Core Principles

Cascadia is a grassroots movement to build awareness and support for local democracy, improving our well being and livelihood, and the freedom and eventual independence of the Cascadia Bioregion. Rather than a single ‘platform', we promote a set of unified principles that can be broken down and interpreted by different organizers, projects and groups, best suited to the needs of each area, community and cause. 

This idea of Cascadia fundamentally incorporates several key principles:

1. An Independent Cascadia Bioregion

2. Dynamic and Open Governance

3. Privacy, Civil Liberties and Freedom

4. Environmental Sustainability and Bioregionalism

5. Community Resilience and Empowerment

6. Indigenous Sovereignty

In addition, the Cascadia movement is committed to using peer reviewed research and letting data guide our policy decisions. Whenever possible this means letting policy decisions be crafted by panels of experts in their fields, learning from models already successful around the world, or that are already working locally and why they are working, and ensuring that communities that are being affected by decisions all play a critical in the decision making process. Where there is no data, Cascadians should strive to be innovative and experiment for new and better models, undertaking the research necessary to support the reasons why we are undertaking those decisions.   

Cascadia has an economy that ranks 9th in the world, the highest GDP per capita and living standards for any country not dependent fossil fuels or serving as a tax haven, some of the most literate, creative and innovative citizens, 7/10 largest carbon storing forests in the world, energy independence and self-suffiency based on renewable resources, and are a unique position in the world to fully realize a better livelihood for those living here.  

Stretching along more than 2500 miles of Pacific coastline, Cascadia extends for as far as the Salmon swim - from the glacial cold Copper River Watershed in South East Alaska to Cape Mendecino in the South and the Yellowstone Caldera in the East. Cascadia is the name for the bioregion of the Columbia, Fraser and Snake River valleys, and includes all of British Columbia, Idaho, Oregon and Washington as well as parts of Northern California, Nevada, Montana, Southern Alaska, Wyoming. Bioregion is short for ‘bio-cultural region’ and are geographically based areas defined by a physical traits; land or soil composition, watershed, climate, flora, and fauna; as well as the cultural traits of the inhabitants that live within them, and act upon them. 

As of 2017, as measured by the combination of the states and provinces making up the Cascadia bioregion (not including California), Cascadia would be home to slightly more than 16 million people (16,029,520), and would have an economy generating more than 1.613147 trillion worth of goods and services annually, placing it as the worlds 9th largest economy and roughly equivalent to that of Canada or Italy. This number would increase if portions of Northern California, Idaho, and Southern Alaska were also included. By land area Cascadia would be the 20th largest country in the world, with a land area of 534,572 sq mi (1,384,588 km2), placing it behind Mongolia. Its population would be similar in size to that of Ecuador, Guatemala, or Scandinavia.

With a GDP of 356 billion, Cascadia's largest city Seattle has an economy slightly smaller than Thailand, but larger than Colombia and Venezuela. The region also has one of the fastest growing clean energy sectors in the world, is energy efficient, generating almost all of its energy based on renewable resources, and already exports electricity to surrounding states and provinces.

Dynamic and Open Governance

Cascadian bioregionalism argues for short term pragmatism within our existing systems which shift us towards the principles we believe, and in a long term radical utopianism which guides our decisions. In one of the most innovative regions of the world, with one of the highest living standards, we can and must do better. Cascadians believe in local democracy, decentralizing existing centralized power structures, using delegates rather than representatives, and an infusion of democracy into a representational system. We support policies that bring our government into the 21st century that are accountable and transparent, and allow for every person to substantially participate in the issues that most affect their lives.

We support the creation of a constituent assembly, of gathered policy experts and delegates from around the bioregion, to examine governing models from around the world, and also implement creative solutions in line with our principles that do not currently exist. We also support every initiative that increases representation for our inhabitants or that removes barriers to access in government. This includes supporting measures like Star voting, electing Cascadian delegates who directly represent the views of their watersheds, supporting policies for increased direct democracy, removing influences of money or any special interest, and supporting data driven good governance policies. The electoral college, PAC’s, outside of bioregion funding in local races, political parties, lobbying and the overall United States and Canadadian voting systems are archaic and outdated. 

