In Forsaking Cahokia, (https://open.substack.com/pub/collapsecurriculum/p/forsaking-cahokia-five-lessons-from?r=2bc8q&utm_medium=ios), the author describes walking away from a civilization that had become toxic. To what extent should we do this today? That’s a profound and unsettling question—and the Forsaking Cahokia essay is such a powerful lens for it. Read more →
Category: Bioregionalism
Understanding Overshoot and Collapse
A recent Substack article by an unnamed author (“ItsOvershoot”) has exhaustively detailed the evidence for Understanding Our Collapsing World. Abrupt climate change. The sixth mass extinction. Collapsing Forests. Dead soil. Dry rivers. Acidic oceans. Coral reefs bleaching. Insects vanishing. Plastic in the air. Microfibers in your lungs. Nanoplastics in your blood. In your brain. In birds. In fish. In babies.… Read more →
Breaking the Cycle: Toward an Evolutionary Leap
“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” —Arundhati Roy The world today feels precarious, on the edge of unraveling. The war in Ukraine grinds on. The devastation of Gaza continues with heartbreaking intensity. Iran is under siege. Everywhere, the air seems thick with fear, suspicion, and anger.… Read more →
Asset-Based Community Development
Bioregionalism as a Pathway to Transformation: A Genesee Finger Lakes Perspective Bioregionalism may offer the most integrative and generative framework for imagining and building a better future, but it is not a simplistic or one-size-fits-all solution. Rooted in the recognition that every place has its own ecological, cultural, and historical identity, bioregionalism calls for deep engagement with the land… Read more →
Bioregionalism (Revised June 2025)
Bioregionalism: Reclaiming Our Place on Earth Bioregionalism offers a transformative vision for humanity, rooted in the understanding that our societies, economies, and cultures must align with the natural systems that sustain life. It is a movement centered on “living-in-place,” which means following the necessities and pleasures uniquely presented by a particular site and evolving ways to ensure its long-term occupancy.… Read more →
Bioregionalism: A Better Model
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” — Buckminster Fuller The world’s dominant economic and political systems are failing — they are failing to sustain ecosystems, nourish communities, and secure a future for coming generations. Yet attempts to reform these systems from within often meet… Read more →
Preface: The Emerging Reality (AI Enhanced)
In response to the complex, multi-faceted ecological crisis now unfolding on Earth, a new consciousness is beginning to emerge. This consciousness doesn’t introduce a novel idea so much as it revives an ancient truth: we are not separate from Nature. Our well-being, our survival—even our sense of meaning—are intimately tied to the health of the living Earth. To nurture the… Read more →
Chapter 13: Right Livelihoods — Making It Through the Next Ten Years
In the early days of Earth Regenerators, Victoria and I led a series of workshops on the idea of “Right Livelihoods.” The basic premise was simple but profound: there are many ways to make a living, rather than trying to make a killing, by doing what you love in service of life. Especially now, as the dominant economic system accelerates… Read more →
Chapter 6: Bioregionalism
Chapter 3: Bioregionalism — Living Within the Limits of Place Bioregionalism starts with the recognition that each region has its own ecological, cultural, and hydrological identity. By organizing social, economic, and political life around bioregions—rather than arbitrary administrative boundaries—we can realign human activity with the natural systems that sustain life. Bioregionalism fosters place-based governance, regenerative economies, and a deep sense… Read more →