October 10, 2021

One idea to keep it slow and simple… Become a citizen of your bioregion

In How to Do Nothing, author Jenny Odell invites us to “identify as citizens of the bioregion as much as (if not more than) the state. Our ‘citizenship’ in a bioregion means not only familiarity with the local ecology, but a commitment to stewarding it together.”

In central Texas, home of CoffeeSock, the bioregion includes a dizzying array of native trees, plants, soils, birds and other critters. Take a walk near our shop on any given morning, and you’ll spy red oak, bald cyprus, and pecan trees. In November, you can gather enough bounty to make a southern pecan pie. Keep walking and listen closely. You’ll hear the high-pitched trill of a red tailed hawk or the trickster calls of the mockingbird.

Tucked into the daily sights and sounds of the modern world, the ancient one is still there. Grab a book about your area and begin noticing. Before you know it, you’ll see and hear your bioregion everywhere. Share it with your neighbors and friends and family. Cherish it together, and keep it healthy for next century’s citizens.

And some clickable fun!

We love to discover and share, so we’ve added three cool clickables. And just so you know, when we list products, it’s just because we like them. We’re not sponsored by anything but our dreams and imaginations.

• We love Thich Nhat Hanh and have this book on our wish list.

• Our minisocker, Buckley, loves snacks (who doesn’t). But he also loves the planet and wishes the packaging was more eco-friendly. Then we discovered Off the Eaten Path composting program. Woot!

• Wondering about the native people who inhabited the lands you now live on? Discover the tribes, territories, languages and treaties of your region at Native Land Digital.