It is the goal of the Cascadia movement is to establish an accountable and democratic partnership between communities within Cascadia to foster greater direct and delegative democracy among the peoples of Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. We seek to harness innovation to engage with citizens to take a more active role in their government. By working to give every person and community a real voice and outlet in which to help us constructively build our society, we enable every citizen to play a key role in the governing process.

We have 3 primary focuses in this area:

• Increasing citizen and community empowerment, participation and representation

• Implementing new models of government that are decentralized, delegative, democratic and open source.

• Increasing transparency and accountability in all governing

We conceives of a world where every person, without exception, is able to substantively participate in the governance of any facet affecting their life. We envision a governance which is not only necessarily more open, free, and democratic but also which more effectively communicates, responds and represents an innovative populace to dynamically respond to the increasing demands of a 21st century working environment. By incorporating lightweight and flexible decentralized democratic principles, this idea of collaborative governance has the potential to be a versatile tool for being the most efficient means of collective action.

The Department of Bioregion embraces a system called Liquid Democracy as an internal organizing structure. We support candidates willing to serve as delegates for their representative area, who put 15% of their salary back to a group fund to R&D for building better direct democratic system and funding other general races, and employ systems of direct democracy to base their decisions. 

The Department of Bioregion does not endorse candidates outside of our own as an organization, but any embassy or department may choose to endorse policies, candidates or campaigns they feel uphold Cascadian or bioregional principles within that area, or based on that issue. These issues can be adopted by larger bodies if there is a consensus or larger agreement on the topic. The Department of Bioregion, may endorse campaigns, initiatives and policies that help promote Cascadia, democratic reform and bioregionalism. 

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Privacy, Civil Liberties and Freedom  

Cascadians believe there are personal guarantees and freedoms that the government cannot abridge, including freedom of expression, speech, the press, assembly, the right to privacy, to control one's own body and data, and the pursuit of happiness, so long as it does not infringe or violate the rights of others. In addition, we believe that every person is created equal, and has an equal right to start life with the same chances of success as any other person, with access to clean food, air and water, shelter, healthcare, education and the benefits of life that we have created. 

The Cascadian Independence Project seeks to bring many of the protections and natural freedoms outlined in the United States Bill of Rights, The United States Constitution and Canadian Charter of Rights into the 21st century. As part of this, it is our goal to ensure that strong freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of assembly are all fiercely protected so that any democratic government and democratic society can continue to organically evolve or grow as it needs to, through a true consent of the people. Any future governing bodies of Cascadia must incorporate strong principles of individual freedom, civil liberties, social justice, and an inherent right to privacy, as well as democracy, transparency and accountability, and include new constitutions that ensure that laws are updated to reflect the evolving and rapidly transforming need for consumer and digital personal information protection.

Environmental Sustainability and Bioregionalism 

Cascadians believe in finding ways to live in a responsible and ethical manner, that not only does no damage, but improves the well being of those living here, for this generation, and generations to come. In addition, we believe in a philosophy called bioregionalism, which is a method for breaking down arbitrary boundaries and borders, and starting with a grassroots and watershed approach that better represents the place, the culture and the people living here. 

Throughout history, most humans have lived rural lives. As late as 1950, just 30 percent of humankind lived in cities, but huge changes were already looming. By 2000, 47 percent of us were urban dwellers. And by 2030, 60 percent of a still-growing world population will live in metropolitan areas. In the Cascadia bioregion, more than 85% of the population live in just 12% of the geographic area, clustered in what has been termed a 'megaregion' by the US and Canadian governments. The opportunities and challenges posed by this dramatic demographic transition are stunning. With the number of people who live in cities expected to double over the next 20 years, the world has begun searching hard for models of urban and regional renewability and resiliency. It will be up to each of us to find a responsible manner to live in a way which is not destructive for our livelihood and planet, and in a responsible and ethical manner that we can all be proud of. 

