From The Ground Up: Practical Solutions to Complex Problems October 31, 2007

Holistic Management International (HMI)’s International Gathering 2007, “From The Ground Up: Practical Solutions to Complex Problems,” features four days of powerful keynote addresses and educational workshops with international experts on soil health and desertification, sustainable farming and grazing, animal behavior, drought and global warming, from November 1 to 4 at the Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town.

Scheduled keynote speakers include:

• Joel Salatin. One of the United State’s premier grass farmers speaks on Friday, November 2 on “Building a Local Food System The Works.” Owner of Polyface Farm in Virginia, Mr. Salatin is featured prominently in Michael Pollan’s best-selling book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma.
• Temple Grandin. The best-selling author of Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior and an international speaker on both autism and animal behavior, will deliver an address titled, “If You Eat, You Are a Change Agent,” on Saturday, November 3.
• Thom Hartmann. A celebrated broadcaster on Air America Radio, author, psychotherapist and commentator, who has written widely on environmental, political and social justice issues, speaks on “Human Relationship to the Environment” on Saturday, November 3.
• Allan Savory. HMI’s founder provides the closing address, “Healing the Land,” at the closing reception on November 3 and leads a “Walk Around the Bosque” on Sunday, November 4.
• Raphael Cristy. The historian, storyteller and renowned stage performer will be featured in a special, family friendly performance of “Charlie Russell’s Yarns” at the opening dinner on November 2. Russell was one of America’s best-known chroniclers of the Old West.

A silent auction after the November 2nd opening dinner features items that include a week at HMI’s Dimbangombe Ranch in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

Conference attendees can select from educational sessions, round table discussions, a children’s program and a certified HMI educator track on such topics as:
• Complex grazing planning
• Developing your farm to pay a white-collar wage
• Effective small business planning
• How soil and animal health connect
• Using livestock as reclamation tools
• Addressing global climate change
• Creating a New Mexico sustainable food system.
• Value-based finances for the conscious consumer
• Holistic Management™ and permaculture
• 10 Holistic Management™ principles for creating a healthy environment.
• And many more.

HMI, an Albuquerque-based international non-profit founded in 1984, works with stewards of family farms, rural communities and large land holdings (farmers, ranchers, government agencies, environmental advocacy groups, and other non-profits) to restore their lands to health, greater productivity and profitability.

HMI teaches and implements methods for working hand in hand with nature to heal damaged land, increase soil health, improve biodiversity and reverse desertification, yielding a “triple bottom line” of sustainable environmental, economic, and social benefits. HMI’s work leads to improved food production, greater profitability and enhanced quality of life. 30 million acres worldwide are currently under Holistic Management.

For more information, a complete schedule of events and to register, call HMI at (505) 842-5252 or visit www.holisticmanagement.org.

Official Website: http://www.holisticmanagement.org