Page 30 RAIN July/August 1984 Pacific Northwest Bioregion Report Bioregional Network Develops Goals On April 7, 11 hearty souls hailing from Puget Sound to the McKenzie River gathered at the Rain Community Resource Center and outlined goals for developing sustainability in the maritime Northwest. The elusive issues of Pacific Northwest bioregional borders and an appropriate name for the damp territory west of the Cascades received inconclusive discussion. Here is a sampling of five-year goals the group brainstormed for the bioregion west of the Cascades between Eugene, Oregon, and the southern Puget Sound area (unless otherwise noted): Economics: An ecologically and socially responsible banking system; a corresponding trust fund for bioregional projects; region-wide investment criteria; a regional currency based on a regional commodity or kilowatts; an import replacement program similar to the producer- retailer matching in Eugene (see RAIN X:4, page 34); a plan for appropriate trade with Canada and Pacific Rim countries Timber: Plant more trees than are harvested; ban virgin timber harvesting; as much timber land owned within the region as possible; wilderness areas forming a continuous system Radioactivity (including the interior Northwest): Nothing radioactive, except for medical purposes; group to consult June 7 meeting of 35 Native American nations at Yakima nation regarding the Hanford question Energy: Adjust demand to meet supply; live within hydroelectric base; weatherize/insulate every home and building; low-interest renewable- energy loan fund available to ali, rate structure reflecting true costs; rely on regionally produced renewable fuels Food: Determine percentage of food imported and exported; tax or economic incentive to grow food at home; incenhves for producing region- specific food to replace imports; producer-consumer loan funds (see RAIN X:2, page 32) Shelter: Energy and water self-reliant new houses; computer databases of indigenous materials and costs; access to solar exposure; durability standards for life of building Communications: Bioregional news service and computer bulletin board; interlibrary computer network; quilt and wine exchanges with other bioregions Transportation: coordination between different systems; cheap, environmentally sound mass transit; environmentally sound goods transport; computerized ride boards between communities Natural Resources: Determine depletion levels; assess carrying capacity; build sustainability levels into economic plans and decision-making (such as social investing); a total waste-stream recycling plan Water; Develop minimum stream-flow and aquifer-use standards; establish strict pollution and radioactivity levels The group agreed this brainstorm list would be made available, if called upon, at the North American Bioregional Congress near Kansas City, Bioregion—a continuous geographic area seen in terms of similarities of plant and animal life and climatic and geological characteristics ... and a terrain of consciousness—a place and the ideas that have developed about how to live in that place. —Peter Berg Missouri, May 21-25 (see RAIN X:3, page 30). Participants briefly discussed proposals for developing a maritime Northwest "bundle," a bioregional curriculum guide for high schools and colleges, a bioregional slide show, and a bioregional speakers' bureau. Thirty people representing 17 organizations attended a bioregional meeting in Seattle on March 31. Catherine Burton reported that participants had difficulty thinking in bioregional terms. They brainstormed what the group could begin contributing to bioregional awareness. Proposals included establishing regional consultant teams (agriculture, peace, and so on, combined) and regional education projects; developing a series of indices pointing out the relative health of the region; and convening a bioregional congress in two years. Contact Dave McCloskey (206/285-7342) or Catherine Burton (206/324-6333) at 2151 7th Avenue West, Seattle, WA 98119. At a meeting in Clinton, Washington, on May 13, participants decided to use RAIN'S Northwest Bioregion Report as the communications vehicle for the Northwest bioregional movement rather than starting a separate publication. Using the same principle of working with something that already exists rather than starting something new, the group decided to use the upcoming Tilth Jamboree as an opportunity for a bioregional gathering. The jamboree, celebrating Tilth's 10th anniversary, is scheduled for September 28 to October 2 near Ellensburg, Washington. For further information, contact Michael Pilarski, PO Box 1064, Tonasket, WA 98855.
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