So what do we mean by community resilience, anyway? There are several ways of looking at it.
© Egidijus Mika | Dreamstime Stock Photos
1. Community resilience means taking a do-it-with-others (DIWO) response to these threats:
- global warming
- food insecurity
- the end of cheap oil, or “peak oil”
- economic distress
2. Community resilience is the ability to:
- anticipate risk
- limit impact
- bounce back from upheaval and turbulent change—whether environmental impacts or economic shocks. —Community and Regional Resilience Institute
3. Community resilience requires:
- a dependable local food network
- energy from renewable sources
- local employment
- a sense of shared responsibility for residents’ welfare. —Jamaica Plain New Economy Transition
4. Resilience differs from sustainability because it presupposes:
- that negative events will occur
- that we must consider the long term impacts of climate change. —ICLEI, Local Governments for Sustainability
5. Resilience and resourcefulness are Siamese twins. The question to ask is, “How do you turn yourself into the resource you need at all times?” –Diop Adisa from KI EcoCenter
6. (Joke) Resilience is code for “we’re screwed.” —Apocadoc Jim Poyser, editor of Indiana Living Green*
*This is actually the PG-rated version of Jim’s definition.
What is your preferred definition of community resilience? And how does your community stack up?
Shawndra Miller 
Yes, this is very good. i like it. I’ve managed to come across a post that shares some similar ideas. Read first or see spoiler below.
http://aspousa.org/2011/09/force-multipliers-by-christine-patton/
Spoiler:
I was really impressed by Christine’s post because she is one of the first that I’ve read about that didn’t just say economize, use less oil. She also shared the idea that we can share greater resources as a community and pull together as people. We can all live in one house.
Another great post gives specific history on the world’s financial situation. It appears to me now that since 1945 we have always printed money that had a shaky foundation.
http://aspousa.org/2013/01/commentary-why-peak-oil-threatens-the-international-monetary-system/
Thanks.
Thank you for these links. Very interesting piece about the IMF. I also love Christine’s idea of seeing cooperative living as something to aspire to instead of something shameful, a last resort. Thanks for sharing!