If we dropped a glass dome over Vancouver, Seattle and Portland - how big would that dome need to be for our region to be truly independent and sustainable? The answer is the Cascadia Bioregion, the Pacific Northwest as defined through our watersheds. Cascadia and bioregionalism are one of the most powerful, yet least understood organizing philosophies for our world today. It is relevant for every person, organizer and movement, regardless of background or political belief. Through the Department of Bioregion, I am creating new resources and educating about this powerful philosophy, defining its principles and the values for which it stands, and seeding a network of bioregional organizers and movements within Cascadia and around the world. Cascadia is an idea and ethic that has inspired me since I was a community college student in 2004. I fall in love with the idea the more I learn, challenge and connect with bioregionalism and the creative community of people making it happen. With the Department of Bioregion, I am excited to bring that work home and to turn my knowledge into resources and networks for direct, actionable change. Over the years, I have been a part of or launched many different Cascadia organizations, groups and projects. This includes founding CascadiaNow! in 2004, being on the board for the first Cascadia Poetry Festival at Seattle University, launching Rainingman (now Convergence), partnering with Cascadia NW festival, founding Yes Cascadia and the Cascadia Underground, and helping the Cascadia Association Football Federation send a 31-person team to London for the CONIFA World Cup. My work has been featured in Time Magazine, Vice, USA Today, the Atlantic Monthly, NPR, the BBC, National Journal, Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, Canadian Broadcasting as well as a host of local newspapers and radios segments.