squintEmerging Bioregion Self-Awarenesssquint
Author: David Witzel Issue: 2024-02-21
Emerging Bioregion Self-Awareness
by David Witzel
Bioregions are having a moment. Are we witnessing a social phase transition wherein bioregions go from coincidentally adjacent geophysical spaces to self-aware integrated living systems? Maybe if we squint?
Bioregions are geographic areas defined by the living systems rather than political boundaries. A bioregion is a natural organizing arena for regeneration efforts because it tends to contain multiple interrelated natural systems thus supporting something closer to a whole-system design opportunity.
The past dozen or so months have seen a series of bioregion identity-building events around North America including:
- Casco Bay has had 2 learning journeys hosted by Glenn Page and COBALT. One in 2022 and another in 2023.
- Regenerate Cascadia hosted the 2023 Cascadia Bioregional Summit in November
- The 7-Generation Bioregional Earth Summit for the Greater Tkaronto Bioregion (northwest shore of Lake Ontario) recently finished. Here’s their summary video (1’23”)
- Lawrence Grodeska is returning from sabbatical to promote the The Bay Delta Trust to to improve bioregional coordination in the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
The idea of bioregionalism isn’t exactly new (here’s some fun history), but perhaps now is its time. A widespread bioregional awakening could enable an important new era for humanity and the globe as people become aware of the relationship between where we live and the living systems we are embedded in.
Related:
- David Witzel (author)
- 2024 (year)
- Topics: Events and Gatherings, Identity and Self, Bioregionalism and Place-Based Practice