Elwha River - Humes Ranch Area2.JPG
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While I read daily about democracy collapsing and new mining operations, I wonder if reducing dependence on international supply chains is even possible. Could any community limit its new infrastructure and tools (substations, telecom access networks, data centers, computers and vehicles) to those made only from materials found within a 500-mile radius? Would any community commit to sustaining itself by keeping what they have in good repair?
For more than a century, we've depended on infrastructure and tools made from ores, chemicals and water sourced and processed from multiple continents. Living beyond our ecological means is all most of us have ever known.
Community is no longer local, either, since Internet access provides international connections 24/7.
To live within our ecological means, we need, first, to know our own bio-region. A bio-region is defined by its water, landforms, mineral deposits, altitude, weather patterns, animal communities, plant communities, birds and insects. Geography, not political boundaries, defines a bioregion.
Locating yourself
Peter Berg (1937-2011) began developing bio-regionalism in the early 1970s. He realized that a sustainable society starts with locating ourselves in our bio-region. He encouraged people to "re-inhabit" and repair their natural environment by producing food locally and creating pollution-free energy systems.
In workshops, Berg would give people a big sheet of paper and tell them to mark north on it. Then, he would invite people to locate their watershed, draw its boundaries and the creek or river that defines it.
A watershed provides water for drinking, cooking and bathing.
After drawing your watershed's boundaries, locate your home in relation to your watershed. Draw the landforms between your watershed and your home.
More questions about your region's watershed
Internet searches can answer these questions, but why deny yourself the fun of research without an electronic interface?
1. When does your rainy season begin? When does it end? How much total rain fell in your area last year? On average, over the last 25 years, how much rain fell each year?
2. In your region, where does rainfall go? Include underground aquifers, and surface drainage from your region to the water's final destination i.e., the ocean.
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