permaculture

[Keith Johnson <keithdj@mindspring.com>]

from http://bioregional-congress.org/

What is a Bioregion?

A life region. A geographical area described in terms of its unique 
combination of flora, fauna, geology, climate and water features—the 
whole of which distinguishes it from other bioregions. Thus, natural 
forms and living communities, including human, become the descriptive 
features of each bioregion—instead of the politically drawn lines used 
to define county, state and nation. Watersheds, being an important 
physical feature of bioregions, are often used to define their boundaries.

"Bioregions are geographic areas having common characteristicsof soil, 
watershed, climate, native plants and animals that exist within the 
whole planetary biosphere as unique and contributive parts.

A bioregion refers both to geographical terrain and a terrain of 
consciousness - to a place and the ideas that have develped about how 
too live in that place.

A bioregion can be determined initially by use of climatology, 
physiography, animal and plant geography, natural history and other 
descriptive resonance among living things and the factors that influence 
them which occurs specifically within each separate part of the planet.

Discovering and describing that resonance is a way to describe a bioregion."

Peter Berg & Raymond Dasmann, Reinhabiting a Separate Country
Planet Drum Foundation, 1978

What is Bioregionalism?

Bioregionalism is a comprehensive "new" way of defining and 
understanding the place where we live, and living in that place 
sustainably and respectfully. What bioregionalism represents, 
identification with place and its history and culture, and living within 
the laws of nature, is new only for people who come out of the Western 
industrial-technological heritage. The essence of bioregionalism has 
been reality and common sense for native people living close to the land 
for thousands of years, and remains so for human beings today. At the 
same time, bioregional concepts are rigorously defensible in terms of 
science, technology, economics, politics, and other fields of 
"civilized" human endeavor. Bioregionalists are lifelong students of how 
to live in balance with our eco-communities. We recognize that we are 
part of the web of the life, and that all justice, freedom and peace 
must be grounded in this recognition.

Bioregionalism re-connects us into the living biosphere through the 
Places where we live. Bioregionalism acknowledges that we not only live 
in cities, towns, villages and countrysides; we also live in watersheds 
(map above), ecoystems, and ecoregions. The awareness of those 
connections to the planet is vital to our own health and the health of 
the planet. By discovering our connections to the planet, we find a 
context for our lives to grow in. This context allows us to find ways to 
live sustainably in our settlements while at the same time provides us 
ways to nurture and restore the more-than-human community that surrounds 
us and which we are dependent on in so many ways.



Lawrence F. London, Jr. wrote:
> Bioregionalism - how is it defined?
>
>   

--
Keith Johnson
"Be fruitful and mulch apply."
Permaculture Activist Magazine
PO Box 5516, Bloomington, IN 47407
(812) 335-0383
http://www.permacultureactivist.net
http://www.PermacultureTradingPost.com
Switch to Solar Power the Easy Way
http://www.jointhesolution.com/KeithJ-SunPower
http://www.PowUr.com/KeithJ-SunPower
Blog: http://kjpermaculture.blogspot.com/
also Patterns for Abundance Design & Consulting
http://www.permacultureactivist.net/design/Designconsult.html
also Association for Regenerative Culture
http://www.ARCulture.org
also APPLE-Bloomington (Alliance for a Post-Petroleum Local Economy) It's a 
small world after oil.
http://www.relocalize.net/groups/applebloomington
also Bloomington Permaculture Guild
http://my.calendars.net/bloomingtonpccal/
and: http://bloomingtonpermacultureguild.blogspot.com/
also: Bioregional Congress
http://www.bioregional-congress.org