You’ll likely have heard the news that we’re transforming our Conscious Festival into a virtual experience this year. One of the highlights of the event is always the TALKS, and this year is no exception.
We’ve only gone and done it; the speaker line-up for the Virtual Conscious Festival’s TALKS sessions is insane. If we do say so ourselves. We are bringing together some of the world’s leading conscious change-makers, experts, activists, and business leaders to dissect the issues that really matter.
Tune in to our virtual sessions via our digital event platform, hopin, to listen, learn, and participate in a series of thought-provoking discussions and panel sessions. What you will hear is truly transformative and enlightening; come one person, and leave another.
This year we are focusing on four core themes that are central to the sustainability debate: Business, Planet, Wellbeing, and Fashion. Here’s what not to miss, and stay tuned for more exciting line-up announcements coming soon!
Wellbeing – Building resilience. June 13, 16:00 – 18:30 (SG/HK time)
2020 has been one helluva ride. And it’s only May. In just a few short months, we’ve experienced devastating forest fires across Australia, severe flooding across the UK, locust plagues ravaging Africa, and of course, COVID-19.
In this time of mounting anxiety, mass destructions, fires, floods, plagues, and pandemics, it’s more important than ever to build resilience. We’ll help you navigate through these challenges to emerge stronger and ready to take positive action. Speakers include:
Carl Pratt: Founder of Future Planet, a community with a passion for purpose, personal fulfilment and the planet.
Tash Menon: Climate Activist and Founder & Director of MASH Brands.
Keshia Hannam: New York-based, Hong Kong-born speaker, writer, and activist. The co-founder of Camel Assembly – an international community of creative female leaders who gather to make change.
Phyllis Ellis: A Canadian writer, actor, director, producer, and former Olympian. Most recently she has released a film about the ugly side of pretty, entitled Toxic Beauty, which raises the alarm about harmful chemicals used in beauty products.
Business – Finding Optimism in the crisis. June 13, 19:00 – 22:00 (SG/HK time)
Business leaders must take action to tackle climate change for business, humanitarian, and planetary benefits. Put simply, climate change will damage economies. And if we are to hit the target of staying within the threshold of 1.5°C warming and hit zero emissions by 2050 set by The Paris Agreements, it is imperative that businesses take action.
Join our business sessions to explore the ideas of capitalism v the climate, the plant-based revolution, and why we must remain optimistic about the future. Speakers include:
Barney Swan: the first human to trek to the South Pole using only renewable energy and Founder of Climate Force.
Chad Frischmann: lead researcher and principal architect of the methodology and models behind Project Drawdown.
Andrew Simms: author, analyst, and co-director of the New Weather Institute. He co-authored The Green New Deal and co-founded the Green New Deal Group.
Arizona Muse: British-American model turned eco-activist.
Jerome Pagnier: Co-Founder of Wisefins Hospitality, an organisation dedicated to converting the world of hospitality into a clean and compassionate industry by 2050.
Planet. June 14, 16:00 – 18:30 (SG/HK time)
We’ve only got one, and in these TALKS we’ll be exploring how best to save our existence on it. Have you ever wondered what the future of climate activism might look like? Or considered whether tech or nature-based solutions are most viable? Or thought about how best to tackle intersectionality? Here’s your chance to deep-dive into some of these challenging debates. Speakers include:
Tolmeia Gregory: the 19-year-old influencer behind @tollydollyposhfashion on a mission to make the fashion industry more ethical and sustainable. She also coordinates and works within the Extinction Rebellion movement.
Rory Spowers: Founder and Editor of Re-Generation, a new educational media and events platform, highlighting people and projects working for systemic change and regenerative culture.
Claire Kneller: Head of WRAP’s International Food Programme. WRAP is a British registered charity that works with businesses and communities to achieve a circular economy, by helping them reduce waste, develop sustainable products and use resources in an efficient way.
Skeena Rathor: Climate and Extinction Rebellion Activist. As a co-founder, Skeena played a core role in developing the Extinction Rebellion DNA. She is also a Labour councillor and runs the Politics Kitchen.
Zion Lights: TEDx speaker and author of The Ultimate Guide to Green Parenting. She is a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion UK and Editor in Chief of the newspaper The Hourglass.
Fashion. June 14, 19:00 – 22:00 (SG/HK time)
Renowned for being one of the world’s most polluting industries, the fashion industry has an arguably deserved bad rep. Faced with the stark reality of being an industry that uses 1.5 trillions litres of water annually, is responsible for 20% of industrial water pollution, and it uses 70 million oil barrels each year just to produce polyester, it’s not hard to see why. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
But we want to get to the bottom of whether fast-fashion is all bad and is there room for collaboration that will lead to positive change within the industry? Hear from:
Laura Francois: Co-Founder of ANEWKIND. A community engager, storyteller and social impact strategist with over 10 years working in the impact space, Laura focuses on collaboratively designing inclusive ways of making sustainable change.
Geraldine Wharry: Founder and MD of Fashion Futures Consultancy. Geraldine is a fashion futurist, educator, designer, and public speaker.
Alex Chan: Co-Director of The Mills Fabrica; an incubator, investment fund and innovation platform for tech style startups
Kerry Bannigan: Founder of Conscious Fashion Campaign, social impact event creator, producer and entrepreneur curating global events and initiatives that advocate sustainable development.
Stay tuned for more exciting announcements regarding our speaker line-up!