Resources for
Bioregionalists
Links to other bioregional groups and resources
Welcome to the online Bioregional Directory* of Groups, Publications and
Contacts
More and more people are beginning to consider the
well-being of the places the live as central to their own well-being.
Ecology-related social transformers recognize that humans have the task of
rediscovering what a realistic relationship to their life-place (or
bioregion) entails.
Exploring and understanding local bioregions is the natural
place to begin to develop a planet-based consciousness. Bioregional groups
address community, economics, interdependence and other issues from the
perspective that human beings are an interactive species in the biosphere.
The activities of "bioregional" groups and organizations may include
research and study, bioregional education, place related publications,
celebrations of place, hands-on restoration activities, actions for change,
etc.
*The Directory is just beginning - not many publications or
contacts are included yet. Also change happens, new groups form, maps are
created. Help keep the Directory current and accurate by contacting Planet
Drum Foundation with updates, additions and/or corrections.
EcoCity Cleveland
was a nonprofit
organization that promoted a vision of ecological cities existing in balance with their
surrounding countryside. Through its publications and projects, EcoCity Cleveland
presented
innovative ideas for regional land use planning, transportation systems, watershed
restoration, ecological redevelopment and other issues. After 15 successful
years of promoting the design of ecological cities, EcoCity Cleveland merged
with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. David Beach, creator of
Eco-City Cleveland, continues the work as the director of a new Center
for Regional Sustainability at the Museum.
San Francisco Green City continues publishing an online calendar of Eco events, classes, workshops, and volunteer
opportunities (Green City Calendar),
listings of Farmer's Markets in the
Bay Area, and other sustainability oriented Resources
on this website.
Shaping San Francisco is
an incredible resource of all things San Francisco. They maintain an
interactive online history archive, have published books and videos and
continue to hold forums about important local topics. Click for the index
of audio presentations they have held—(those listed in green are
ecologically oriented).
Guayaquil Green City 2003, An
Outline for Bioregional Action by Peter Berg—transcript of a talk detailing urban
sustainability based on bioregional realities.
Ithaca HOURS is making a community
while making a living in the local Ithaca, NY area. Ithaca Hours are a legal
alternative money system that provides an expanded way to barter. Rather
than having to construct a two-way trade with only one other person or
business, you can earn Hours in a transaction with any of hundreds of
members, then spend them with any other. The money is called HOURS to remind
us that the real source of money's value is created by people-- our time, skills, and
energy.
Urban Ecology Australia, Inc. is a
non-profit
 organization working to promote and create ecologically integrated human
settlements. "An eco-city is a city in balance with nature."
New Haven Bioregional
Group sponsors walks, films, canoe trips, potlucks, and other events to help residents of the Quinnipiac Bioregion connect with their natural and built environment, and to build community and local resilience.
They have been exploring the Quinnipiac Bioregion Since 2005. "Food not
lawns."
Friends of the River is dedicated
to preserving, protecting, and restoring California's rivers, streams, and their
watersheds.
Friends of the Urban Forest is committed
to the
belief that trees are a critical element of a livable urban environment.
Global Exchange is a human rights
organization dedicated to promoting environmental, political, and social justice around
the world.
Greenaction for health and
environmental justice. They confront corporate polluters and their friends in
government.
The bioregional group Guard Fox Watch
formed around efforts to raise consciousness about the effects of the 1998 Olympics on the
watersheds and environment around Nagano, Japan. In 2002 Guard Fox Watch took up
work around the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics,and then made a site visit in Turin for the 2006 Winter Olympics and
a visit in Vancouver,
Canada for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Click for an
index
of Guard Fox Watch's analyses and press releases. The 2014 Winter Olympics will be
in Sochi, Russia and concerned locals have already contacted Guard Fox Watch and the UN
Environment committee.
Headwaters is at the forefront of
defending our forest ecosystems of North America. Bay
Area Coalition for Headwaters collaborates with grassroots activists
on California’s north coast and organizations in the SF Bay Area, working
to ensure preservation of the redwood forest ecosystem, with real solutions
for workers and communities.
Headwaters Action Video Collective produce Earth
Films, educational video and media that specializes in environmental and social issue
documentaries.
Humane Farming Association is leading the
campaign against factory-farming and slaughterhouse abuses. They are also home to the
largest farm animal refuge, Suwanna Ranch.
