Core Principles:

Of the Department of Bioregion & the Cascadia Movement.

We commit to:

Core Principles of the Cascadia Movement:

  1. An Independent Cascadia Bioregion

  2. Community Resilience and Empowerment

  3. Dynamic and Open Governance

  4. Environmental Sustainability & Bioregionalism

  5. Increasing the Liveability and well being of the Cascadia Bioregion

  6. Indigenous Sovereignty

  7. Privacy, Civil Liberties, Personal Freedoms.

AN INDEPENDENT CASCADIA BIOREGION

We work for the independence and interdependence of the Cascadia bioregion. This includes increasing our autonomy on a political, social and economic level, and working to better fit into a global supply chain in a manner that is responsible, sustainable and ethical. The people who live here are better able to represent our needs, rather than those thousands of miles away with little or no vested interest in our well being or livelihoods.

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. We support local businesses and a local economy that keeps our wealth and resources within and from our own bioregion.

  • A Bioregional Supply Chain. Working to produce and create as much as we can from here, while fitting into a global supply chain in a manner which is responsible, sustainable and just.

  • Building bioregional networks. Creating and building disaster preparedness networks, supporting local fibersheds, locally grown food and real food in schools and public buildings rather than with trans-national corporations.

DYNAMIC AND OPEN GOVERNANCE

We 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 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

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND BIOREGIONALISM

Cascadia is a movement to build the inter-dependence, sustainability and resiliency for the Cascadia bioregion. We demand complete carbon neutrality and it is our goal to pull Cascadia 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 and move our actions and impacts to where individuals have the greatest say in the issues that affect their lives.

Bioregionalism reflects perhaps one of the most important, yet least known or understood philosophies that may exist today. 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. 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.

INCREASING THE LIVABILITY & WELL BEING OF THE CASCADIA BIOREGION 

We support, partner, connect with and raise awareness for anything that improves the well being of the inhabitants of the Cascadia bioregion.

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. 

PRIVACY, CIVIL LIBERTIES AND PERSONAL FREEDOMS

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.