What Happened at the Co-Creating A Thriving Future for the Bay Area Unconference?

David Witzel
May 30
2 min read

On May 3, 2025, over 140 changemakers gathered for the second San Francisco Bay Area Bioregional Unconference, a day of collaboration, listening, eating, meeting, and exploring.

Mural in the Laney College Student Center set the mood

Convened around the guiding question “How do we better collaborate within and across communities and watersheds to co-create a thriving future for all life?” the event brought together organizers, land stewards, technologists, artists, and more for a exploration of what’s possible when we work together. Here's the original registration page with more background.

A Day of Emergence and Connection

Using an Open Space format, participants co-created the agenda on the spot, ultimately hosting 37 breakout sessions across four time blocks. Conversations ranged from bioregional mapping and indigenous stewardship, to permaculture, mutual aid, climate resilience, cooperative economics, and creative placemaking. The energy was palpable as people moved between sessions, sharing resources, stories, and dreams for the region.

Some highlights from the day:

Community Building: Sessions explored building networks of care, cross-pollinating movements, and practical steps for neighborhood resilience.
Regeneration in Action: Many groups dove into permaculture, food sovereignty, watershed protection, and ecological restoration.
Equity & Inclusion: Participants called for deeper BIPOC leadership, more accessible formats, and action-oriented outcomes.
Art & Storytelling: Creative sessions focused on using art and narrative to transform communities and connect across differences.

More detail about the session topics and notes from many of the sessions is available in the session notes and resources.

What We Learned

Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive, with 85% rating the event as “excellent” or “good.” People loved the emergent format, the quality of connections, the food, and the accessible location. Suggestions for next time included clearer session timing, more orientation (especially for newcomers to bioregionalism), and greater focus on action and follow-up.

Key themes that emerged:

The power of decentralized, participant-driven gatherings to surface new leaders and ideas.
The importance of grounding in place-honoring indigenous knowledge, local ecologies, and the wisdom of those who have stewarded these lands for generations.
A hunger for ongoing collaboration, not just one-off events.

What’s Next?

The unconference community is already looking ahead to Fall, with plans for another gathering tentatively scheduled for October 4, 2025 again at Laney College. There is also a desire to align with other bioregional and planetary movements like r3.0's confluence and an 11th Bioregional Congress in 2026.

Stay in Touch

There are a number of ways to learn about upcoming activities and stay connected:

most importantly, sign-up to the SF Bay Delta Bioregion email list
join the Bay Area Bioregion Hylo group
for a deeper dive into bioregional organizing join the Design School for Regenerating Earth ($50/year minimum membership fee)

Deep Gratitude

Huge thanks to all the volunteers, facilitators, sponsors, and every participant who showed up with open hearts and minds. The unconference is a living experiment in co-creation, and your energy is what makes it thrive.

Thanks to ajay tallam for drafting this post.