A social entrepreneur, John has been restoring and protecting California's rivers and floodplains for almost 16 years. A co-founder of River Partners, he is directly involved in the acquisition and restoration of over 2,000-acres along the Sacramento River. The organization's disruptive methods of improving Northstate habitats have led them to receive numerous state and federal restoration projects. In addition to land conservation, Carlon promotes responsible outdoor recreation and stewardship of California's watersheds and river systems through activities like the annual Mudder Nature Challenge wherein racers tackle obstacle courses on open fields and a trail run around an ancient riparian forest.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)