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Watersheds United With Earth Intelligence

Going with the flow.......

Wuwei is a Taoist concept which literally translates from the Chinese as 'not doing.' We Human Beings ae one with the Great Mystery; completely connected to the intelligent universe and creative energy. Reality is benign. When we allign ourselves with what is destined, through the practice of silence and concentration, balancing our dream-mind-bodies, our actions become harmless and our wishes become infectious. This state of being is normal to the 'un-civilized.'

I conciecved this planetwide virtual organization as an instrument to spread the Bioregional worldview ( Related topics-- Planet Drum). I picture the site eventually becoming a clearing house for information about the various projects being carried out around the globe that are inspired by the vision of 'tribes' living within the carrying capacity of their watersheds.

Promoting the Bioregional Vision

A growing number of people are recognizing that in order to secure the clean air, water and food that we need to healthfully survive, we have to become guardians of the places where we live. People sense the loss in not knowing our neighbors and natural surroundings, and are discovering that the best way to take care of ourselves, and to get to know our neighbors is to protect and restore our region.

Bioregionalism recognizes, nurtures, sustains, and celebrates our local connections with; Land
Plants and Animals
Springs, Rivers, Lakes, Oceans,
Groundwater, Clouds, amd Glaciers
Fire
Families, Friends and Neighbors
Native Traditions
Indigenous Systems of Production and Trade

What is a Bioregion?

A bioregion, or "life region", is the basic geographic unit that integrates human goverance within ecological principles, It is an area of soft "perimeters", characterized by similar flora and fauna, climate, and geology, and drained by a cohesive system of watersheds.

What is Bioregionalism?

Bioregionalism embodies heightened awareness of place. As an emerging way of thinking and being in the world, it values the local and regional. We see the revitalization of places, people, and local cultures as the only sure way of healing the planet. We respect the natural boundaries of bioregions over artificial, human imposed boundaries, Learning to live within the limits of the place we inhabit in a sustainable manner teaches us to care for the land, not to exploit it.

Rooted in ecological wisdom, the bioregonal movement encompasses all our relations: with the Earth, with all other lifeforms, and with each other. Bioregionalists value those ideas and skills that will help us recreate our world upon a new basis. Thus we value permaculture, watershed management, home ecology and sustainable forestry as practicing skills, alongside more philosophical efforts to define appropriate forms of community, spirituality, and ways of working together across artificial social barriers of race, class, and gender.

Politically, bioregionalism is decentralist and "green" in orientation. But its key understanding is cultural: the knowledge that each of us inhabits a "terrain of consciousness" ver ymuch influenced by the place in which we dwell, the work we do, and the beings with whom we share our lives. In this context, the re-creation of more sustainable cultures becomes the real work of our time .

Mission Statement

Bioregional efforts are as varied as the people attempting them, and asthe bioregions in which they occur. In general, our mission is can be stated as threefold:
Cultural efforts which serve to create or regenerate sustainable, compassionate, Earth-centered lifestyles and cultures, that will suppliant exploitative practices;
Political efforts which serve as damage control to heal the wounds that exploitative practices inflict on the planet, as well as to create the benign, nurturing instituitions and associations that will foster an ecological partnership culture; and
Outreach efforts that serve to inspire as many people as soon as possible to recognize the importance of guiding bioregional principles stated above, and most importantly, to live by them.

Statements of Purpose

A Declaration of Bioregional Autonomy recognizing the biological, geological, climatic and cultural uniqueness and diversity of each bioregion the world over, and their right of decentralized self-goverenance.
The Affirmation of Equality of All Species recognizing that the flourishing of all species in balance with each other, and that human lifestyle and life-support decisions must be made with consideration given to human impact on the entire biosphere, and in accordance with ecological principles.
The Creation of Sustainable, Compassionate, Earth Centered Societies recognizing that the human species' right to exist is no greater than that of any other species, and that we must control our population numbers and cultural consumption patterns to reflect this fact.

Bioregionalism is taking the time to learn the possibilities of place. It is a mindfulness of local environment, history and community aspirations that leads to a sustainable future. It relies on safe and renewable sources of food and energy. I t ensures employment by supplying a rich diversity of services within the community, by recycling our resources, and by exchanging prudent surpluses with other regions. Bioregionalism is working to satisfy basic needs locally, such as education, health care and self-governance.

The bioregional perspective recreates a widely shared sense of regional identity founded upon a renewed critical awareness of and respect for the integrity of ecolgical communities.

People are joining with neighbors to discuss ways we can work together to:
- Learn what our special local resources are
- Plan how to best protect and use those natural and cultural resources
-Exchange our time and energy to best meet our daily and long term needs
-Enrich our children's local and planetary knowledge