Regenerate Cascadia, a grassroots movement led by volunteers throughout the Cascadia region, will hold three events on Vashon this weekend as part of a 14-stop tour throughout the region in October.
The broader tour is a partnership of the Cascadia Department of Bioregion, a nonprofit based in Seattle, and Salmon Nation Edgewalkers, a collective of activists working throughout the Cascadia region, which includes the entire watershed of the Columbia River (as far as the Continental Divide), as well as the Cascade Range from Northern California well into Canada.
The tour’s aim is to help connect resilient communities and support salmon recovery efforts for the Columbia and Snake River watersheds, ecovillages, urban permaculture and habitat restoration projects, and regenerative farming networks throughout the bioregion.
Here’s what’s happening on Vashon:
An evening with Joe Brewer, author of “Design Pathway for Regenerating Earth,” will take place from 6-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, at Mukai Farm & Garden, 18017 107th Ave SW.
Brewer, a researcher with an academic background in atmospheric sciences, physics, philosophy and cognitive linguistics, launched an initiative to regenerate 500,000 hectares of land in Barichara, Colombia in 2020, and in 2023 founded the Design School for Regenerating Earth. At the talk, Brewer will share what he has learned about the potential to interweave bioregional communities for a thriving world.
“Weaving Our Thriving Communities,” a community round table, will be held from 2-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at Heights Hall (formerly the Grange Hall), at 10365 SW Cowan Rd.
Attendees can join in dialogue, forge connections and share learning to further explore Friday evening’s presentation and discuss how Vashon’s community is interconnected within a larger bioregion and resilient planet that can be healed.
After the round table, join the local hosts of Regenerate Cascadia at Caffe Vino Olio, 17507 Vashon Hwy SW, for food and deeper conversation to explore what future efforts can continue the work of Regenerate Cascadia.
Sue Letsinger, one of the organizers of the Vashon events, said she believes it can have a significant impact when islanders reach beyond the boundaries of Vashon to connect with other regenerative communities and watersheds.
“There is potential here for finding genuine solutions on the ground through shared learning and resources for connecting to place — and through renewed relationships with soil and water and one another,” Letsinger said.
