding what’s unfolding and what strategies and behavior we should (and shouldn’t!) adopt—as both individuals and as a society—will determine whether we enter the future with enthusiasm and confidence, or fear and insecurity. Get ready to put your ‘big thinking’ hats on and learn how prosperity is possible in the less energy-rich, less ‘financialized’, and possibly (but hopefully not) disruptive era to come.

Dickson Despommier

Microbiologist, Ecologist and Professor, Columbia University

Microbiologist, ecologist and Columbia University professor Dickson Despommier’s talk focuses on the environment, and more specifically, the effects of climate change on farming. In 1999 Despommier developed the concept of vertical farming. He argues that through the use of greenhouse technologies such as hydroponics and aeroponics people with limited access to farmland could produce everything from fish and poultry to fruit and vegetables. In this engaging and eye-opening talk, Despommier suggests vertical farms would be ideally suited to countries in the Middle East, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Norway, Sweden. He explains how the environmental costs of transporting goods across vast distances would be slashed through effective implementation of vertical farming in urban centers, with a beneficial end result of making sure there is enough safe food for any region, regardless of its geography. Weaving years of research and a keen vision of the future needs of a planet facing the addition of 3 billion people by 2050, Despommier leaves audiences with a smart, environmentally-friendly, and innovative solution to the critical issues surrounding future food production.

Tonya Surman

Executive Director, Centre for Social Innovation

Tonya Surman is a social entrepreneur, community animator and network choreographer. With a passion for bringing life to world-changing projects, Tonya is the founding executive director of the Centre for Social Innovation which catalyzes and inspires social innovation in Toronto and around the world. CSI creates community workspaces, incubates emerging enterprises, and develops new models and methods with world-changing potential.

Tonya is a Global Ashoka Fellow – the highest recognition in social entrepreneurship for her innovative work building models of collaboration. She was recognized as a ‘Leader in Social Change’ from the Canadian New Media Awards in 2010. And in 2009, CSI was awarded the ‘City Innovation’ award from the Canadian Urban Institute.

Todd Babiak

Director, Story Engine

Todd Babiak is an award-winning novelist and screenwriter, an entrepreneur, a journalist and an all-around schemer. Three of his books have been bestsellers and they’ve been nominated for some of Canada’s most prestigious literary prizes: the Scotiabank Giller, the Rogers Writers Trust Award, the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. For ten years he wrote columns for the Edmonton Journal and now writes occasionally for The Globe and Mail. Todd is the co-founder of Story Engine, a company that helps corporations, organizations, governments, executives and start-ups use narrative as the foundation of their planning, branding, recruiting, marketing and, yes, scheming.