Schedule
Saturday
Cascadia BioFi Conference Day 1
8:30am-5pm. Presentations Start at 9am.
Day 1 of the Cascadia BioFi Conference begins with a sacred opening ceremony and land acknowledgement, followed by foundational presentations on bioregionalism, whole systems thinking, and bioregional finance. After lunch from a Thai food truck, afternoon sessions include interactive stakeholder mapping, an equity and diversity healing circle, and hands-on activities like bioregional mapping and Web3 wallet onboarding. The day concludes with mini presentations from Cascadian organizations showcasing regenerative projects, followed by community conversations about funding flows and a presentation on participatory economics and governance.
8:30am Doors Open
9am Opening Presentations
9:00am-9:30am - Sacred Opening, Land Acknowledgement and Context Setting w/Regenerate Cascadia and Other Hosts
We open with a ceremony, land acknowledgement and set the broader context for why bioregional regeneration and flow funding are vital in this moment.
9:30am-10:00am - Returning to Right Relationship: Two-Eyed Seeing, Bioregional Wealth, and the Rematriation of Value w/Brandy Gallagher, Isabel Simons, Hiinahcit, and Terry Dorward
Explore how Indigenous principles of reciprocity and kinship can transform financial systems into regenerative pathways honoring ecological sovereignty in Cascadia.
10:15am-10:30am - Systems Funding & Novo Foundation w/Martin Kirk
Building bioregional funding systems that are supporting communities to transition to new economic models.
11:00am-11:30am - Whole Systems Lens and Nested Scales of Regeneration w/Regenerate Cascadia
How bioregional work is organized across local, regional, and global scales, and why this nested approach is essential for systemic change.
11:30am-12:00pm - What is BioFi? w/Michelle Lee
An overview of bioregional finance as a tool for shifting capital flows, empowering local communities, and regenerating living systems.
12pm Lunch - Thai Food Truck
1pm Afternoon Sessions
1:00pm-2:00pm - Networking the Funding Ecosystem
Interactive stakeholder mapping exercise where participants identify funding ecosystem relationships, visualize the landscape of bioregional finance and explore community innovation in Cascadia.
2:15pm-3:15pm - Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Healing Circle w/Anquida Adams
Interactive dialogue session where participants explore personal and collective relationships with money, sharing from diverse perspectives while building trust and co-creating inclusive financial cultures.
2:15pm-3:00pm (Upstairs) - Micro-Presentations: Lost Valley, Willamette Valley Listening Tour, Distributed Ledger Systems in Civic & Bioregional Finance
2:15pm-3:15pm (Auxiliary Room) - Local Landscapes Lead the Way: Facilitated Community Conversation
Frontline organizations discuss and explore what’s working, what’s not, and what must be considered if new flows of funding were to emerge.
3:30pm-4:00pm - Participatory Economics, Governance, and Web3 w/Benjamin Life and Kevin Owocki
Exploring the importance for community-controlled bioregional finance systems that reroot resource flows in local governance and the role of decentralized technologies in serving this mission.
3:30pm-4:30pm (Auxiliary Room) - Flow Funding Experiential Activity: Duwamish River Valley Groups
4:00pm-4:30pm - Regenerative Storytelling w/Zachary Marlow
Aligning purpose, vision, and mission to draw out the story of the movement.
4:00pm-4:15pm (Upstairs) - Mapping Present, Past, and Future w/Jeffrey Linn
4:30pm-5:00pm - Day Closing
Saturday Evening
Cascadia Day Celebrations! Potluck, Opening with Paul Chiyokten Wagner, Music with the Crowdsource Choir, Early Bioregional Movement, and Poetry Reading.
Potluck at 5pm. Opening at 6pm. Crowdsource Choir at 6:30. Early Movement 6:30 and Poetry reading until 9pm!
Saturday evening brings us together for a community barbeque and waste-free potluck starting at 5:00 PM. At 6:00 PM, we’ll gather for storytelling, music, and learning. The evening will close with a live poetry reading, hosted in partnership with Cascadia Poetics Lab, celebrating the voices and creativity of the Cascadia bioregion, and who will present positive alternatives to the nation state.
Bring a dish and celebrate this important moment for Cascadia!
Community Barbeque and Waste-Free Potluck
We’ll kick off the evening with shared food, conversation, and community gathering around a barbeque and waste-free potluck starting at 5:00 PM.
Paul Chiyokten Wagner, the Crowdsource Choir and Early Bioregional Movement
Join Paul Chiyokten Wagner and the crowdsourced choir for a unique musical experience in the Georgetown Steamplant, followed by a discussion of the early bioregional movement.
