Bioregionalism

By: Ana Contreras

What is Bioregionalism? To answer this question we must first understand the history

behind the word. This term has various definitions and interpretations as anyone is free to define

what it means to them, but for the sake of uniformity I will be using the definition from

“Bioregionalism: An Ethics of Loyalty to Place,” which defines Bioregionalism as “an

environmental movement and social philosophy that envisions decentralized community self-rule

within the political boundaries redrawn to reflect the natural contours of different ecosystem

types.” When discussing Bioregionalism it is also important to make mention of the

sustainability aspect behind it. Many argue that Bioregionalism covers the relationship between

man and nature, and to preserve this relationship it is in our best interest to make an effort to

preserve our natural world. Bioregionalism, as a movement, seeks to restore humanity’s

relationship with nature and their own community. This could be either in eco-friendly living,

focusing on modern solutions while expressing ourselves artistically. The Katuah Journals,

published from 1983 to 1993, are based on the southern Appalachian mountains. These journals

follow local stories as well as push environmental activism and share ways to support families

and local land. The Katuah Journals thus fall under Bioregionalism because they provide

adequate examples of culture and religion being tied to land, as well as the complex give and

take relationship between man and nature; They promote bioregional values.

To begin, It’s important to take in our sources and the perspective each one brings to the

table. The first one I would like to bring to light is “The Bioregional Imagination.” This article

touches on another one being “LifePlace: Bioregional thought and Practice.” Though both of
these articles have different approaches they both tackle some of the criticism the term

Bioregionalism faces. Too often people fall victim to the misconception that Bioregionalism

focuses too much on rural areas, leaving urban areas to dry. However, this is untrue as

Bioregionalism covers all areas of nature and cities. The history of Bioregionalism can be dated

back to the 1970s, during this time there was an environmental movement with “motivations

addressing matters of pressing environmental concern through a politics derived from a local

sense of place.” All this means is that the people wanted Bioregionalism to be recognized on a

national platform. One of the motivators for this push was the belief that Bioregionalism was

limited to one biome.

Our next source takes on a completely different approach, focusing more on the political

aspect of Bioregionalism. The previous source hinted at this by mentioning environmental

movements but it lacked depth. “Bioregionalism: An Ethics of Loyalty to Place” discusses the

“rapidly growing green political philosophy emerging with the greatest force from within the

‘counterculture’ in the United States…” This is important to note because there is discussion

over redrawing boundaries to reflect naturally occuring contours of the land. This has been

argued to be necessary as it can affect how life will look for us in the future. Drastic change is

needed because man-kind is currently overestimating the Earth's carrying capacity and supplies.

This can be detrimental as it can lead to a total extinction of the human race. One solution

proposed in this article is to shift focus to local communities, learning ways to become more

sustainable and kind to nature. This leads into the spiritualistic relationships with ancient human

culture such as Pagans, Native Americans, etcetera. Nature-based religions typically believe that

the Earth is in itself it’s own being that must be taken care of and protected. She should be

referred to as Mother Earth. The environmental movement aspect of Bioregionalism refers to the
unity of human life with nature.

Speaking of culture and religion, in “Rehabilitation” by Gary Synder, the author focuses

on the cultural effects of Bioregionalism and how it can connect individuals together. Modern

culture is shifting away from being interconnected to nature. This could be to our postmodern

ideals, the belief that there is no set truth and individuals are often left trying to find their

purpose in life. Synder in particular has a personal example of a cultural tie to a land, his

ancestors had deep ties to their native land and held a great awareness of the natural world

around them. As industrialization became more prevalent we could see a decline in appreciation

in what some may call the “old ways of living.” Place has a huge impact on who. What this

means is that it is a give and take relationship between nature and man. This link can later be

passed on through generations through stories and other events. Modern culture is losing its

closeness to nature. We must stay connected with nature as our ancestors once were. This is not

only for the sake of the environment but also for our own, the stronger the connection the greater

the fruit we sow is.

