See Change Sessions | September 2024

Hop on the shuttle to our top secret Adventure Day location! Pick up the shuttle at 25 Cherry St, Burlington, VT 05401. The shuttle departs at 8AM. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to departure.

Hop on the shuttle to our top secret Adventure Day location! Pick up the shuttle at Hula. The shuttle departs at 8:15AM. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to departure.

WHERE DO I PARK AT HULA?
Attendees must park in the offsite lot of 125 Lakeside Avenue which is a 5-minute walk from the main venue. Register your license plate and use the code SCSVISITOR924 for discounted parking. To get a better idea of how and where to park, see the map here.

Paprika fuels our bodies and souls for the day of adventure ahead. Join us for healthful, local, filling, and downright delicious breakfast eats, and coffee (thermoses welcome!).

Welcome to See Change Adventure Day! Soon you'll find out where we'll be located and get introduced to our host, Christal Brown, who will be our guiding light throughout our time together. Christal roots all of her work in love and expects the same from you while you’re here. She’ll walk us through our community guidelines, outline our sessions, and give you a glimpse into what your time at See Change looks like.

Michael Fearer, sustainability consultant and product owner at IBM, will help kick off See Change by taking you through a proven methodology and framework, IBM Garage, to identify the right problems and generate innovative solutions through radical collaboration. In this 2-hour hands-on workshop style session, you will set intention for the rest of the Sessions, gain experience in root cause identification, learn about how to rapidly innovate, and discover how generative AI can be used to accelerate impact. Use this session to maximize your impact and time at See Change.

Enjoy lunch options that reflect and celebrate the time and place. Vegan options? Yes. Gluten-free options? Yes. Gluten-free vegan options? Also, yes!

Led by Chris Bertish, the "all in" mindset and attitude are key to achieving success in anything. This session ties together the three tracks at See Change Sessions: designing and building environments with purpose, exploring a bright and bold future for space tech, and building a road map to change our relationship with packaging. Each track highlights how a commitment to going 'all in' can drive impactful change across these critical areas.

Sandbox is a no-bounds, creator space set up to disrupt fast fashion through a focus on education and action in sustainable sourcing “REDUCE” and in breathing new life “REUSE” in to what has been previously considered textile waste.
We have gathered the tools and team to lead purposeful actions like up-cycling, repairs, curated community workshops and educational series, and we are eager to collaborate with like-minded businesses and thinkers to expand the impact!
Sandbox is here to promote and lead sustainable actions to keep textile out of our landfills.

Join best-selling author, speaker, big wave champion surfer, multi-world record SUP paddler, and adventurer Chris Bertish for a guided paddle/SUP clinic around Converse Bay in Lake Champlain. During this unique experience, Chris will lead guests on a micro adventure while sharing tips to advance your paddle skills. (Intended for intermediate to advanced paddlers.)

Journey into the practice of mindful and instinctive archery with author of "Rewilding", Micah Mortali. A lifelong archer, Micah will bring you on a journey and guide you through the fundamentals of instinctive shooting. Similar to throwing a baseball, instinctive archery invites you to aim with your attention—allowing your whole being to become absorbed in the process. This practice is perfect for those who have always dreamed of drawing a bow and are looking for a dynamic, meditative practice with deep ancestral memory.

Deep sleep while you are still awake! If you can breathe, you can do this practice. Rest your mind and body supported by props as you are guided on a journey within. Great for insomnia, stress and to simply recharge. 30 minutes of Yoga Nidra is equivalent to 4 hours of conventional deep sleep! Give yourself permission to deeply rest your body and mind in this 45 minute "lay low and glow" class. This offering encourages physical, mental, and emotional rest. This slow paced and close to the Earth class is devoted to focusing on progressive relaxation techniques and conscious breathing while being guided from the gross layers of our being to the more subtle whispers of deep knowing within. When we slow down enough we can really feel for what is going on honestly within ourselves. Once our body is more at ease and our mind less busy, we then drop into the practice of Yoga Nidra accompanied by the Tibetan Singing Bowls which encourages deep relaxation and calm.
Yoga Nidra is an ancient Tantric deep relaxation practice, state of consciousness and the nurturing quality of the goddess, meant to allow you to rest in spacious awareness and connect to your innate power and wisdom. Singing sound bowls will bathe you in healing vibration throughout. This practice is one that will help restore your inner light and come back home to yourself, your true nature.

Phew, effecting change is hard work. We get it, you’re exhausted, and so are we! Take some time to unwind and maybe consciously breathe for the first time today? Or, introduce yourself to someone new. There are drop-in activities for those who don’'t stop, and empty rooms where people can mingle or just sit. You do you.

