Overview

In the spirit of Helen and Scott Nearing's Monday Night Talks, students organize a weekly lecture and film series on sustainable living. This program is free and open to the public. In addition, students offer educational programs and workshops to the greater community.

For more information on the simple living/social justice legacy of the Nearings, check out the Good Life Center.

Big Green Summer is also about celebration, and we host a number of performance art and cultural events each year.

In past years, we've helped organize lots of conferences and short workshops, including local food fests and the Midwest Regional Bioneers conference. As part of Big Green Summer 2006, we helped organize a conference called Ecofair 2006:Beyond Ecocatastrophe - Envisioning an Abundant Planet. Project founder and director Lonnie Gamble regularly speaks at regional and national conferences and workshops.

Sponsors, Supporters, and Partners

Supporters and partners include Grinnell College's Office of Experiential Education, the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation's Agrestal Fund, and the Wilder Institute. In addition to these major sponsors, the project couldn't happen without the support of dozens of local volunteers and donors - Thanks so much!

From time to time, we offer permaculture design certification courses at our facility in Hawaii.

We have arranged internships with artisan food producers in France and Italy. See the adventures of Claire and Torrey Witherspoon at the Acetaia del Cristo - a farm making traditional balsamic vinegar near Modena, Italy here.

Parent Organization

Our parent organization is the Sustainable Living Coalition (SLC). It is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization whose primary purpose is sustainable development. The SLC mission statement is: