Photograph by Elliott Erwitt / Magnum and John J. Burns Library, Boston College
Bioregionalists ponder the questions: “What conditions must be in place to encourage entrepreneurs to produce more goods intended for local markets? What is the role of citizens in fostering this shift from global to regional manufacturing?”
These are questions that the beloved author Jane Jacobs asked in The Death and Life of Great American Cities and Cities and the Wealth of Nations where she coined the phrase “import-replacement.”
The discipline of a bioregionalist is to first map the distinctive ecological features of their region – the source of water, the characteristic of the soils, the potential of renewable energy, the availability of natural building materials, as well as the unique habitats of plant and animal species that are an essential part of the natural community.
The bioregionalist will then want to understand human residents of their regions – the skills they bring as craftsman, their capacity for innovation and cooperation, the cultural traditions passed down through generations that are alive in the social fabric, the allocation of land, availability of capital, existing patterns of trade and transportation, the education system that supports a community’s thriving.
Out of this understanding the bioregionalist will imagine the new import-replacement businesses appropriate to the region and how to support them – in affirmation of small businesses and their multiple roles in a regional economy.
A new generation of bioregionalists are further defining and broadening this work. Samantha Power and Tyler Wakefield are at the vanguard of a movement.
They will speak at the 45th Annual Schumacher Lectures, Saturday, November 22nd at 3PM at St James Place, Main Street, Great Barrington. Tickets are on a sliding scale of $5 to $100. A reception follows.
REGISTER FOR THE IN-PERSON LECTURE
Tickets are also available at the door payable in cash, BerkShares, or by check.
Many good wishes,
Staff of the Schumacher Center