This disconnection, as I previously mentioned, can be tied to Post-Modernism. Post-

Modernism is characterized by skepticism and the belief that there is no one set societal truth. As

society moves forward, we can see people gain existential dread due to a disconnect to past

beliefs. In “LifePlace: Bioregional Thought and Practice” the author asks us questions that

prompt us to think like this. “Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?” These

questions are intertwined with each other and they can not be answered separately. The answer of

each play off of each other. The author also speaks on the enjoyment of natural land, and the

judgement we have over these places play off of the physical fulfillment of life and our
emotional connection to our “home.” Bioregionalism is essentially left up to an individual's

interpretation and experiences. LifePlace also discusses that now it is harder than ever to identify

with a particular region, this can be due to the normalization of production and consumerism in

our society. Consumer culture, and maybe even Capitalism in itself, has implemented more

machinery and factories onto the land in which we live, furthering our disconnect. With nature

being destroyed and our attention being drawn to new products we are now being pushed away

from from nature. The “consumer-driven, technologically saturated world” is to blame, as well as

ourselves. We have completely abandoned our roots in an attempt to adapt to transience and

shallow information. The bioregional approach, as proposed in this article, suggests having a

deep understanding, respect, and care for the region in which we live.

To tie up most of these articles, the article “Bioregionalism and the North American

Bioregional Congress” focuses on the importance of creating a lifestyle that incorporates

environmentally friendly practices in addition to developing new and improved political

structures within ecoregions. This article defines Bioregionalism as recognizing our connections

with the land around us. There is a focus on the ecological side of bioregionalism. Instead of

talking about the personal connection to the regions, it addresses the more technical side of

Bioregionalism. This can include the political and economic side of this concept. An interesting

take is that this article argues that Bioregionalism is “a green political philosophy which can be

considered a branch of radical environmentalism.” This article is the most straightforward out of

the bunch. It addresses the definition of Bioregionalism and the political side that comes with

trying to incorporate its ideas. This article encourages the formation of an environmentally

friendly lifestyle alongside new political structures. This is something we can see truly taking

effect today, with movements moving towards being sustainable and the Green New Deal.
People are trying to form a better relationship with nature and the world around them, whether

that be trying to use more reusable products, limiting their meat intake, or even shopping

sustainably. Bioregionalism is such an ambiguous word, everyone is capable of giving their own

definition and having those definitions be defined by their personal experiences. However, most

importantly, what we stress most is our relationship with Mother Nature.

Something we can see arising lately is this idea of Apocalyptic Bioregionalism, the belief

that nature itself is powerful enough to cause change if it is not taken care of properly. Many

people believe that the fall of humankind is inevitable and will ultimately end with Mother

Nature’s rebirth and overtake of the world that was once hers. This can be explored through

“Bioregionalism: An Ethics of Loyalty to Place.” This article provides nice thought-provoking

questions that express information in a very direct manner. As this article provides, a solution to

prevent the overtake of Mother Nature would be a fundamental reorientation of human

consciousness. We need to “revision and construct” new ways of living. The Katuah Journals

explore ways of doing this, ranging topics from “alternative energy production to forestry

practices, natural medicine,” and sacred sites. We explored the history and culture of

Bioregionalism previously, and the first Katuah journal provides its own insight on this. As it

explores, mountain agriculture was formed by “...adaptive groups of immigrants…” who had

been molded by migration. In particular, these immigrants came from Scotland. Now what this

means is that they brought a “simple, practical and unadorned style of life…” as well as being

influenced by religion and agriculture. This can be related to what Gary Synder spoke of in his

article “Rehabilitation.” Synder had felt tied to the land due to his ancestors, who had a very

special connection with the land because of their religion and culture. If Synder’s example falls

under Bioregionalism then under the same logic so shall this first Katuah journal. The journal
goes to explore the cultural impact of this Scotch-Irish. The first “cultural interaction they

experienced with people around them…” was through their migrations. The second would be the

willingness to adapt. They used the land around them to live while also taking care of it, making

it a give and take relationship.