Cascadians believe in a philosophy called bioregionalism - which means breaking down and moving away from national boundaries and borders and shifting towards a more holistic approach which accurately reflects the physical realities of our watersheds, and the people living there. The delineation of a bioregion is defined through watersheds and ecoregions, with the belief that political boundaries should match ecological and cultural boundaries, and that culture stems from place. Ultimately, the people of Cascadia have more in common with each other, than those who currently control our politics and economy from thousands of miles away, with little vested interest in our well being or livelihood.

Bioregionalism reflects perhaps one of the most important, yet least known or understood philosophies that may exist today. It can be utilized by any person, business, cause, movement or organizer, from any background. Together, bioregionalism provides a unifying set of principles and organizing methodology, and is a powerful tool for connecting and breaking down large, urgent global issues to specific areas, and creating simple, accessible pathways for action and change. 

At its most simple, this is a philosophy that connects people and ideas into place, which work watershed by watershed, in ways that are sustainable, democratic and just. Bioregionalists work to find solutions to the world's most challenging issues by using bioregions to break large issues down to a local level, creating or magnifying solutions already being practiced in a community, and create accessible pathways for every person living in a region to be able to get active about issues they care about. Each watershed and community will be different, and each region and community will know their needs the best, and be the best to represent those needs.

Cascadia, more than anything else, is a movement to help build the inter-dependence, sustainability and resiliency for the Cascadia bioregion. We start from our watersheds, and use the idea of Cascadia as a framework, guided by key principles, to break global issues down to a local level, increase the accountability and transparency of our regional economic and food systems, and move our actions and impacts to where individuals have the greatest say in the issues that affect their lives. Different communities will have different needs, and will be the best suited to confront the issues facing those communities, but by sharing a land base, we will all have common principles, values and concerns that will pull us together. There will be no one right answer, or one right solution. Rather it will be hundreds of solutions working together, adapting to fit different needs of different backgrounds, locations and contexts, to achieve the real change that we want to see.

Many of these issues are systemic and spread themselves through social, cultural, economic and physical means. However, within current national and international frameworks, these issues become fragmented, too large, or too distant to be combated in their entirety. Ocean acidification will never be addressed solely through a political campaign in one country. Carbon emissions will never be solved by only addressing economic issues. Locally, issues like undamming the Snake or Columbia river, or creating joint strategies for pollution, disaster response and growth management will never be able to be addressed by only one state. 

Trying to target any one of these, while ignoring another, is doomed to failure. Watersheds ignore national boundaries, but they do not ignore bioregional ones. National politics based on arbitrary boundaries, that are disconnected and ignore the areas they are set within, are not representative of the place or the people, nor can they hope to achieve a truly democratic or independent society. 

Instead of an issue by issue approach, a holistic approach much be taken. Bioregionalism provides that answer, serving as a physical container that connects the global to local, as well as a terrain of consciousness that connect us with the way that people have been living for thousands of years, strategies that have grown and been adapted for each area, with our society and practices today. By reconnecting culture and ideology with place, and indigenous ways of living in balance with a life place, bioregionalism is the physical manifestation of decolonization.

This cultural ecosystem is just as wealthy as the ecosystems they represent. There can be Cascadian libertarians, socialists, conservatives, anarchists, greens, communists - teachers, doctors, lawyers and many more, just as there can be straight, lesbian, gay, wealthy, poor, people of color, young, old, differently gendered, differently abled Cascadians, all working to improve our region, because we love it here, think we can be doing better, and rooted in bioregional principles. 

If this change is going to happen anywhere in the world, it will be here. Besides being a privileged place to live in both terms of living standards and our physical environment - 

the Cascadia Bioregion contains some of the last old growth temperate rain forest in the world, and 7/10 of the largest carbon absorbing forests within the continental United States are in Washington and Oregon. When combined with British Columbia and Alaska, these forests remain one of the most powerful tools in our regions efforts to combat global climate change. 

