Resilient Systems and Design Philosophy

It has been an eventful year so far and now with the end of winter here in Northern Arizona I will be putting my time into Resilient Ecology Systems and Design (RESD). I hope to work together over the coming years with people from all over the area and grow together in knowledge, community, and resilience!
There are so many great opportunities in Northern Arizona for increasing our ability to live in a more sustainable way. All of us can see the consequences of unsustainable models we use for our lives if we think about it.
Our food is largely trucked in from California and the Midwest where is is grown in unhealthy and unsustainable monoculture systems. Our shelter consists of natural and synthetic materials that both hurt the environment and offgas harmful chemicals. Our communities are becoming more divided and they are meeting our social needs less. Our economics are based on debt, interest, and overconsumption; the average person spends most of their life enslaved to their debt. We are paying a price already in the areas of mental and physical health, societal harmony, and the environment. Furthermore, all of these existing systems and our current trends make us individually and collectively fragile. We will crack and break easily when there are shocks to our current system.
I am not here to be a doomsday naysayer though, we do have options in our futures. There are answers in all of these areas of life to live more RESILIENT lives. We can choose to grow some of our food. We can choose to build with and use local natural materials in sustainable ways. We can choose to engage with our neighbors on issues that actually impact us and build strong relationships. We can even choose to opt out of a debt based lifestyle and build vibrant local economies. All of this is in our control, and by thinking about our choices we can make ourselves and our communities more resilient. I also firmly believe that these decisions lead us to a more enjoyable, healthy, and fulfilling life.
I want to work with all of you to actively make these decisions and I know that there are great ideas out there. By using Permaculture principles and actively thinking about the impact of our decisions we can help ourselves, the community, and the environment. I am excited for all of the possibilities and opportunities this year! Feel free to engage with me on Facebook, instagram, or twitter with ideas or questions.
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Twitter: @ ResilientESD
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-Take care and stay resilient!
Scott