Homer Alaska - Letters

TEDxHomer & Teens joins with the 11 live speakers and more than 140 attendees at the Sustain US event on Friday, Aug. 20, to shout out a glacier-sized thanks to these local businesses, leaders, and volunteers: Kenai Peninsula College: Carol Swartz and Kenneth Schneider; Fresh Sourdough Express: Donna and Kevin Maltz; Era Aviation: Julie Davis; Homer Foundation: Steve and Noko Yoshida, Joy Steward; Homer Farmer's Market: Kyra and Neil Wagner; Blackberry Bog: Shawnee and Mark Kinney; Today's Marketing: Tina Day; HaberVision.com: Steve and Kat Haber; Teens: Adi Jo Davis, McKenzy Haber, Katherine Dolma, Justice Sky; super organizers Bob Burns and Judi Nester; Berkely Davis; Shirley Fedora; Big Woofs: Ryan Ridge; Brinster & Co.: Mark and Kaec Brinster; Liz Diament; Loran Olson; Sarah Vondersaar.

TED sent us a license to independently organize without their supervision or financial assistance. And with great community support, we broadcast live to as far away as Brazil and attracted attendees from as far away as Tacoma, Toronto and Fairbanks.

Some 2010 highlights include three locals giving their first TEDx talks: Shelley Gill on whales, Donna Maltz on slow food, Lindianne Glasgow on living off the grid. Homer is the first Alaskan community to host a TEDx Teens event, focusing on students and their ideas, and citizens of Homer. Grandmother Drum transitioned from the teen event into the evening.

The moving experience may lead attendees to take action on some of these ideas ideas, which if given a chance, could make a long-term difference to our community. Immersed in outside-the-box-thinking, they heard stories of sustainability from teen environmentalists, Dr. Trista Patterson linking economy and ecology, Dr. Alex Hills on advancing development in communities with graduate students, Sen. Lesil McQuire on renewables and resilience in Alaska, Mark Terry on climate change in Antarctica, Joe Kashi connected netbook computers and developing communities. TED talks on 3D universe, raising kids to be entrepreneurs, the real wage of what a teacher makes, what adults can learn from kids, Youth Speaks poetry "Today is the day everything changes" sparked conversation during the organic potluck.

Kat Haber