radical bioregionalism is where it's at

I used the word "bioregion" in a facebook post, and a friend took the bait.

What is bioregionalism?

I'm glad you asked. As opposed to arbitrarily defined political boundaries, a bioregion is an intact, ecologically-defined region, of varying scales, that takes into account watershed areas, predominant ecosystsms, and other practical considerations that truly define place. If we examine our relationship to the land, we can decolonize our mind and reconnect to sustainable and sane ways of being. Radical bioregionalism is where its at.

How a bioregion is defined depends on how the people defining it interact with the land. Where does the water come from? Where does the waste go? Where is there fertile soil? Where are the ecological buffer zones? How do humans interact with the land? What is the history of interaction? What is the culture of the people on the land? It's these types of questions that we've stopped asking ourselves, and that we should start asking again.

For more in depth examination of bioregionalism, I found what looks to be a decent thesis from Warren Wilson hippy training ground: http://www.warren-wilson.edu/~library/Bioregionalism%20-%20Kalinowski.pdf

Within contemporary environmental politics and environmental philosophy, the discourse known as “bioregionalism” provides both an alternative vision to the ecologically destructive path of mass consumerism and globalization, and a realistic means of transitioning to that alternative society.