This guest opinion was written for our local daily paper, the Register Guard.
Preparedness, Resilience and Permaculture
Preparedness is fast becoming a household work and for good reason. Few deny natural events like storms and fires are becoming worse and humans are good at putting themselves in existing danger zones and even creating new ones. There are governmental agencies, city programs and public interest networks doing life saving work raising awareness and educating how to prepare for disruption.
Almost all these preparedness efforts can significantly enhance their benefits with a small additional amount of education and perhaps a site tour. But first, its important to consider the relationship between preparedness, resilience and permaculture. Here's the short story.
Preparedness is responding to disruption when it happens and the aftermath. That's good but it is reactive and limited. Resilience and permaculture improve positive outcomes. Permaculture goes even further as a set of values and go well beyond reactive.
Resilience calls for actions seldom included in preparedness discussions that can principles for designing systems to take care of human needs in ways that prioritize the well being of people and the environment.
Consider existing city programs, Community Emergency Response Team [CERT], Neighborhood Watch and Map Your Neighborhood. Those worthy programs can be far more effective adding just a couple hours of show and tell about permaculture and resilience. Home production of basic needs via [front yard] gardens, passive and active solar energy and rain water catchment adds a great deal to standard preparedness. Permaculture also calls for coordinating our preparedness and home production actions with our neighbors to boost positive outcomes even more.
Digging deeper. Conventional preparedness programs seldom address the question, why are disruptions becoming more frequent and severe? A permaculture approach to preparedness might respond with reference to a carbon tax and eco footprints. Our way
of life is based on remarkably high levels of resource and energy consumption, often referred to as the consumer culture. What we eat, our transportation, our homes, recreation, what goes in the trash all affect the environment. A carbon tax, begins to connect our personal and collective over consuming behavior to its eco footprints and negative impacts, particularly, climate change.
Modest as carbon tax efforts have been so far, they still provoke strong opposition by economic interests because the tax calls for a small amount of accountability to address the external costs of over consumption. Social & environmental accountability is not
good for a growth based, over consuming economic system. A permaculture approach to preparedness & resilience insists on a straightforward answer to the disruption question – human excess consumption of energy and resources is causing our problems & the economic system prefers over consumption & large eco footprints to solving our problems - both are very profitable.
Permaculture continues - climate change is not our only preparedness challenge. A look at the news and trends describing the endless variations of economic and political malpractice is telling us, without thoughtful changes in how we define and take care of
our needs, we can only expect worsening disruption of all kinds. A society based on overconsumption and perpetual growth is not built to last.
The way forward offers opportunity but no guarantees. First, producing more basic needs at home and nearby, consuming less and building strong mutual assistance networks with our neighbors and regional partners will boost preparedness and resilience and important to know, is also a valuable early step towards paradigm shift and sustainability. We may be too late to avoid society wide deep and long disruption but thats even more reason to downsize, build civic culture and pre adapt.
Eugene is loaded with assets for creating a more resilient and sustainable present and future. Every public interest organization, faith group, service organization and more is on the same team. We have a city neighborhood program and 20 active neighborhood
associations that have enormous capacity to assist resilience. We have awesome social well being and permaculture talent, experience and real life examples of resilience that point the way. We have enormous regional food production capacity. All of Eugene's assets can greatly self empower and boost each other. But above all, we have our own selves, friends and neighbors and what we do with our own time and money. Positive human potential is our greatest renewable resource for bringing about a more prepared, resilient and uplifting present and future.
Contact me Donate to the Primer
Preparedness, Resilience and Permaculture
Preparedness is fast becoming a household work and for good reason. Few deny natural events like storms and fires are becoming worse and humans are good at putting themselves in existing danger zones and even creating new ones. There are governmental agencies, city programs and public interest networks doing life saving work raising awareness and educating how to prepare for disruption.
Almost all these preparedness efforts can significantly enhance their benefits with a small additional amount of education and perhaps a site tour. But first, its important to consider the relationship between preparedness, resilience and permaculture. Here's the short story.
