Cascadia Now! Updates and Upcoming Events
Upcoming Cascadia Speakout! | Chapter Updates | Cascadia Now! Facebook, Twitter and Reddit Milestones | The Bioregion of Cascadia, New Interview Available | Cascadia Banner Drop | New Memetics of Cascadia class: The Colors of Revolution |
Portland Cascadia Now! Speakout, Potluck and Block Party
On Saturday, August 18th at 2pmPortland Cascadia Now! members will be hosting Debate and Speakout around the idea of Cascadia. Lots of free food will be provided and drinks encouraged. Afterwards, stay for live music and block party, well into the evening.
Chapter Updates:
Cascadia Now! Is excited to announce new regional and student coordinators in Okanagan County, WA, Washington State University in Pullman, Castle Rock, WA and Oregon State University in Eugene, OR. We also have new volunteers who have offered to help research, write and help us fill in a few graphic blanks on our website.
If you’re in these areas, feel free to contact our new coordinators:
- Okanagan County
Chandra Ashlin
chandra.ashlin@yahoo.ca - Washington State University
Doug Woods
woodsrow@gmail.com - University of Oregon
Alex Jones
ajones8@uoregon.edu
More information about current Cascadia Now! coordinators and chapters can be found on our website at http://cascadianow.org/chapters-and-groups . If you do not see your area represented please visit http://cascadianow.org/get-involved. We’d love to talk with you more about your ideas and envisioning for Cascadia, and ways in which to get active.
New Memetic Cascadia Class
Held every Tuesday, a Memetic Cascadia: The Color of Revolution class began on July 17th. Taught by Alexander Baretich, designer of the Cascadian flag, the class examines ways to transform the abstract idea of Cascadia, the bioregion, into a contagious idea associated with our regional identity. The course also explores nonviolent struggles and revolutions, as well as using materials that lay out a step by step process on creating populous nonviolent socio economic change.
The class meets every Tuesday 5:30-7pm at St. Francis Parish in the Che Room on SE 12th & Pine in Portland, OR. For further information contact a_cascadian@yahoo.com.
Cascadia Banner Drop
As the clock struck noon-o-clock on July 24th, several Cascadia Now! supporters dropped a giant banner depicting a sasquatch foot booting out an Uncle Sam monopoly figure. The banner drop was in protest of a visit by US president Barack Obama, as he attended a 25k plate fundraiser lunch. In a press release, those involved declared that “those in the Cascadia Now! Movement are interested in strengthening local community economies through sustainable and equitable means, not through the continued practices of war for oil and continued climate-catastrophic coal mining. Bioregionalism is a new phenomenon rising from the people’s need to withdraw support from their war-obsessed governments, protect watersheds and unify and strengthen communities against attacks from multinational corporations.” The letter finished with “Cascadians are uniting to create a different way forward, one that does not support endless overseas wars. We support Bioregional independence for Cascadia.“
The Bioregion of Cascadia – New interview Available
For part of the Republic of PDX PropCast, Portland Cascadia Now! Coordinator Elona Trogub and Abram Goldman-Armstrong, founder of the Cascadian Dark Ale style, sat down to discuss the culture, politics and geography of what exactly the Cascadian Bioregion is. This interview is available in full at: http://thepeoplespdx.com/the-bioregion-of-cascadia/
Cascadia Now! Facebook, Twitter and Reddit Milestones
Interest in the idea of Cascadia has continued to grow rapidly, reflected in our various different social platforms. Our twitter account (@CASCADIANOW) has more than doubled in the past 2 months, surpassing 500 followers earlier this month (only 15,583,500 left to go!), while our facebook group climbed past 1800 members, and the http://reddit.com/r/cascadia subreddit is on pace to blow past 3000 by the time of publication. We’ve also started a new Cascadia Now! facebook page (http://facebook.com/cascadianow ) which already has more than 200 likes, as we’re slowly figuring how this thing called the ‘internet’ works, and what all the buttons do.
Cascadia Kits Released
Designed and organized by Kelly Dews on the Cascadia Trifecta Facebook group, the first batch of Cascadia kits were shipped out earlier this month. As par agreement, for the first run, Vancouver BC, Seattle WA, and Portland OR, each got 30, with each city getting their own unique patch sewed into the bottom. If you missed out on this first one, not to worry, since the popularity was so high, a second run is likely in the works. Stay tuned.
