Bioregionalism: Restoring our Sense of Place

Do you know what watershed you live in? What soil type the earth beneath your feet is composed of? The migration patterns of the animals in your area? Bioregionalism considers this type of awareness fundamental to creating societies rooted in regenerative living practices. Last month, the 10th Continental Bioregional Congress was held at The Farm, an intentional community and eco-village in Summertown, Tennessee. Gaia U graduates Gregory Landua and Jennifer English partnered with the Cumberland Green Bioregional organization to make this Congress a reality.

The term ‘bioregionalism’ was coined by ecologists Peter Berg and Raymond Dassman in the 1970s. However, the principles upon which bioregionalism is based date back to the beginnings of human life on earth. “Bioregionalism is essentially the way that human beings have been living in relation to the earth for most of the history of the human species” says David Haenke, a bioregional organizer. Bioregionalism stresses the importance of having in-depth knowledge of the defining environmental and cultural features of the places in which we live. The Bioregional worldview sees human beings as an integral part of the natural world, and thus responsible for making choices that are in harmony with the needs of all beings in their bioregion.

Reconnecting to our sense of place requires both knowledge and action. The knowledge of where our water comes from has no potency if we support lifestyles that pollute that same water and the ecosystems with which it is so intricately interconnected.

Since the first Bioregional Congress in 1984, the movement has grown to the point where bioregional gatherings are being organized across the globe on a year-round basis. Continental Bioregional Congresses, held every two to four years, invite members from across North and South America to design and participate in week-long gatherings that provide an opportunity for representatives from localized groups, as well as newcomers to the movement, to share their work and participate in the creation of a unified vision for the future of their bioregions and the planet. Topics at this year’s gathering included urban agriculture, dowsing, the Transition Town movement, Cuba’s post-petroleum society, and the role of technology in social change movements.

In Mexico and South America bioregional thinking has been used to create similar events called ‘Vision Councils’. A Vision Council is a ‘ceremonial village’ that is created to serve as a temporary container in which cultural and environmental issues can be explored and the collective energy can be put towards solving challenges faced in specific bioregions.