The goal of a bioregional movement is to develop a new place based politic.

Red or blue, conservative or liberal, democratic or republican. Each are terms that stem from a dysfunctional political system that is negative, toxic and arbitrary, disconnected from place. Borders are redrawn to disenfranchise voters we don’t agree with and all attention focuses on the 2% wedge issues of how we are different, rather than the 98% of how we are the same. Money is dumped in from one area to drown out voices from another. Different areas, with different needs are pitted against each other. By breaking down issues by watershed, and decentralizing decision making powers to those most impacted, we can create systems that are truly healthy and representative for the place and the people living within it.

When wildfires strike each year, it affects all of us. When a drought strikes our farmers, it impacts all of us. When the Cascadia megaquake hits or a volcano erupts, it affects all of us. Seattle, Vancouver and all the communities around the Salish Sea recognize the importance of working together around watersheds because despite being divided by an international border, they share one. Those east of the mountains agree with those west that we all might be better off if we had a greater say in our own affairs, and that the needs of a rural area might be very different from that of an inner city or suburb.

Right or left, on issues of environment, pollution, energy, food sovereignty, and so many others, each community along a watershed must be able to substantively participate in the issues affecting their lives.

For example, whether or not someone thinks that logging in the Pacific Northwest is good or bad, when it is held in the Cascadia bioregion we can have that conversation and directly affect policy one way or the other, as well as ensure ethical and responsible business practices. If it comes to it, we can go directly to the forests to take in a first hand account, go to the corporate headquarters, or the offices of the lawmakers who make the decisions. When hardwoods are being extracted from a foreign place, consumers have no say in the sourcing or labor practices that go into that product. Supporting this bioregional supply chain empowers communities, supports workers, encourages responsible sourcing and labor, grows local representation, is good for local business, gives higher standards for workers and reduces the carbon footprint.

For a place based political movement this means that we must be visionary and utopian in our long term approach, and pragmatic in adopting short term solutions. This means not just reacting against what we find negative, but building a positive vision that we can be working towards, with tangible and definable goals for how we get there.

What does a Cascadia Political and Bioregional Movement look like?