The second journal, “Winter,” brings up a quote from a “sixth generation North

Carolinian.” This person writes on having “heritage” and of water sources. As the generations

went on and the world around them changed, their water sources became the worst they had ever

seen. While on surface level this creates problems with water quality, it also threatens the long

history these people have had on this land. It threatens their way of living, unless there is a

“positive ethic of restoration and continuous stewardship…” There needs to be a change among

the people, they need to change not only their way of living but actively seek out ways to help

their community. This again is important for the environment, specifically for water quality,

because people’s lives directly depend on it. It is not a simple procedure, just packing up in

leaving, in most cases we see generations upon generations of people living in the same area,

they have a connection to it and they rely on the nearby resources to sustain themselves. It is our

job to help our fellow neighbors when we can, making the world a better place. There is some

parallelism in this source as well. We have seen that it is possible for humans to have heritage

and culture tied to a land, but we can compare this to other wild-life of the land. Particular, the

black bear. The black bear is a descendant of “Asian ancestors” and historic drawings show that

they have changed very little since then. These bears became tied to the land and have humans to

thank, this is a relationship between human and nature. This journal goes on to tackle the

question of “How humans came to be.” Long ago, the world was balanced and there was “little

to do but dance and sing and praise the Earth for her beauty.” The “little people” loved all of the
creatures that lived upon the Earth. What came to be was the bear, which would “surpass the

power of the little people and will make them disappear from the face of the earth.” Since the

beginning, humans and nature have had a very complex relationship, always playing off of each

other and needing each other in many ways.

The Katuah Journal, Issue 8, brings up Celebration, a way of life. Western civilization has

historically “[simplified] and [destroyed] flora and fauna, damming rivers, and eroding soil.”

They have drastically changed the natural world. However, this is interesting because as this

entry explores, humans are a celebratory species. Hunter gatherers in particular spent “much of

their time celebrating...more than they spent accumulating the necessities of life.” Now why is

this? First, celebration can be expressed in many different forms, such as storytelling, singing,

and even dancing. This relates back to the idea that Bioregionalism seeks to restore humanity’s

relationship with nature and their own community, and one way of doing this was expressing

ourselves artistically. Thomas Berry explores deeper into why this happens. To celebrate a

community in which you are a part of is to celebrate for the “whole ecological community.” You

are celebrating “land forms, the soil, the rocks, the wind and rain, for bird and bear, for river and

oak and grass.” Every little detail. The Katuah Journal continues to argue why it falls under

Bioregionalism. It pushes us to celebrate the community in which we live, “the Southern

Appalachians through traditional means.” This is the foundation of Bioregionalism.

A short story that covers tradition and culture is “Old Time Apples.” This story covers

how prominent apples are in Appalachian culture. Being native to the land, apples have been a

staple in local diets for generations. Being so versatile allows them to be eaten in several

different ways. Just knowing one of the several ways to harvest and prepare these apples

connects one with the environment. However, there has been a fall in this close bonding, this is
because of commercialization and the rise of capitalism. Higher demand for lowest prices and

more product causes for several of these preparation methods to grow scarce, seeing as they can

not be prepared fast enough for a low cost. This touches on the brief again that industrialization

has polarized us with mother nature.

The Katuah Journals are examples of Bioregionalism as they provide adequate examples

of culture and religion being tied to land,as seen in this previous story and many others, as well

as the complex give and take relationship between man and nature; It promotes bioregional

values. The Journals also push an environmentalist agenda forward, pushing for greener

technology and sustainability. It pushes for a closer relationship between mankind and mother

nature, seeing as we both play off of each other it is to our benefit that we have a close bond.

Works Cited
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Elliot, Doug. “Old Time Apples.” Katúah: Bioregional Journal of the Southern Appalachians,

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Hotaling, Richard. “Home-Made Electricity.” Katúah: Bioregional Journal of the Southern

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Lynch, Tom, Cheryll Glotfelty, and Karla Armbruster. “Introduction.” The Bioregional

Imagination: Literature, Ecology, and Place. U of Georgia P, 2012, pp. 1-29.

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Taylor, Bron. “Bioregionalism and the North American Bioregional Congress.” Encyclopedia of

Religion and Nature. Continuum, 2005, pp. 190-192.

Taylor, Bron, “Bioregionalism: An Ethics of Loyalty to Place.”Landscape Journal, vol. 19, no. 1

and no. 2: 2000, pp. 50-72.

Thayer, Robert L., Jr. “Introduction.” LifePlace: Bioregional Thought and Practice. U of

California P, 2003, pp. 1-11.

West, Dr. Jerry. “Trout.” Katúah: Bioregional Journal of the Southern Appalachians, no. 4, 1984,

pp. 4-5, 19., omeka.library.appstate.edu/items/show/43034#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0.