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r3.0: “Histories of Bioregioning” Featuring Brandon Letsinger, Dr. Lyla June Johnston, and Karie Crisp

In this first edition of the Bioregional Open Dialogues series by r3.0, titled "Histories of Bioregioning” Brandon gave a contextual presentation highlighting the founding work of early bioregionalists.

Drew Alcoser·January 24, 2025·1 min read

Early Bioregional Thinkers, a Presentation

The r3.o ecosystem (short for Redesign, Resilience, Regeneration) began holding monthly “Open Dialogues to Bioregioning” and one of r3.0’s first dialogues featured Regenerate Cascadia’s Brandon Letsinger along with Dr. Lyla June Johnston, and Karie Crisp with over 85 in attendance. 

In this first edition of this series of Open Dialogues, titled ‘Histories of Bioregioning‘ each presenter gave  contextual presentations of bioregioning a place. Brandon  highlighted the founding work of Donella Meadows, Raymond Dasman, Allen Van Newkirk, David Haenke, Peter & Judy Goldhaft, including the 1972 UN Convention on the Human Climate. 

This was an incredible presentation that provided an almost encyclopedic understanding of the work that led us here today in Cascadia, including early mapping of the Cascadia Bioregion, published academic research, early groups, photographs and an overview of the Bioregional Congresses of Cascadia, which began in 1986 at Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington.  The rich tradition of mapping is inclusive of Indigenous peoples, many First Nations have contributed. 

A must-see for bioregional learning that provides a deeper  understanding of where the movement started; which has sparked the current global resurgence.

Brandon Letsinger is the founder and Executive Director of the Department of Bioregion and leads its flagship initiatives, Regenerate Cascadia and the Cascadia Department of Bioregion. 

See the slide deck from this event, and the entire Open Dialogues Series, here https://www.r3-0.org/open-dialogues-on-bioregioning/
Click the button below to view the r3.0 Bioregioning Open Dialogues Living Resources Document.


Lving Resources

About the Author

A systems thinker, grounded in emotional intelligence. Using a nature-based lens to understand the uncertainty that we human-economically based fellows are experiencing. I am a Gen-X enby, transplant from Los Angeles, arriving to Portland in winter 2019. I recently moved 50 miles north to rural SW Washington. My work centers in Portland, but I also do forest advocacy work locally in Cowlitz County. My interests are visual communication; all-art, particularly visionary-- and zines, and solorpunk expressions. I love writing and finding the niche story for segmented audiences. My gifts are of the communication stack-- a convenor, digital media and branding storyteller, fundraiser, grant writer, outreach conversationalist, facilitator. I am trained as a climate advocate with a national organization. My dream is to buy a few acres of wooded land, build a passive-climate hempcrete home, install a wind turbine and solar and raise hens. I have a worm phobia, so hopefully I can support a local permaculture community with time swaps! I want to get into trail-biking. I long for the days of longboard skating, excellent L.A. sushi, and mingling with live painters after a 4am show at a dimly lit diner in Silverlake.

All Posts by Drew Alcoser
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