Peg Elmer, AICP and Rebecca Sanborn Stone Making resilience everyone’s business.
Aug 07, 2015
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.
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.
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.
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