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Cascadia: Regional Organizations and Resources in the Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest (PNW) region is typically defined to include Oregon and Washington, and British Columbia (Canada) and the northernmost section of California are often included, as well. Some people also include other states that are in the wider northwestern section of the country, such as Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and Alaska.

The Pacific Northwest “bioregion” (an area defined by natural boundaries, such as watersheds, topography, geography, climate, or ecosystems, rather than by arbitrary state borders) also can be interpreted in different ways. To some, it includes parts of Northwestern California (from Humboldt County north), Western Oregon and Western Washington, to Western British Columbia—west of the Cascade mountains; this bioregion is characterized by a lot of rain between fall and spring, and it includes some temperate rainforests. But others draw the lines differently and include Idaho and other areas in the bioregion. This region is sometimes called Cascadia. Bioregionalism is a philosophy that encourages people to organize themselves within and live sustainably within their bioregions. (Here’s a recent article from Resilience.org on “Bioregioning.”)

This listing includes some organizations that cover the whole PNW region, as well as organizations that are focused on specific issues within the states of Oregon, Washington, or the province of British Columbia (BC). (Each section below begins with groups that address issues across the PNW region or even across the West, followed by groups in specific states.) For now, the listing has a disproportionate representation of groups in Oregon (as it’s the state I’m currently most familiar with), but over time, I’ll be adding more groups based in Washington and in BC. While there are also countless local organizations in the region, for the most part this listing doesn’t include local or city/town-based initiatives; it does include a few multi-county regional groups.

Note: This is not a comprehensive listing, and I am not personally familiar with all of the groups listed here. If there are additional organizations you’d like to recommend, please mention them in the Comments.

The organizations listed here are organized into the following categories:

  • General Environmental
  • Climate and Energy
  • Land Conservation and Stewardship
  • Animal Protection
  • Societal Wellbeing and Social Justice
  • Media and Information Resources

This post is a work in progress. More organizations will be added to the listing over time.

 

General Environmental

Oregon:

Washington:

British Columbia:

 

Climate and Energy

Oregon:

Washington:

British Columbia:

 

Land Conservation and Stewardship

Oregon:

Washington:

British Columbia:

 

Animal Protection
(wildlife + farmed and domesticated animals)

Oregon:

Washington:

British Columbia:

 

Societal Wellbeing and Social Justice

Oregon:

Washington:

 

Media and Information Resources

Oregon:

Washington:

British Columbia:

 

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October 31, 2025
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Best B Corporations, 2018

More than 2,500 businesses around the world (from more than 60 countries and 130 different industries) have now become certified as B Corporations, as of July 2018.  “B Corps are for-profit companies certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.” The B Impact Assessment gives companies a score based on how they perform on metrics for impact on their communities, the environment, workers, customers, and internal governance.

A few of the largest or most well-known B Corporations are: Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, Seventh Generation, Method, Ecover, Earthbound Farm, Eileen Fisher, Danone, Athleta, and Natura. And a few other B Corps that I like to highlight include: Alter Eco, Dr. Bronner’s, Beneficial State Bank, New Resource Bank, and RSF Capital Management.

The annual Best for the World ratings highlight businesses that have scored in the top 10 percent of all Certified B Corporations on the assessment. Companies that have scored in the top percentiles across a majority of the assessment’s categories, based on company size, are honored as Best for the World Overall; and companies that have scored in the top percentiles in a given category, again based on company size, are honored as: Best for the Environment, Best for Community, Best for Workers, Best for Customers, and/or Best for Governance.

Click here for more information on the 2018 Best for the World honorees (including a link to interactive data sets).

And click here to find other B Corps, including ones in your region. (You can search by location, name, industry, or keyword.)

Any company can take the B Impact Assessment, a free and confidential tool that allows you to “measure what matters” and compare your company’s practices with others.

 

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July 30, 2018
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