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Think Local - building healthy, resilient communities.

The future of our communities increasingly lies in the hands of policy makers and administrators who seem detached from community life. There is a growing sentiment within communities that their voices are being overlooked.  In this increasingly uncertain environment, communities need to come together to devise their own solutions.  

The Think Local Conference brings together leading scientists, community leaders and experts to educate and exchange experiences, challenges and solutions on all aspects of true community sustainability.

Among the topics covered will be
* globalisation and its impact on local communities and economies
* self-sufficiency in food, farming and energy, with a focus on solutions
* the future role of money and community banking
* the importance of building networks of like-minded people in your community and neighbouring communities
* national economic strategy & the changing world economy

If you are interested in sponsoring this event, please contact Caitriona on caitriona(@)thinklocal.ie 

SPEAKERS & PROGRAMME

Plenary Session (9:15 am - 10:10am)

Matthew Ehret: author, journalist, lecturer and founder of the Canadian Patriot Review and Director at the Rising Tide Foundation and Senior Fellow at the American University in Moscow. 

Cynthia Chung: co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Rising Tide Foundation. She is contributing author to the book series "The Clash of the Two Americas," and a writer at the Strategic Culture Foundation.

Matthew and Cynthia will be joining the panels throughout the day. 

Panel 1 - Energy & Environment - Powering the Future (10:15am - 12:10pm)

Steven E. Koonin (remote): Author of Unsettled. What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn't, and Why It Matters . Steven is an American theoretical physicist and former director of the Centre for Urban Science and Progress at New York University. He is also a professor in the Department of Civil and Urban Engineering at NYU's Tandon School of Engineering. From 2004 to 2009, Koonin was employed by BP as the oil and gas company’s Chief Scientist. From 2009 to 2011, he was Under Secretary for Science, Department of Energy, in the Obama administration.

Jim O'Brien: CSR/Energy Consultant, actively promoting industry sustainability through strategic, advisory and leadership support roles. Founder and Chair of the Irish Climate Science Forum (ICSF, see www.ICSF.ie). The ICSF focuses on disseminating objective climate science to better inform national and international climate/energy policymaking.

Denis Duff: Co-founder of 18for0, Denis is a chartered engineer with global experience in electrical utilities and electricity trading systems, including wind energy, gas and oil fired thermal and Combined Cycle Power Plants.

Pete Dunne, PhD: Dr. Dunne hails from a fishing and small farming background in Clogherhead, County Louth. His academic expertise centres on all scientific and technical aspects of farming and food and his doctoral thesis focused on breed and management effects on beef quality. He has extensive teaching experience in higher education and in public sector and privately-funded research both in Ireland and the UK. His interests include all things related to farming, fishing, food production, nutrition, energy and genuine sustainability.

Nadaline Webster: Intentional IP legal tech nerd. Accidental agriculture advocate. Strategy & creative at startups & the IPO bound, co-founder of Carbon Removal Action Group.

Panel 2 - Harvesting Change: Farming, Forestry and Fisheries

Germaine Staley: Co-founder of Permaganics (www.championsofpermaculture.com). Passionate about permaculture, sustainability designer and aquaponics teacher. Germaine also leads the Source team at the World Council of Health.

James Conway: Sligo farmer, business owner and activist. Passionate about economics and the politics, particularly in rural Ireland.

Mark Hurst: Owner of Featherfield Organic Farm Kildare and regenerative farming expert . Mark has travelled extensively to see and appreciate many other cultures, religions, & life styles. He has also seen the business, commodities and banking side of the world.

Brendan Guinan: A few years ago Brendan embarked on a journey of transforming 26 acres of neglected forestry land just outside Portlaoise town into a truly regenerative farm that will stand up to financial, environmental and conventional scrutiny. Brendan uses regenerative agricultural practices, frequently rotating his egg laying hens, pigs and veal calves through the thinned out Sycamore forest, allowing diversity to thrive in the aftermath and building carbon into the soil as well as the remaining trees.

Launch of SOURCE IRELAND, a World Council of Health Project (13:30 - 13:45)

Lunch/Expo

Panel 3 - Money & Economics - New Paradigms

Catherine Austin Fitts (remote) : president of Solari, Inc., publisher of the Solari Report, and managing member of Solari Investment Screens, LLC. Catherine served as managing director and member of the board of directors of the Wall Street investment bank Dillon, Read & Co. Inc., as Assistant Secretary of Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development in the first Bush Administration.

Ellen Brown  (remote): Ellen is the founder of the Public Banking Institute and the author of a dozen books and hundreds of articles. She developed her research skills as an attorney practicing civil litigation in Los Angeles. In the best-selling Web of Debt (2007, 2012), she turned those skills to an analysis of the Federal Reserve and “the money trust,” showing how this private cartel has usurped the power to create money from the people themselves and how we the people can get it back.

Melissa Ciummei: Melissa is a private financial investor and public speaker, best known for her viral social media videos and interviews.

Alex Krainer is an author and hedge fund manager based in Monaco. He is founder of Krainer Analytics and creator of I-System Trend and bestselling author of: "Alex Krainer's Trend Following Bible," "Mastering Uncertainty" and "Grand Deception". 

Cathal Spelman: Cathal is part of the implementation team for Fairmoney.ie. The Finacial system we live with is completely NOT fit for purpose. It drains wealth away from the productive members of society, and results in a crazy situation where there is always more debt than money, and constant Chaos and Crises. Fairmoney.ie is a solution based on the concept of Stable money, that works for the benefit of ordinary people. Website: https://fairmoney.ie/

Gerry Duddy: Public Banking Forum Ireland 

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PLEASE NOTE. Think Local is a grassroots movement run by VOLUNTEERS with NO POLITICAL ALIGNMENT or MEMBERSHIP. We are running this event entirely from TICKET SALES which have been extremely strong, reflecting an appetite across Ireland for a strengthening of communities. If you bought a ticket, thank you.  Should you also wish to DONATE towards the costs of running this and future events, please do so in the ticket form.  

Please ensure your ID matches name on your ticket.  We reserve the right to refuse admission.

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Accommodation

If you are looking for accommodation, here is a list in the immediate and surrounding area

Mullingar area

Glenmore B&B - http://glenmorehousebandb.ie/  +353 87 6822442

Keyfield House 083 1419248

Marlinstown Court 044 934 0053

Railway House B&B 044 934 1142

A list of all other local hostelries including surrounding area - https://mullingar.ie/places-to-stay/

Within 30 mins drive 

Hotels & Guesthouses in Athlone

Hotels & Guesthouses in Kinnegad

Distance from Airports

Ballinasloe: 84km, approx 50 mins drive

Galway City: 141km, approx 1 1/2 hours drive

Athlone: 55km, approx 36 mins drive

Shannon Airport: 197km, approx 2 hours drive

Dublin Airport: 90km, approx 1 hour drive