Community Resilience Organizations

Peg Elmer, AICP and Rebecca Sanborn StoneMaking resilience everyone’s business.

CultureEats

STRATEGYFor Breakfast

- Peter Drucker

That quote has never been more applicable than it is to the climate change challenge today.

As hard as we work to make plans and take action, it won’t mean anything unless climate change becomes everyone’s business.

It won’t mean anything unless people act and work together.

Not just in disasters, but everyday.

And not just some people, but everyone.

We see it over and over again.

With Katrina.

With Sandy.

With Irene in Vermont.

Preparation matters. Climate adaptation matters. And community matters.

It truly takes a village to prepare for and to survive the challenges that lie ahead…

… a village that can work together, talk together, and especially dance together.

That’s why we started CROs.

CROs are local teams that bring the community together to accomplish essential local climate adaptation projects and build resilience.

Emergency management

& incident command

Environment & climate

actionSocial

services & long-term recovery

Most communities have silos. Committed people don’t always work together or understand others’ issues.

Emergency management

& incident command

Environment & climate

actionSocial

services & long-term recovery

CROs help them to collaborate and see why resilience is everyone’s business.

Resilient Communities

Diverse people engage in climate adaptation work

Towns accomplish essential hazard mitigation steps

Community fun + celebrations build social capital

CROs connect the dots between a lot of essential community needs.

How does it work? CROs operate on an annual cycle.

Assessment

Team Building

PlanningOutreach

Action

First, teams are formed and they assess their community’s resilience in a range of areas.

Assessment

Team Building

PlanningOutreach

Action

Assessment

Team Building

PlanningOutreach

Action

Then team members build trust and communication at a retreat, and meet other teams.

Teams plan action projects that will strengthen local resilience and engage residents.

Assessment

Team Building

PlanningOutreach

Action

Then they spread the message far and wide, engaging people across the community.

Assessment

Team Building

PlanningOutreach

Action

Finally, the community comes together for a “Day for CROing” – work, fun, and community building.

Assessment

Team Building

PlanningOutreach

Action

• Clearing culverts• Stream bank plantings• Rain barrel installation• Emergency preparedness kit distribution• River corridor analysis• Neighborhood readiness groups• DIY resilience workshops• …and so many more…

Potential projects include:

Waterbury

Hartford

Jeffersonville

Putney

Londonderry

We’re launching CROs with 5 Vermont pilot towns in 2015. We will add 5 more each year.

Waterbury

Hartford

Jeffersonville

Putney

Londonderry

Windham Regional

Commission

Lamoille County RPC

AHS/Dept. of Health

ANR / DEC / Rivers

Management

Dept. of Housing & Community Development

Vermont Emergency

Management

Department of Transportation

VLCT

ISC

Upper Valley Strong

VNRC/AVCC/

Watersheds United

VYCC/White River

Partnership

NH/VT Red Cross

We’re thrilled to have a lot of committed partners.

Photo: Flickr / Nicholas Erwin

We’ll keep innovating too. In 2016, we plan to add arts engagement to help more people engage and think outside the box.

Eventually, we think the CROs model can expand to communities across the U.S. and beyond.

There’s a long road ahead.We face a lot of challenges.

But we have a lot of reasons to be hopeful.We think CROs is one of them.

After all…

Someone's sitting in the shade today

because

someone planted a tree

a long time ago.

- Warren Buffett

Join us and learn more.

www.gocros.org