Bioregionalism/Living in Place

Typical Features of a Bioregional Community

Economic

Food products are more nutritious when obtained locally than when transported from many hundreds or thousands of miles away.

Products that are made locally will be optimized for local usage. Company owners will be invested in the community and be more likely to maintain green practices and not pollute.

Green businesses would be supported by locals and prosper.

Locally owned businesses would be inclined to hire a local workforce and work relationships would be more personal. Outside markets and economic trends would have less influence on a locally based economy.

Cooperatives, collectives and other forms of consumer ownership tend to thrive in smaller communities. These types of businesses tend to be more invested in community prosperity and involved in local issues.

The more personal and intimate living environment would promote extended family lifestyles and promote better overall care for children and the elderly.

Practices like bartering, trading or sharing are likely to emerge that compliment or bypass the traditional economic system.

Cultural

Informal politics, grassroots, and inclusive democracy can replace traditional static political systems approaches.

Smaller communities can more readily employ collaborative and cooperative efforts at solving problems and planning for the future.

The education system tends to have more involvement from parents and other community members as they realize well educated individuals will be able to function more effectively and contribute more to the community.

There is community support for local cultural events such as art and recreation and a greater sense of connection between individuals ensues.

Local businesses are viewed as part of the local cultural phenomenon.

Stressors that are inherent in large metropolitan areas are much less of an issue in smaller towns and this results in fewer medical and emotional problems.

Ecological

The surrounding habitat is appreciated, respected, valued and cared for and a deep connection to it develops.

Pollution is carefully monitored and managed such that the environment is not damaged. Those who do pollute are dealt with via reprimands, sanctions and the boycotting of their products and services.

Places that have been compromised ecologically are restored and protected.

Recycling is a required practice for all citizens.

Many individuals and families engage in farming and use natural fertilizers and insecticides.

All living practices are viewed from a context of sustainability and homeostasis and there is an ideological blending of ecology and economy.

Ethics and Politics

With regard to ethical considerations, people who love and respect their habitat tend to live sustainably and interact with the natural world such that degradation doesn’t occur or occurs at a minimal level. Resources are monitored and used wisely and preservation practices are utilized. Environmental problems are addressed in a timely manner and there is an ongoing awareness of how aspects of a bioregion interact and how human interactions with the environment play out and either support or disrupt natural systems. Human activity and environmental processes are seen as integrated and symbiotic.

Our current political boundaries do not consider or address environmental concerns or problems and in fact often promote habitat degradation. We build dwellings in locations that are unstable and unfit for habitation such as in wetlands, erosion prone soil, near volcanoes and seismic areas and mountainous areas that require intensive landscaping, large quantities of building materials and intensive labor. Human waste products and industrial waste are routinely drained off into waterways and holding sites further damaging our sensitive ecosystems. We have already polluted most of the worlds ecosystems beyond our ability to correct the damage rendered and our attempts to restore nature to its natural state have been grossly insufficient. The practice of living in place can allow nature and humans to thrive together sustainably such that the needs of both entities can be satisfied.