Bioregional

To enhance, though economic/social/cultural/political bioregional connections, Village Vancouver's Transition Initative goal to create a resiliant, relocalized Vancouver.

Bioregional has been inactive. If you would like to help activate it, please contact Ross at (ross@villagevancouver.ca).

Posted by Kathryn Cholette
The work of Transition and Permaculture activists definitely is compatible with Bioregionalism. Bioregional theory also focuses on relocalization in order to build local economic resilience. But further than this, relocalization within the bioregional movement is also viewed as both as a means to protect the land we rely upon, and as a means to counter the prevailing global economic pressures.

Western macro-economic practices have for centuries undermined the natural world in a never ending expansion which has resulted in the degradation of one region of the planet after another.

To counter this, Bioregionalism calls for us to gain an awareness of the ecosystems, that is the bioregion, which we rely upon in our part of the world so we can develop not only a strong sense of connection and caring for our "Place" on the planet, but also the means to protect it.

Bioregionalism is built on the thinking that people in every region of the world have a better chance to protect their own regions than the planet in general.
This call in bioregionalism for each of us to develop a sense of deep connection to the land which we live on and depend upon, widens the relocalization efforts. This "caring for our place" by necessity requires us to develop new institutions to enforce this protection – that is, it requires us to find and demand, new none destructive ways of meeting our needs. When we create a resilient local economy we also gain the ability locally to monitor and eliminate destructive economic practices. This latter goal requires that we work on the local level to change our laws and policies, and create values that support the protection of our bioregions.

Thus, Bioregionalism recognizes the need for more powerful local political institutions, and for deeper levels of local democracy and democracy in general. Such changes are seen as necessary to assure that the needs of the population and the land take precedence over the need to create economic growth.

Obviously, this later goal requires a huge awareness building effort so citizens understand how the existing system threatens their well being and how they can contribute and support the building of the alternatives.
The New Economics Foundation (nef) offers a free download of the book listed below:

BBC World Tonight explores the shorter working week

In a special authored programme for the BBC's World Tonight on Radio 4, nef's Anna Coote explored the benefits of a UK-wide shift to a shorter working week. Building on the research presented in nef's report 21 Hours, Anna examines the benefits for families, well-being, productivity, the environment and the Big Society.

Anna spoke to experts in a range of fields, including Dr Katherine Rake of the Family and Parenting Institute and Professor Tim Jackson of the University of Surrey.

>> Listen to the programme
>> Read 21 Hours: Why a shorter working week can help us all to flourish in the 21st century