October 16, 2015
Breaking Ground
Climate Change has grabbed major headlines, including calls to action by Pope Francis and announcements by China to cap some emissions and put a price on carbon.
See The Wall Street Journal Article for more details on China’s plan and the US Administration’s ongoing efforts. Here in NE Florida we are just beginning the conversation on Resilience; not a new topic, but a very important one. There are slightly varied definitions for Resilience including “The process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress…It means “bouncing back” from difficult experiences.” And “the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity” or “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.” My favorite that applies to both my business life (construction) and my personal life is being “able to quickly return to a previous good condition.”
Resilience is being used in many areas, including how to be resilient mentally, emotionally and physically, as evidenced by the teaching of the HeartMath Institute. The HeartMath Institute defines resilience as: “the capacity to prepare for, recover from and adapt in the face of stress, challenge or adversity.” It is also used in design and development fields and is now becoming a notable word to describe the processes associated with the preparation involved in addressing the effects of Climate Change and Sea Level Rise. Visit the Urban Land Institute ULI for more information on its Urban Resilience Program to help communities prepare and plan.