Top it all off with a great, summery, meal by Fancy’s. Unpack your first day together over a delicious meal crafted by Paul Trombley.

Christal Brown takes the wheel (and the mic) as she hosts our Moth-style storytelling session. No matter the manifestation of her work, she uses her gifts as a bridge to connect with others. She is asking you to bring your own six-minute-or-less personal story (not opinion/POV) about a time that you made an illogical decision that led to an unexpected change. Whether it's a personal journey defying odds, taking a risk, or a plan that led to a new idea, take us through your narrative journey that explores the challenges, triumphs, and complexities of reshaping your world.

Effecting change can be an act of everyday courage or lifelong work. With new perspectives, approaches, and ways of being at the fore, our storytellers regale us with their journeys of change in all its forms.

All great days must come to an end. Buses depart the secret Adventure Day location at 8:30PM and will stop at both shuttle pickup locations to return guests.

Hop on the See Change Shuttle to get your day started. The shuttle pick up location at our partner hotels is 25 Cherry St, Burlington, VT 05401. Shuttles run from the pickup location to Hula from 7:00AM–8:15AM.

Wake up your body and mind on the mat! Inspired by Yogasana, this Yoga inspired movement invites you to explore the depths of your Self. Yoga is about expanding consciousness within and finding oneness with all, asana is a tool to awaken our true selves. This 45 minute class allows you to quickly drop into your body and tune out the noise of the world. Take this time for yourself to care for your Self. This class is accompanied by a curated playlist of upbeat, groovy instrumentals and sultry music.

Take to the lake and enjoy a tame exploration paddle around Lake Champlain and its far side rocky beaches. Enjoy a solo paddle or find yourself a buddy to jump on a kayak or paddleboard.

Sweat heals. Humans have used sweat bathing for centuries to cure a myriad of ailments. SAVU has a strong belief that wellness and nature go hand in hand and that wellness should be a lifestyle, not a luxury and that a sauna practice infused with mindfulness can change how you live and feel. Enjoy some quiet time in the sauna to sweat it out and then zap your senses back into place with the coldbath at the saunas.

Welcome to Day 2 of See Change Sessions, where the journey continues. As we gather once again, let’s dive into another day of inspiration, collaboration, and growth. Our insightful host, Christal Brown will review our community guidelines, ensuring that our interactions are rooted in respect and understanding before we kick off our breakfast gathering.

Some topics really make you stop and say "what the f&%$ is that?" So, we made a whole series around it! Tuck into the Reef to hear six intriguing topics demystified in a fast-moving, Cliffs Notes–esque format.

• WTF is Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging? with Caroline DeLoach
• WTF is Car-chitecture? with Fred Kent
• WTF is Design for Connection? with Erin Peavey
• WTF is Behavior Design? with Margarita Quihus
• WTF is In-Space Metal Processing? with Lee Steinke
• WTF is Electric-Propulsion? with Naia Butler-Craig

Search Inside Yourself: Born at Google and Based on Neuroscience. An apt tagline from our friends at SIYGlobal [https://www.siyglobal.com/] that takes capacity building in emotional intelligence to a new level through cutting-edge and science-driven workshops. Emotional intelligence is foundational to effective teams and exceptional leaders, and we're thrilled to welcome SIY leader Grace Edmunds to guide us through the SIY program in this 60 minute immersive session.

Collaborating on creative projects creates an opportunity to challenge traditional thinking and enhance group dynamics. It can also be super, super fun. With Color Me, a traveling exhibition created by NY Times bestselling author and illustrator Andy J. Pizza and renowned product designer and installation artist Andrew Neyer, a WALL is no longer just a WALL—it’s an immersive coloring book! Pizza and Neyer will collaborate with each track team to develop a large-scale mural that reflects the ethos of the track. The wall's are covered with improvisational black-and-white drawings that relate to each particular topic and each of the three teams engages with the mural by coloring in the line drawings using giant, 5-foot-tall custom markers suited to the scale of the walls, putting participants inside the coloring book. Color Me has shown up in a variety of venues around the world, and we're honored to bring this session to See Change!

Fire is one of the great elements of Ayurveda, it is also one of our most ancient and powerful allies as human beings. Not only a tool for survival, fire is also a profound teacher and doorway to deep states of awareness. In this workshop join Micah for a fascinating journey through time where you'll work in small groups to start and build fires using flint. Draw close to this magical force and learn not only how to birth fire through ancestral means, but how to sit with and benefit from the unique medicine that fire can be in our lives.

