 What approach can we take to move beyond environmental
protests and actually begin living sustainably wherever we are located?
Planet Drum was founded in 1973 to provide an effective grassroots approach to ecology
that emphasizes sustainability, community self-determination and regional self-reliance.
In association with community activists and ecologists, Planet Drum developed the concept
of a bioregion: a distinct area with coherent and interconnected plant and animal
communities, and natural systems, often defined by a watershed. A bioregion is a whole
"life-place" with unique requirements for human inhabitation so that it will not
be disrupted and injured. Through its projects, publications, speakers, and workshops,
Planet Drum helps start new bioregional groups and encourages local organizations and
individuals to find ways to live within the natural confines of bioregions.
Planet Drum Activities
 Publishing
Discovering your Life-Place: A
First Bioregional Workbook leads readers to a new appreciation of their relationships with
local natural systems through a practical, hands-on map-making exercise. The book is an
exciting way to teach local ecology and natural science in either urban or rural areas for
all ages.
A Green City Program for the San
Francisco Bay Area and Beyond has an easily accessible format: it describes the present
situation, agendas for short and long term changes, "fables" for how changes
might occur and "visions" of what a Green City anywhere would be like.
Reinhabiting a Separate Country is a collection of essays, natural history, biography,
poems, and stories revealing Shasta Bioregion (Northern California) as a distinct area of
the planetary biosphere. It has served as a model for indigenous collections in New York,
the Ozarks, and the Rocky Mountains, among other places.
Planet Drum's bi-annual review, Raise the Stakes,
presented thought-provoking essays on
issues ranging from restoration ecology to the greening of cities for 20 years. A "Circles of
Correspondence" section described the activities of bioregional groups. See
the Publications page for listings.
 Lectures, Seminars,
Workshops & Performances
Staff members present talks and conduct seminars and workshops on bioregional topics
for community, college and activist groups. Workshops teach participants to identify their
bioregion through awareness of natural features and includes map-making activities.
Bioregionally based story-telling and performances are also available.
 Networking
Planet Drum provides networking services to start and assist bioregional groups, to
provide resources and expertise, and to put people who are interested in particular
subjects in touch with each other.
Gatherings
Planet Drum sponsors Shasta Bioregional Gatherings in Northern California and has
co-sponsored the bi-annual Turtle Island Bioregional Gathering, a North American
continental meeting of bioregionalists.
Bioregional Association
Planet Drum has helped develop the Bioregional Association of the Northern Americas. It
is a membership-based organization that carries out ongoing activities needed by the
growing number of groups and individuals who are concerned about life-places.
 Library Resources
Our San Francisco office contains a unique archive of journals that relate ecological
thinking to society, politics, and culture. It is open to members, researchers and others.
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