Santa Cruz Mountains
Bioregional Council is a biodiversity planning and conservation
group for the Santa Cruz Mountains (California). Their objective is
to conserve native plant and animal biodiversity in the Santa Cruz Mountains
Bioregion.
San
Bruno Mountain Watch has been working for over 30 years to help protect and preserve San Bruno Mountain as the largest and richest remaining example of the native Franciscan bioregion, elsewhere destroyed in the urbanized northern San Francisco Peninsula.
Their mission is to preserve and protect San Bruno Mountain's native American village sites and endangered habitats.
They educate the public, including groups of school children, and watchdog government agencies.
A map of Australia's
85 bioregions as well as their 403 sub-regions is available
from the government. They call this project IBRA.
The Web
Incorporated is a bioregional organization in Australia working toward development
through the Brisbane Regional Environmental Council and Forest ANA
Queensland.
The Eco Ecuador page on this
website has updates on the collaboration between Planet Drum Foundation and the bioregional
eco-municipality community of Bahia
de Caraquez, Ecuador.
Italian Bioregional Network (c/o morettig@iol.it)
publishes Lato Selvatico magazine and news of Italian bioregional movement from Po River
Valley to Naples.
Japan Bioregional/Deep Ecology Movement (including Guard Fox Watch)
c/o tokim@aomori-u.ac.jp
Some of Planet Drum's best articles appear in the
Library
section of this website.
Key Characteristics of
Bioregional Management, an article at the World Resources Institute.
Los Angeles a History of the Future by
Paul Glover originally appeared in Raise the Stakes #6, Winter 1983. It is
available on these websites:
Book form and with some
Spanish translation.
North American Bioregional Congress Call
for the First NABC by David Haenke, 1983..
15
Green Cities by Grist online magazine (Jul/19/07)
Bioregional Publications & Publishers
Columbiana is a magazine
devoted to the northern portion of the large  Interior Columbia River Basin, focuses on
environment and culture; including the creation of community based sustainable economics,
in harmony with native ecosystems. Contact info:
Columbiana Magazine
P.O. Box 792
Okanogan, WA 98840-0792
509-422-1976 (voice & fax)
email: columbiana@televar.com
New Society Publishers
produces books to build a sustainable and just society — accountable economics,
conscientious commerce, bioregional theory and practice, ecological design & planning,
sustainable living, environmental justice, resistance and community, the feminist
transformation, conflict resolution, progressive leadership, and educational and parenting
resources. Free catalog: 800-567-6772, or browse: www.newsociety.com.
Bioregional Frame of Reference
CREEC, California Regional Environmental
Education Community, is the best source for local environmental education resources in
California.
Chrysalis Charter
School is a school based on local science and nature
education along with general curricula.
greenmuseum.org is a non-profit online
museum of environmental art. They advance creative efforts to improve our relationship
with the natural world.
InfoRain is an online atlas
for the coastal temperate rain forest/Pacific salmon region of North America providing accessible and
useful information and data and links to other mapping resources.
The National Water Center has
been active in the bioregional movement since 1980. They coordinate the Water
Committee for the Bioregional Movement. They are located in the Ozarks Bioregional, and
for two decades have cultivated and articulated a clean water practice based upon
appropriate technology and personal responsibility.
A
Proposal for a Bioregional, Thematic Humanities Education was
originally written in 1986 to to assist Alaskan Educators in creating place-based curriculum for
Alaskan
schools. The
Axe Handle Academy updates the original proposal for internet
useage with supplementary hyperlinks, pictures, etc.
Build It Green is a
non-profit membership organization whose mission is to promote healthy,
energy- and resource-efficient building practices in California. They
offer education, information, technical assistance and training, providing
a link between consumers, building professionals and product
manufacturers. They work with mainstream stakeholders in the housing
industry to accelerate the adoption of green building practices.
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance is a
small organization with a remarkable track record for breaking new ground in promoting
sustainable communities.
Native
Perspectives on Sustainability offers insight from
contemporary indigenous leaders from Salmon Nation to inform and enrich the
public dialogue on sustainability and nurture bioregional thought and
practice. They believe indigenous voices provide a
valuable contribution to the dialogue on how to live in our shared home for
countless generations to come.
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