From Hurricane Katrina to the War in Iraq, strategies that would prevent deadly conflict have not been pursued. The good news is there's a global action plan to prevent violent conflict. Please join us in supporting this hopeful strategy for peace.

12 pm Luncheon with Speakers (registration begins at 11:30 am)

• Marcia Boruta, Director, SDECC, "20 Years of Converting San Diego to a Peace Economy"
  
• Elena McCollim, IPJ, "People Building Peace: The Role of Civil Society in Conflict Prevention"
  

2 pm Public Hearing (Free) in the IPJ Theatre

Panel One - Energy Independence: Addressing a Root Cause of Conflict

• Bill Powers, Chairman, Border Power Plant Working Group
• Andy Berg, National Electrical Contractors Association, Apollo Alliance
  
• Jim Bell, Director, Ecological Life Systems Institute
  

Panel Two - Conflict Resolution: Strategies for Working with Conflict Effectively

• Elena McCollim, Program Officer, Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice
  
• Barbara Filner, Director of the Training Institute, National Conflict Resolution Center
  
• Carol Jahnkow, Director, Peace Resource Center of San Diego
  

• Special Guest: Rep. Bob Filner, initiator of 1990 City of San Diego Economic Conversion Program

• Public Testimony (to begin at approximately 3:10 pm)

4 pm Reception followed by Sunset "Walk & Talk" on Sustainable Living by San Diego Permaculture Center

COST: Luncheon & Reception: $35/person. Luncheon OR Reception only: $20/person
Mail checks to: SDECC, 4452 Park Blvd. Suite 209, San Diego, CA 92116.
Parking permits required & free at campus entrance. Park in white lined spaces ONLY. Directions
RSVP BY OCTOBER 7: (619) 255-6111, E-mail: sdecc@igc.org Web: sdecc.igc.org

The San Diego Economic Conversion Council (SDECC) was founded in 1985 to promote defense conversion and sustainable community economic development in the San Diego region. The San Diego Permaculture Center was established in 1999 as a project of SDECC to promote sustainable communities through ecologically-based design that meets human and environmental needs.

In July 2005, the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict brought together over 900 people from 118 countries to launch a civil society international movement to prevent armed conflict:
"Promoting peace and security in the 21st century requires a fundamental shift in how we respond to the challenge of violent conflict. Our priority must be to prevent it from occurring and thereby avoid the massive human, environmental, and economic cost of war....We call for a fundamental change in dealing with conflict: a shift from reaction to prevention.... The goal of prevention is a world where people and governments elect nonviolent means to achieve greater justice, sustainable development and human security. We are not attempting to prevent all conflict. We believe in the importance of channeling conflict through peaceful processes capable of delivering constructive change. Nonviolent conflict can be a positive force to foster these changes."

• "A Global Action Agenda for the Prevention of Violent Conflict" produced by the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict. www.gppac.net

• People Building Peace, the source of information on the global conference and followup plans. www.peoplebuildingpeace.org

• "Designing a Peacebuilding Infrastructure: Taking a Systems Approach to the Prevention of Deadly Conflict" by Tobi P. Dress, J.D., April 2005 www.un-ngls.org/developmentdossier.htm

• "Creating a Sustainable Economy and Future On Our Planet" by Jim Bell. San Diego, CA 2005. www.jimbell.com