Enjoy lunch options that reflect and celebrate the time and place. Vegan options? Yes. Gluten-free options? Yes. Gluten-free vegan options? Also, yes!

The Labs are a 3-part series of facilitated think tank-style sessions with your track team. Each session is iterative, focused on a singular mission, and everyone at the table can contribute.

Led by industry-leading designer Brandi Parker, and created in partnership with industry drivers Atlantic Packaging, we’ve assembled a diverse lineup of experts. This includes brand and marketing leaders like Eric Liedtke (former-Adidas Global Brand President),  Wes Carter (President, Atlantic Packaging) and Caroline Deloach (Director of Sustainability, Atlantic Packaging). Influential venture capitalists like Bridget Croke (managing director at Closed Loop Partners), representatives from leading innovative material suppliers like Sebastien Bregeaud (Director of Development and Manufacturing at Notpla), packaging, marketing & supply chain focused leadership from all-sized brands like Ben Hansen (Director, responsible materials at Target), Haley Lowry (Global Director Sustainability, DOW) Cole Hermann and Charlie Hutchinson (packaging design leads at Google), behavior change expert Margarita Quihuis from the Peace Innovation Lab at Stanford, sustainability expert Dr. MK Dorsey (Director & Chair of the Walton Sustainability Solutions Service at Arizona State University), friends from Lonely Whale, an award-winning nonprofit on a mission to prevent plastic waste from entering the ocean; packaging manufacturers, engineers, creative wildcards, and much more.

We'll focus on what it takes to change industry behavior around adopting new innovative solutions for sustainable packaging material. What's in the way of this goal? Can we unlearn our habit of expecting convenience in everything, knowing it often leads to more waste? Can we design toward a new convenience that coexists with sustainability? Or is there a new way to think about our roles as consumers and packaging professionals, and our relationship to packaging for a sustainable future?

Join to make meaningful connections with a relevant group both within and outside of the packaging industry, unlock key insights and knowledge on packaging sustainability from industry-leading experts, and collaborate to create a roadmap outlining barriers and opportunities on the path towards the future of packaging.

The Labs are a 3 part series of facilitated think tank style sessions with your track team. Each session is iterative, focused on a singular mission, and everyone at the table can contribute.

Designed with legendary placemaker Fred Kent and facilitated by Dr. Kim Nolan, Graduate Programs Director for the University of Vermont's lauded Sustainable MBA program, the sessions will be guided by experts including Ramon Marrades (Director, Placemaking Europe); Lisa Glover (Placemaking Fellow, Center on Rural Innovation); Erin Peavey (Health & Wellbeing Design Leader, HKS Inc.); Melissa Lee (Principal-in-Charge of Urban Planning & Community Health, Public Works Partners); Bryant Tan (Associate Director of City Planning, Burning Man Project); Richard Amore, Manager of Placemaking and Community Partnerships, Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development; Jennifer C. Shieh (Chief Scientist & Program Manager, Office of Investment and Innovation, U.S. Small Business Administration); Zach Williamson (Festival and Event Director, Burlington City Arts); Shin-pei Tsay (Director, Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics, City of Boston); Barry Johnson (Founder, Apply Mindfulness); Kathy Madden (Co-Founder, Project for Public Spaces); Russ Scully (Owner/Developer, Hula); and more. Join us to work with leading planners, architects, policymakers, developers, housing specialists, transportation engineers, community builders, and other leaders of cultural, social, and professional hotspots.

Across many industries, it’s common for professionals to prioritize their own specialized knowledge above all else — and often for good reason! Where would we be without the studied expertise of niche specialists? However, an unfortunate and all-too-common side effect of that siloed specialization is an overlooking of the intuitive insights of “non-experts.”

In the realm of placemaking, the non-experts are the users of the places that have been designed all around us. That includes you, me, our fellow community members, and the visitors who explore our local places. It’s the people who frequent our local businesses, travel our streets, walk our sidewalks, sit on our benches, and enjoy returning to our places.

How can we inject more of the invaluable insights from non-experts into the expert design process to help prioritize the function of a place over its form? How do we break down silos between architects, engineers, landscape designers, storefront creators, transportation departments, housing boards, developers, and policy makers to communicate and collaborate more effectively with local communities? How do we nurture the way space influences how we interact, see, move, and make meaning in the world?

Together we will explore the human aspect of planning. We will examine the importance of thinking beyond aesthetic design toward a philosophy that elevates the practical and social interactions that occur within a space that can heal, restore, and ignite connection in our communities.