Cascadia Bioregion
Cascadia Bioregion
Cascadia is an idea, identity, movement and bioregion, that has been growing since the 1980s, driven by a vision of sustainability, environmental stewardship, and cultural connection to the land. Advocates for Cascadia promote a deeper understanding and integration of the region’s natural systems into social, economic and political practices, fostering resilience and sustainability. This vision encourages collaboration across borders and sectors to create a more sustainable and interconnected future for all inhabitants of the bioregion.
Cascadia is a(n);
- bioregion defined by our watersheds and natural boundaries. It stretches from southeast Alaska along the Cascadia Subduction Zone to Cape Mendocino and along the rocky mountains and continental divide to the Yellowstone Caldera in the East. We use the Cascadia bioregion as our framework for organizing, because whether talking about indigenous cultures, food, energy, forest fires, local economies or conservation and stewardship – a whole system lens is needed.
- inclusive social movement to empower every person and invidual to be active about what they care about.
- regional identity, rooted in a love of place and stemming from shared experiences, environment, and need, as well as principles and values.
- positive vision for a bioregion that is resilient, vibrant and autonomous, that protects the things we find special.
Together, we work together to create a regenerative framework for the Cascadia bioregion.
The term Cascadia was first used in 1981 by Seattle University professor David McCloskey, as a way to better describe our growing regional identity, and adopted hundreds of early organizers, academics, indigenous activists, policy planners, and environmentalists who came together for what become termed Cascadian Bioregional Congresses. McCloskey describes Cascadia as “a land of falling waters.” He notes the blending of the natural integrity and the sociocultural unity that gives Cascadia its character. Culture stems from place, and we will have more in common with each other, than those in a distant seat of power with little vested interest in our region or people. The Cascadia movement works to create more democratic, decentralized, sustainable, local and ethical models for the world, and is built on the idea that every person can be active around the issues they care about.
