Expo 2024 Theme Announcement

Announcing Our Expo 2024 Theme!

Dear AERO friends and allies –

At the 2022 MOA conference, keynote speaker Nikos Kavanya introduced me to the Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act of 2015.

It turns out that Wales is the first country in the world to pass legislation requiring public bodies at all levels of government to improve the country’s economic, social, environmental, and cultural well-being. The Act requires published objectives and action across seven goals: resiliency, health, equality, cohesive communities, vibrant culture & heritage, global responsibility, and prosperity (including being responsive to climate change).

Jane Davidson, the Act’s architect, wrote her book #futuregen: lessons from a small country describing how the Act got written and passed, as a primer for others across the globe who want to make change where they live.

Here at AERO, we understand that the well-being of future generations is at the heart of AERO’s mission: promoting a more sustainable Montana for all. So, we thought: what better opportunity than AERO’s 50th Anniversary (aka Expo 2024, happening this October in Billings, AERO’s birthplace) to create space for co-designing a blueprint for the well-being of Montana’s future generations?

Announcing our 50th Anniversary/2024 Expo theme:

#futuregenMT: designing a path for the well-being of Montana’s future generations.

Doesn’t that sound like fun?

We got this, on so many levels – including legacy members with 30+ years experience building lasting foundational impact through grassroots, solutions-based education, and a whole network of sustainability social entrepreneurs around the state committed to stewardship and collaboration. Like always, session design will equip participants with tools to take action in their communities when they get home.

And, we need your help. The agenda is still in draft form, and your input is crucial!

We are looking for volunteers to help with…

Event planning
Agenda design
Session topic ideas
Venue ideas (in Billings!)
Coordinating the silent auction
and more!

Do you have skills in these areas or know folks who do?

TOPICS ON THE TABLE:

Responding to the changing climate
Our Montana constitution
MT youth-led initiatives: on climate, food/agriculture, energy, well-being
Elder-led initiatives for future generations
Strategies for growing in hotter, drier, less predictable weather
Lessons from 50 years of solution-based education and networking
Getting more Montana food on ALL Montana plates (33%, in fact, by 2033)

Workshops in the planning:

Storytelling that builds ambassadorship and connection StoriesforAction.org
Effective legislative testimony and action – tools for you and me Grow MT and MT Farmers Union

Help us plan by filling out this form with your speaker and topic ideas, and/or to join our Expo 2024 Agenda Planning Team. You can also send an email to getintouch@aeromt.org or leave a message at 406-443-7272. Submit by March 03, 2024 please!

Thank you for being part of making our 50th celebration unforgettable!

Robin Kelson
Executive Director