Future-Proofing Life
A Fundraiser for AI Safety and Nature-Based Learning
📅 Date
Saturday, December 13, 2025
(Weather backup: Sunday, December 14, 2025)
2:00 – 8:00 PM
📍 Location
Rock Cliff Nature Center & Campground Trail, Jordanelle State Park (UT)
Hosted by: The Bonsai Foundation (in formation) • Wasatch Mountain Institute • Utah State Parks
🌲 Overview
Project Bonsai: Future-Proofing Life is a collaborative fundraiser uniting Utah State Parks, Wasatch Mountain Institute (WMI), and The Bonsai Foundation to support AI-safety education and nature-based rehabilitation for special-needs and at-risk youth.
The event documents the bipartisan movement behind the GUARD Act, a landmark child-protection bill addressing manipulative AI systems that target and exploit children online.
By merging technology ethics, outdoor education, and cinematic storytelling, Project Bonsai connects Utah’s tech innovators with its wild landscapes—a living dialogue between progress and preservation.
“We’re standing at the intersection of two futures—one where technology nurtures life, and one where it consumes it. Project Bonsai is how we teach the next generation to choose the first.”
💡 Why This Matters
Every generation inherits tools that can either shape life or erode it.
The rise of generative AI has given extraordinary power to create—but it has also given bad actors the means to manipulate the vulnerable, especially children.
While Congress debates the GUARD Act, communities like ours can take immediate action: teaching families how to stay safe, giving kids something real to hold, and proving that technology and nature can coexist in balance.
At its heart, this event isn’t just a fundraiser. It’s a prototype for a future where innovation protects innocence, where mindfulness replaces addiction, and where Utah leads by example in ethical technology and environmental stewardship.
🌎 What This Event Supports
1. Project Bonsai: The GUARD Act Documentary Series
A six-episode docu-series chronicling families affected by AI exploitation, policymakers leading reform, and the broader movement toward ethical technology.
Includes a companion podcast, educational shorts, and public-domain learning clips for schools and community programs.
2. Winter Nature-Therapy Programs
Collaborative programs with WMI providing scholarships, adaptive gear, and winter learning opportunities for special-needs and at-risk youth.
💰 Fund Allocation
| Category | Allocation | Managed By |
|---|---|---|
| Documentary & Educational Media | 60 % | Bonsai Foundation |
| WMI × Bonsai Winter Programs | 20 % | Joint |
| WMI Fiscal Sponsorship (Admin, Insurance, Volunteers, Equipment) | 10 % | WMI |
| Bonsai Foundation Operations & Transparency Tools | 10 % | Bonsai Foundation |
Transparency Promise:
All budgets, progress, and reports will be published publicly.
Any surplus extends documentary quality or expands scholarships and adaptive programming.
🎟️ Program Schedule
2:00–5:00 PM — Public Walk-Through
Family-friendly trail experience featuring six illuminated bonsai groves, hands-on demos, and a looping teaser film in the Nature Center theater.
5:00–6:30 PM — VIP Trail & Dinner
Sponsors and officials walk the trail by firelight; local food, live music, and interactive exhibits.
6:30–7:00 PM — Pilot Screening (Premiere)
Ten-minute Project Bonsai teaser premiere followed by short remarks and reflections.
7:00–7:45 PM — Pledge Moment & Auction Close
Final donations, bonsai / art auction wrap-up, and partner recognition.
7:45–8:00 PM — Farewell
Seedling hand-off, acknowledgments, and closing message.
🌸 Bonsai Groves: Trail Layout
Check-in → Food-Truck Courtyard → Six Campsite Groves → Group-Site Finale
Overflow parking available.
Themed Groves & Activities
| Grove | Theme | Example Activity |
|---|---|---|
| AI Safety 101 | Parent / Kid Learning Hub | Build a “Family Code of Digital Ethics” mini-poster |
| Digital Detox | Mindfulness & Forest Bathing | Paint mindfulness rocks; “leave one, take one” along the path |
| Cyber Guardians | Policy & Protection | Write postcards to legislators pledging support for child-safety laws |
| Creative Code | AI Art & AR Bonsai Simulation | Use safe AI prompts to grow virtual bonsai trees |
| Bonsai Grove | Care, Patience, Daily Practice | Hands-on trimming demos with take-home seedlings |
| Future Builders | Kids Record Hopes for Tech | Video booth where children share their “future wish” for technology |
🌐 Guest & Collaboration Opportunities
- Invite GUARD Act co-sponsors (Sen. Hawley, Sen. Blumenthal) for remarks (live or virtual).
- Partner with Utah-based outdoor and tech brands (Cotopaxi, Goal Zero, Black Diamond, Petzl, Backcountry, Ancestry, Adobe).
- Collaborate with national brands (Shiftpod, Nemo, Yellow Leaf Hammocks, REI).
- Host journalists and podcasters for live recordings and press coverage.
🌱 Sustainability & Eco Design
- Solar-powered lighting for trail and groves.
- “Adopt-a-Bonsai” and terrarium auction kits.
- Zero-waste dinnerware and refill drink stations.
- Carbon-offsetting for travel and production.
🛰️ Post-Event Leverage
- Hybrid live-stream for remote donors.
- Integrate guest / youth footage into later episodes.
- Publish a Post-Event Impact Report (results, surveys, pledges).
♿ Accessibility & Inclusion
- Adaptive equipment and snowshoes available.
- Heated tents and warm-drink stations.
- Trailhead viewing for mobility-limited guests.
- ASL interpreters for main segments (if requested).
- Diverse representation across families, educators, and technologists.
☁️ Weather Contingency
Plan A: Reschedule to Dec 14 (automatic) in case of storm closures.
Plan B: Reschedule to Dec 30 (or postpone to 2026) in case of storm closures.
🎬 Documentary Scope & Budget
(Six months • Six episodes)
| Category | Estimated Range |
|---|---|
| Field Production & Crew | $18 K – $28 K |
| Editorial / Post-Production | $16 K – $26 K |
| Travel (UT / DC / TX / FL) | $8 K – $14 K |
| Equipment & Rentals | $6 K – $10 K |
| Podcast Production | $4 K – $6 K |
| Legal / Compliance | $3 K – $4 K |
| Impact / Distribution | $2 K – $3 K |
| Contingency (~10 %) | $3 K – $6 K |
If total funding falls short, priority goes to the pilot and first three episodes.
Up to 5 % of admin funds may be reallocated for outreach and sponsor engagement.
📊 Metrics for Success
85 % + attendee satisfaction and AI-safety comprehension
$100 K – $150 K raised
300 + attendees
5–8 media features (local + national)
3 + episodes and 4 podcast installments by March 2026 (6 episodes by June 2026)