It’s Time to Invest in Local Resilience
Photo © Sarita Relis courtesy of Community Environmental Council
The COVID-19 global pandemic. The economic recession. The climate crisis. The drumbeat of police brutality. The abuse of power and disregard of truth by elected leaders. We are facing a suite of existential threats to our health and well-being. To our social fabric. To our story of who we are as a people. To our future on this planet. We are in a moment that will undoubtedly define us. Are we the ones who will rise to the challenge, change our ways, heal our relationships to each other and our planet, and take steps on the path to a just, equitable and ecologically sustainable future?
This moment makes it crystal clear that we need to build community resilience. Resilience is the capacity to adapt and evolve in the face of adversity. It requires seeing clearly and discerning the truth of our situation. It requires coming together to chart a course that meets shared needs in equitable ways. Communities are only as resilient as their most vulnerable members. There can be no resilience without inclusion. There can be no resilience without justice.
Today the most vulnerable members of our community are in full crisis mode. They need to earn to pay rent and put food on the table. But many are out of work, and few of those that have work can do that work safely from home. To survive they have to put themselves at risk of getting COVID-19, and poverty itself seems to increase risk of contracting and dying from the disease. Black, Indigenous, Latinx and People of Color have been hit the hardest. The need to act together to build resilience, to support each other, to create an equitable and accessible future for everyone is urgent and clear.
Community resilience has always been at the heart of our collaborative work, whether we’re advancing a conservation project in the Tetons, a sustainable economic development initiative in Baja or a climate resilience collaborative in Santa Barbara. Our work builds community capacity and resilience in obvious and less obvious ways. Communities that steward and improve the health of their natural systems are more resilient to natural disasters and droughts. Communities that preserve their farm and ranch land and produce food for local consumption are more resilient to economic downturns and food system shocks. Communities that know how to mobilize and collaborate on complex challenges are more resilient to most everything. Communities that welcome everyone to share their voice and contribute their gifts are far more resilient still, since they benefit from the full breadth and depth of their people’s talents, perspectives and gifts. With the pandemic and economic fallout and social injustice laying bare just how fragile and vulnerable our communities are, we’re increasingly called to engage in resilience planning efforts in all our regions.
We'd love to hear from you and discuss how we can advance this work together. Email us at inquire@legacyworksgoup.com.
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