How to Be Resilient

Building Community Sustainability

This week, we bring you Laird Christensen, someone who has thought deeply about how we can move ourselves and our communities forward through overlapping crises. This episode covers a LOT of ground: Anarchy, literature, activism, guitar playing, fatherhood, hope, despair, and potlucks as activism. Most importantly, Laird reminded us to ask “What if?” 

Laird Christensen, is the Director, MS in Resilient and Sustainable Communities at Prescott College. Laird grew up in timber country in Oregon, amidst the clear cuts and lumber mills and developed a deep-seated need to connect to wild spaces.  Part of Laird’s intriguing story, though, includes his conscious decision to separate himself from the wilderness and the forests - and to leave the protest lines - to work upstream. To go from protecting one forest to transforming the culture that endangers the forests in the first place. 

We talked about how our culture and economy is based on the idea of scarcity and how the opposite of scarcity is not abundance but sufficiency… can we take what we need and leave enough for others and future generations. 
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We have such huge challenges in front of us. Getting through covid, repairing our economy, rebuilding our communities. Laird points out, though, that these kinds of crises are the new normal and that we have to work together to build in resilience. Fortunately, he and others have been thinking about how to do just that. Even better, building resilience is something we can do as individuals, neighborhoods, and towns. Listen to the whole episode and see if you don’t get some inspiration and ideas that will help keep you hopeful and engaged.

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Music Credits: 
​A Hawaiian in Paris feat.-Pierre-Grill

HOW NOTES:
Key Takeaways: 

• Disruption, pandemics, hurricanes, and wildfires are the new normal.
• A way to avoid despair is to ask “What if?”
• Sustainability and resilience works at the relationship and neighborhood level.
• Potlucks and music jams can be a way to reduce polarization. 

 
Do a Science:

•  Ask “What if?”

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References:

• Barry Lopez
• The Timber Wars Podcast
• The Hero’s Journey Wheel
• Wendell Barry
• Tree Communication
• Joanna Macy
• Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
• Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
• The City Repair Project 

Resources: 

• Resilient And Sustainable Communities Program at Prescott College
• 350.org Bill McKibben’s organization
• Extinction Rebellion
• Sunrise Movement
• Transition Town Movement

 
​Related Episodes 

• Ep 55 with Pete Pierson How to Not Know 
• Ep 36 with Rowdy Duncan How to Write a New Story 
• Ep 56 with Charles &Kelly How to Feed a Wolf

Photos of the NEW Podcat, Clyde