re·sil·ience
Pronunciation: \ri-ˈzil-yən(t)s\
Function: noun
1 : the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress
2 : an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change
Resilience. The word keeps surfacing for me lately, it’s become a mantra to help keep me balanced through a bumpy few weeks. A heavy duty snow storm downed trees and power lines just two weeks ago. Everyone’s yard is littered with branches and debris. This past weekend another freak storm with high winds and heavy rains uprooted trees all over the tri-state area. Half of our county didn’t have school today due to power outages and obstructed roads. It takes an attitude of resilience to deal with these inconveniences.
What the heck is going on with the weather? Donald Trump suggested that Al Gore to return his Nobel Peace prize because of all the snow this winter. I’m starting to believe like Thomas Friedman, that Al Gore underestimated the impact of climate change. Bill McKibben and his new book, Eaarth suggests that we’ve already managed to change the planet in such fundamental ways that it’s not really the planet we thought we knew.
When I think about changes in climate, first thing that comes to my mind is food. We need to create some resilience in our food system to withstand whatever shocks that climate change and fossil fuel depletion are causing. We don’t have to wait for governments or giant corporations to wake up and figure out that we need to make big changes. We can make meaningful changes from the bottom up by getting our hands dirty and growing some of our food. Creating a small, diverse local/ regional food supply is the first step in creating resilience.
Climate change and peak oil is pretty scary stuff to contemplate. Many of my friends don’t want to acknowledge these changes are close at hand, its so much easier to remain blissfully ignorant and continue on with business as usual. But once you’ve had the wake up call, it’s impossible to go back to sleep. This is where Transition comes in. Transition US is part of a worldwide movement that provides inspiration, encouragement, support, networking, and training for Transition Initiatives across the United States.
Transition Initiatives are part of a vibrant, international grassroots movement that builds community resilience in response to the challenges of peak oil, climate change and the economic crisis. What’s great about Transition is that it seeks promising ways of engaging people in strengthening their communities against the effects of these challenges, resulting in a life that is more abundant, fulfilling, equitable and socially connected. I’m now working with others in my community to form Transition Westchester.
To learn more about Transition and to find a group near you, visit the Transition US website. Or check out the Transition Handbook by Rob Hopkins. You’ll find that resilience is a comforting concept.