Preparedness is responding to disruption when it happens and the aftermath. That's good but it is reactive and limited. Resilience and permaculture improve positive outcomes. Permaculture goes even further as a set of values and go well beyond reactive.
Resilience calls for actions seldom included in preparedness discussions that can principles for designing systems to take care of human needs in ways that prioritize the well being of people and the environment.
Consider existing city programs, Community Emergency Response Team [CERT], Neighborhood Watch and Map Your Neighborhood. Those worthy programs can be far more effective adding just a couple hours of show and tell about permaculture and resilience. Home production of basic needs via [front yard] gardens, passive and active solar energy and rain water catchment adds a great deal to standard preparedness. Permaculture also calls for coordinating our preparedness and home production actions with our neighbors to boost positive outcomes even more.
Digging deeper. Conventional preparedness programs seldom address the question, why are disruptions becoming more frequent and severe? A permaculture approach to preparedness might respond with reference to a carbon tax and eco footprints. Our way
of life is based on remarkably high levels of resource and energy consumption, often referred to as the consumer culture. What we eat, our transportation, our homes, recreation, what goes in the trash all affect the environment. A carbon tax, begins to connect our personal and collective over consuming behavior to its eco footprints and negative impacts, particularly, climate change.
Modest as carbon tax efforts have been so far, they still provoke strong opposition by economic interests because the tax calls for a small amount of accountability to address the external costs of over consumption. Social & environmental accountability is not
good for a growth based, over consuming economic system. A permaculture approach to preparedness & resilience insists on a straightforward answer to the disruption question – human excess consumption of energy and resources is causing our problems & the economic system prefers over consumption & large eco footprints to solving our problems - both are very profitable.
Permaculture continues - climate change is not our only preparedness challenge. A look at the news and trends describing the endless variations of economic and political malpractice is telling us, without thoughtful changes in how we define and take care of
our needs, we can only expect worsening disruption of all kinds. A society based on overconsumption and perpetual growth is not built to last.
The way forward offers opportunity but no guarantees. First, producing more basic needs at home and nearby, consuming less and building strong mutual assistance networks with our neighbors and regional partners will boost preparedness and resilience and important to know, is also a valuable early step towards paradigm shift and sustainability. We may be too late to avoid society wide deep and long disruption but thats even more reason to downsize, build civic culture and pre adapt.
Eugene is loaded with assets for creating a more resilient and sustainable present and future. Every public interest organization, faith group, service organization and more is on the same team. We have a city neighborhood program and 20 active neighborhood
associations that have enormous capacity to assist resilience. We have awesome social well being and permaculture talent, experience and real life examples of resilience that point the way. We have enormous regional food production capacity. All of Eugene's assets can greatly self empower and boost each other. But above all, we have our own selves, friends and neighbors and what we do with our own time and money. Positive human potential is our greatest renewable resource for bringing about a more prepared, resilient and uplifting present and future.
Contact me Donate to the Primer
Where does this fit in?
Disaster preparedness is a realm of interest gaining a lot of traction. Climate change is causing weather and climate disruptions more often and with greater cost and consequences - hurricanes, tornadoes, storms, cold outbreaks, floods. In the Pacific NW, we know, particularly along the coastal margins, there is the very real likelihood that an extremely strong earthquake could happen at any time.
Our neighborhood association has had speakers and now we have a small emergency preparation committee. Other neighborhoods in Eugene have preparedness networks. The City has preparedness staff. The League of Women Voters have a monthly meeting with an expert guest speaker to address emergency preparedness.
Disaster preparedness is a realm of interest gaining a lot of traction. Climate change is causing weather and climate disruptions more often and with greater cost and consequences - hurricanes, tornadoes, storms, cold outbreaks, floods. In the Pacific NW, we know, particularly along the coastal margins, there is the very real likelihood that an extremely strong earthquake could happen at any time.
Our neighborhood association has had speakers and now we have a small emergency preparation committee. Other neighborhoods in Eugene have preparedness networks. The City has preparedness staff. The League of Women Voters have a monthly meeting with an expert guest speaker to address emergency preparedness.