Cascadia Poetics Lab — Live Poetry Reading
The evening will close with a live poetry reading hosted by Cascadia Poetics Lab, celebrating the creativity, resilience, and spirit of the Cascadia bioregion.
Readers:
Robert Lashley
Claudia Castro Luna
Jason M. Wirth
Paul E Nelson
Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs
Matt Trease
5pm-10pm Cascadia Day Celebration
Cascadia BioFi Conference — Day 2
Sunday, May 18 · 8:30am-5pm. Presentations Start at 9am.
Day 2 of the Cascadia BioFi Conference begins with an introduction to Regenerate Cascadia's Bioregional Financing Facility, followed by presentations on innovative regenerative funding models including Salmon Returns, Open Future Coalition, and Kinship Earth's flow funding approach. After lunch from a Mexican Food Truck, afternoon sessions explore biocultural credits and context-based reporting systems, while interactive workshops develop funding ecosystem principles and next steps. Throughout the day, participants can engage with a biochar kiln demonstration, hands-on mapping activities, Web3 onboarding, and mini-presentations showcasing cooperative economies, community-led food systems, and small business approaches to bioregional regeneration.
Sunday
8:30am Doors Open
9:00am-9:45am - Welcome and Introduction to Cascadia BioFi w/Regenerate Cascadia
An overview of Regenerate Cascadia’s BioFi Program and Bioregional Financing Facility, setting the stage for building a regenerative funding ecosystem.
9:45am-10:15am - Salmon Returns: Bioregional Regeneration Fund w/Cheryl Chen
Sharing the innovative work of Salmon Returns in developing a finance ecosystem for the Salmon Nation bioregion that invests in place based leadership, cultural continuity, and ecological care.
10:30am-11:00am - Bioregional Finance: Open Future Coalition w/Jamaica Stevens and Sushant Shrestha
Presenting Open Future Coalition’s collaborative funding platforms and the emerging Impact Fund model to support regenerative community initiatives.
11:15am-12:00pm - Kinship Earth: Transforming Philanthropy Through Flow Funding w/ Syd Harvey Griffith and Stephen Gomes
Exploring how flow funding models can build a trusted, decentralized financial infrastructure for regeneration across the Cascadia bioregion.
11:15am-3:15pm (Outside) Biochar Kiln Demonstration
Hands-on demonstration of flame-cap kiln technology showcasing biochar production methods. Discussions on carbon crediting opportunities and climate finance.
9am Opening Presentations
12pm Lunch - Mexican Food Truck
1:00pm-2:15pm (Auxiliary Room) - Growing a Funding Ecosystem Workshop Pt. 1
Exploring what we mean by a bioregional funding ecosystem, including its key pillars and guiding principles.
1:00pm-2:15pm (Upstairs) - Micro-Presentations: Deep Listening as Radical Trust Workshop Pitch, OMNI-Mapping Workshop Pitch, Open Civics, and GAIA AI
1:00pm-1:15pm - Seattle Donut Economics Coalition: Seattle City Portrait w/Zoe Tan and Megan Stachura
1:20pm-1:35pm - Living Covenants in Theory and Practice w/Austin Wade Smith
1:40pm-1:55pm - Kwaxala w/Alex Gordon-Brander
2:00pm-2:30pm - Q&A + Discussion: Seattle Donut Economics, Regen Foundation, and Kwaxala
2:45pm-3:15pm (Outside) Biochar Kiln Presentation
Presentation and discussion about biochar production methods, carbon crediting opportunities, and climate finance.
3:00pm-4:25pm (Auxiliary Room) - Growing a Funding Ecosystem Workshop Pt. 2
Action-oriented session identifying where we go from here in terms of next steps for co-creating a Cascadia bioregional funding ecosystem.
3:00pm-3:25pm - What are CDFIs and How They Are Helping Cooperative Economies w/Mike Seo
Exploring how Community Development Financial Institutions support underserved communities and cooperative economies through accessible local financing solutions.
3:30pm-3:55pm Rooted Northwest: Building a Regenerative Agriculture Community w/Christine Hanna
Case study exploring a community-led effort that connects farmland preservation, co-housing development, permaculture practices, and participatory governance.
4:00pm-4:25pm Utilizing the Small Business Economy Towards Bioregional Outcomes w/Cordell Jacks
How purpose-driven small businesses can drive transition to a regenerative economy through profitable models aligned with local ecological outcomes.
4:30pm-5:00pm - Conference Closing