Regenerate Cascadia was launched in April of 2023 by Victoria artist Clare Attwell and Seattle organizer Brandon Letsinger. They were the recipients of the 2023 Salmon Nation Edgeprize: Systems and Governance Grant.  

After months of planning with 100+ local community organizers on both sides of the Canada-US border, they partnered with the Design School for Regenerating Earth to co-facilitate a month-long Bioregional Activation Tour. They traveled to 14 communities around Cascadia during October 2023, hosting presentations that asked, “How do we regenerate the Cascadia bioregion?”.

They met with more than 1000 individuals, including Indigenous knowledge keepers, regenerative leaders, groups, community artists, and elders across Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia through presentations, workshops, site visits, and strategy sessions. This was followed by an online summit that brought together 50+ presentations in a ‘Festival of What Works’ and concluded with an Open Space Unconference from November 3-12, 2023, where participants cocreated working groups for Regenerate Cascadia.

The vision resonated strongly with many communities across the bioregion. In each place, we asked: “How do we regenerate an entire landscape? What do people need to be supported in this work