A Sense of Place: Wendell Berry, America’s best-known bioregionalist, says if you don’t know where you are, you don’t know who you are. With a sense of place, your identity is defined – to a significant extent – by the natural features of the place you live. Without a sense of place, what will fill the void?

Responsibility to Place: There is a difference between living on the land and dwelling in it – understanding its rhythms, its potential, and its limits. Those who develop intimacy with a place over time tend to accept responsibility for it.

Knowing Your Bioregion: Our Great Lakes bioregion is a unique place with its own watershed, soils, climate, plants, animals, and history. How much do you know about it?

Living in Place: Living in place means consciously trying to satisfy your needs and find your pleasures in your local bioregion and working to assure the long-term health of the bioregion.

Mapping Your Place: Mapping can be learned by local groups and individuals to give a new sense of place. A typical map shows political subdivisions and transportation routes. A bioregional map delineates regions based on watersheds, climate, and plant types – and helps people relate to their natural surroundings.

Building Local Community: A bioregionalist assumes responsibility for the health and continuity of a place, not only its natural features, but also the social bonds of its people.

Empowerment: Knowing a place can inspire and empower one to take action to preserve it or take part in its restoration. How important is individual and group action in modern society?