Indeed, Cascadia contains the world's tallest trees, thousands of volcanoes, hot springs, rivers, lakes, inlets, island and ocean, and some of the last diminishing, though still impressive wild habitats of salmon, wolves, bear, whale, orca. In all -  more than 350 bird and mammal species, 48 reptiles, hundreds of fungi, lichen, and and thousands of invertebrates and soil organisms call Cascadia home. In addition, Cascadia is also in a unique position to become one of the first countries in the world to achieve complete energy independence based on renewable resources. Already, we generate a surplus of electricity based largely on renewable resources such as wind, hydroelectric, and soon, tide generators. 

Cascadia is not only about protecting these things that we find special, but also about shifting our thinking to a generational approach, not only for those currently living, but for the generations to come rather than short term, profit driven incentives. This is not a short term movement, but rather a lifelong journey, on a personal level and a societal one. 

5) Community Resilience and Empowerment

The Cascadian bioregion is home to some of the most progressive, sustainable, and resilient communities in North America. Many of individuals and neighborhoods throughout the Pacific Northwest have embraced principles of self reliance, sustainability, networking and locally based disaster preparedness.

This includes: 

• Keeping our wealth local: We are currently witnessing one of the largest transference of wealth and real estate from the hands of individuals to transnational corporations and elites. 

• A Bioregional Supply Chain

• Using public resources to put in place our principles, such as supporting local fibersheds, locally grown food and real food in schools and public buildings rather than with trans-national corporations

• Disaster Preparedness & Networks for Self Sufficiency

Disaster preparedness is especially important within Cascadia given that many of the most-populated areas of the bioregion are near, or vulnerable to a wide range of natural disasters such as earthquake, volcano, drought, flooding, mudslide or forest fire. One of the largest threats, the Cascadia subduction zone, is a fault line which parallels the Pacific coastline from Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, through northern California. These disasters have the potential to create a devastating impact on the livelihood and infrastructure of those living within the Pacific Northwest. These sentiments are summed up by Alastair McAslan, a professor at the Torrens Resilience Institute in Australia:

“Our society is becoming ever more complex and our organisational systems are becoming more interdependent, and thus more vulnerable to disruption. If not properly managed, a disruptive event could escalate into an emergency, a disaster or even a catastrophe. There is a fine dividing line between a well functioning state where organizations adopt “just in time” practices and supermarkets operate “lean supply chains”, to one where the utilities fail, the tanks at petrol stations are empty, and our shops run out of food.”

Community resiliency argues that societies must be flexible, adaptable and responsive to adequately respond to these situations, creating workable options on the scale which is emergent from our knowledge of the places we inhabit as individuals and as members of local communities, neighborhoods, and regions. This type of empowerment also helps to strengthen areas to other types of disaster, such as economic crisis, fluctuations in food price as well as incorporating principles of energy independence and self-reliance. We believe that there are and must be connections between the individual, the community and the bioregion which increase the ability of each to support itself; we therefore support resilience on a personal, local, and regional level which share and enhance competencies, preparedness, and support.

This resiliency functions best when broad-based, non-hierarchical networks of individuals and communities work cooperatively to share information, skills, and resources. The Cascadian Independence Project, along with partner organizations throughout the bioregion, is continually and actively working to foster the creation and spread of these networks so that we and the communities within which we all live can be prepared not just to survive, but to prosper during and after whatever circumstances may confront us.

6) Indigenous Sovereignty

Cascadians believe in indigenous sovereignty for the hundreds of nations, groups and tribes within the Cascadian bioregion. We believe in a confederation of these peoples with a Cascadian government, working together around common shared principles we have all worked to establish. This starts with round table discussions with each First Nation and group to explore what this future looks like and to come to agreements with each, and majority and consensus approval from all. 

As part of this we support the incorporation of indigenous place names, culture and history into our learning and sharing, and embrace the revitalization of Chinuk Wawa, the indigenous and colonial pidgin trade language which was the lingua franqua pre-colonial arrival, and the most spoken second language of the region through the 1880’s.