Resilience in response to a pandemic and it’s economic impacts

Resilience in response to a pandemic and it’s economic impacts

Here at Re-Architecture we are taking in the changes that the COVID-19 virus and necessary response has brought, with the physical isolation, shutdown of services and extra attention on hygiene practices, and we are thinking about how to build resilience to better cope with this situation and into the future.   We hope that the impacts of these changes have not been too disruptive for you, or at least that the outcomes will become positive ones.

Whilst spending more time at home we may be more mindful of the way we live our lives, the decisions we make, and ultimately the impact this all has on us, our loved ones and the environment.  This could include recognising the carbon emissions of our actions or the financial cost of these.  Whilst the virus may have stopped human civilisation, the climate and ecological emergency continues.

For those that have some extra time, this is a great opportunity to be considering the alternatives, what could we be doing differently to reduce our environmental impact, improve our health and well-being or even how we can detach from a system that keeps us in debt and tied to the treadmill.

Re-Architecture are thinking about the ways we can take steps to improve our household economy, to reduce our reliance on the grid, corporations, government services, supermarkets and monetary income.  By doing so, we can be better prepared for situations such as pandemics, global economic instability and climate change.

How do we respond?

In Permaculture we assess what are our needs, the needs of our household or business and then considering how to provide for those needs.  Can we provide for them within a closed-loop local system, or do we need external inputs? Do we have any outputs that could be useful elsewhere, and can we make use of the output in our own system to move towards a closed-loop system at home? 

A simple example here is food – we might buy in food to begin with, then we have some food waste which could be kept on site and made into compost, which could then be used in the garden to produce our own food – with zero food miles!  There are extra benefits too – health benefits from being in the garden and eating fresh, seasonal and nutrient dense food, reduced spending on groceries, new or developed skills, sharing with others if we have excess and reducing our carbon emissions and ecological footprint.

Addressing the energy & water efficiency of your home or business premises can reduce your bills, improve health and productivity, and also reduce carbon emissions.   By changing where you source the energy and water you need to be more localised, can reduce our demand and reliance on these services provided by the grid. 

There are plenty of ways we can modify our actions and have an impact, even as we remain at home.  Re-Architecture can provide consultations and reports to help you with building a lifestyle, business or project that is more sustainable, resilient and regenerative.

We would love to hear from you.  What are some of the issues you are contemplating, and have you found any solutions?  Are you able to find the resources you need? Are there any obstacles?

#permacultureliving #resilience #climateaction #householdeconomy #homebasedliving #pandemicresponse #resilientlifestyle

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