A Nature Conference within a Ceremony

A Nature Conference within a Ceremony

There are a growing number of conferences focused on nature or climate from the local to the international level. But how often do we slow down and really focus our intention for gathering? How often do we just get carried away with the energy of seeing old and making new friends? Ostara has been working in close partnership with the University of Oxford’s Nature Based Solutions Initiative to support their bi-annual conference bringing more than 350 delegates together in June 2024 to weave our hopes, ideas, and evidence from around the world to build an agenda to scale Nature Based Solutions that support societal and ecological flourishing.

Ostara has developed the cultural and ceremonial programme for the whole conference. It is the first time we know of that a conference of this kind will be embedded within ceremony. We will be holding a sacred fire across the three days to focus people’s intentions. Without inspiring our hearts as well as talking to our heads, we will not see the deeper changes we so dearly need. The programme will weave art, poetry, film, and music into the three days to take everyone on a deeper journey and dare to dream of a different future. Finally, we will encouraging people through the ceremony and programming to connect with ‘nature’, to remind everyone that what we are really talking about when we talk ‘nature-based solutions’ is our beautiful Earth and finding our way back into the web of life.