Bioregional Principles of the Cascadia Movement
Together, these principles create a rubric that guides our actions, organizational decisions, and movement:
A Bioregional Framework – Shift our impacts from the global to the local, into a bioregional framework. Uses the Cascadia bioregion as a framework to break global issues down to a local level, and can help connect people with those already making changes happen, which can help citizens or consumers have a greater say over their buying decisions or impacts, and works to increase transparency and accountability.
An Interconnected Bioregional Network - Support the sustainability, autonomy, independence or interdependence of the Cascadia bioregion. Build responsible and ethical models on a local level, which we can share with other bioregions, or that help us fit into a global framework in a way that is responsible, ethical and sustainable. Is carbon neutral, has a zero waste, no impact or net-positive result. To have food, energy and economic resiliency and autonomy.
Expand Civil Liberties & Freedoms - Expands civil liberties, privacy, data protection, rights and freedom of Cascadians & inhabitants.
Devolve Power - From existing state or national actors towards watershed governance, that help move us from national/state borders, boundaries or representation which is arbitrary, negative or non-representative towards local and community empowerment, and bioregional and watershed borders that better reflect our ecology, geography, culture, economy and the people living here.
Increase Well Being - the livelihood or well being of the people living within the Cascadia bioregion. This includes both a short term & pragmatic approach (working within the system) and a long term Utopian one (outside of the system). Bioregionalism is a
Native Sovereignty – Build a just, equitable society that addresses injustices and inequality in the past, present, or in the future – and that celebrates the amazing diversity of our bio-regions inhabitants – people and other. Our movement begins and ends with conversations with indigenous first nations & communities, to explore truth and reconciliation, and to reach consensus on how we move forward. Though the Cascadia bioregion is a natural country of the planet, it contains within it many nations, inhabitants, communities and ecosystems. This includes returning & respecting indigenous sovereign lands, and inviting them to take truly substantive roles in every aspect of governance as agreed upon by all parties.
Diverse Movement – Support traditionally marginalized, under-serviced, at-risk, people of color, LGBTQ and front line communities, by creating safe spaces in our organization at every level, and movement, and by letting communities take the lead and supporting where they identify and need. Within this to create space for every community to have a voice, and lead on issues that are important to them. Reject any effort to disenfranchise or target any particular group or community based on gender, race, ethnicity, sex, religion, or ability. Build a positive or inclusive regional identity, rooted in a love of place or rooted in a vision for the future for something we can be working towards.
A Movement of Leaders – where every person can stand up around issues they care about, and be held accountable for their actions and impacts. We are all experts, and know and can contribute something special. Step up, and lead by example and showing, rather than telling.
An Open Source Movement – Cascadia and all affiliates operate under a Creative Commons license that ensures all work, research is open, public and available for educational purposes. We want every person or group to be able to re-use the work we do and help build greater resources available for education and action.
