Wednesday, May 23, 2012


Are we building a Resilient Community?
Every community - and EVERY family and Business within that community - possesses three primary ways of "staying afloat" when the Stuff Hits The Fan:
  • Food abundance.  
  • Heat, fuel, and power abundance. 
  • Water abundance. 
Homes and communities who maximize these sources are much more resilient than those who don’t.  They can bounce back from nearly any disruption without skipping a beat. When FEMA suggest everyone be prepared for at least three days, more and more are getting prepared for a much longer run.
Why are MOST Communities in Danger?


As any airplane pilot will attest, the most dangerous aspect of flying a plane is take-off. Our society is currently engaged in the equivalent of a plane’s very dangerous take-off phase on our journey toward becoming resilient communities.  Why are we in danger?  Because most communities and individuals don’t have enough energy to soar above, or recover from, a failure.

Most communities, even those working hard at becoming resilient, don’t produce much “energy” at the local level yet.  This means even small disruptions might become catastrophic, let alone big ones that turn supermarkets into food deserts (a supermarket only carries enough food to provide its customers with three days of supply). A water main break in an upscale Boston suburb resulted in total chaos and panic as citizens stormed the grocers and National Guard ran out of bottled water as cars lined-up to get their share.

Fortunately, change is coming.  

I see glimmers of hope every day. We’re learning how to become producers again and we’re getting better at it all the time. Bartering is one way to get the things we need most, enabling us to utilize our paper cash as an exchange for REAL wealth in the form of gold, silver, grain and healthier world currencies (FOREX).

BarterTime Second Saturday is another way to acquire things we need without tapping into our finances. The event takes place June 9th from 9AM till noon, Wits End Small Event Center, 8 miles south of downtown Stephenville off Hwy 281 and FM 913. Trade your stuff. Get to know your neighbors. Eliminate things you no longer need and get some things you might be able to use. Admission: One bartering item per adult. The first 30 traders will have access to a marked bartering area.

For details, visit the website, www.BarterTimeSecondSaturday.blogspot.com.

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