NEXT GENERAL MEETING: May 27th, 2008-- 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at Madison's Grill 1109 SE 11th Ave, Portland, OR 97214.

On May 2nd, 2008, Cascadia Commons hosted its declaration line crossing event at Champoeg State Park to commemorate our declaration and the beginning of forming a non-profit corporation.  We have been working towards creating a friendly-society that will establish community groups interested in supporting local economy, local agriculture, bioregional re-inhabitation, and the preservation of local culture and history.  Cascadia Commons will be an advocacy and philanthropic group that will provide assistance and financial investments encouraging members to re-inhabit their watersheds, become self-reliant, and make our communities sustainable. Additionally, the organization will be a social group for members to gather for some respite, a BBQ, and to raise a pint.

For the May 27th meeting, we will be discussing and editing the rough draft of the Cascadia Commons constitution, and in particular, we will discuss the powers of the organization.  Additionally, we will be discussing topics related to the following links:

1. http://www.nrp.org. City of Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Project is an alternative means to improve urban neighborhoods other than the traditional top-down, poverty decentralizing system used by most municipal planning agencies. The Minneapolis NRP is the inspirational model for Cascadia Commons.
2. http://www.allianceonline.org/ The Alliance for Nonprofit Management is a professional association devoted to improving the management and governance capacity of nonprofits, and is another inspirational model for Cascadia Commons.
3. http://www.friendlysocieties.co.uk/ Friendly societies were once a popular form of local government that predates the welfare/nation-state. There are still a few friendly societies in existence in the UK and Friendly Societies.uk is a reference guide to friendly societies in the United Kingdom. The friendly society model is also another inspiration model to Cascadia Commons.
4. http://www.bioregional-congress.org/.  Another goal of Cascadia Commons is to be the Cascadian representative for the Bioregional Congress.  The Congress convened in Cascadia/British Columbia in 1988.  Currently, the congress does not have a location for the 10th annual congress... stay tuned.
5. http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_society. A society where a combination of social and media networks shape its prime mode of organization.
6. http://www.pdxcurrency.com/. PDX currency is operating as a "Community Credit Formation Committee." It also serves as the current website for the Cascadia Trading Cooperative.
7. http://www.gmlets.u-net.com/. Homepage for the LETS system, an exchange system that keeps resources local, used only by locals, and keeps resources in sufficient supply.
8. http://www.openmoney.org/ Open money is a means of exchange freely available to all.

Cascadia Commons is actively working towards creating policies that will not only support our objectives, but also create a network of nonprofit institutions that will make Cascadia a better place to live. Working outward from our own lifestyles, to the neighborhoods, cities, watersheds, ecoregions and the bioregion, we hope to put our actions in line with our most fervently held beliefs, and doing positive, uplifting things to help make the world better, as that’s the most effective way to take responsibility for each of our own lives. We love where we live, and we gather to maintain Cascadia as one of the greatest places on Earth.

Kloshe nanitch,

Cascadia Commons - PDX chapter