In my family we call being prepared for inevitable economic and environmental instability “resilience”. We’ve been inspired largely by the concept of Permaculture, which is a design system based on ecological principles for designing resilient, locally based, sustainable landscapes that provide for human needs. It draws together diverse skills and ways of living from many fields: skills like growing our own food which “need to be rediscovered and developed to empower us to move from being dependent consumers to becoming responsible producers,” as ecological engineer David Holmgren put it.
In order to do this, we need to start where we are, and take responsibility for our own lives. We can no longer rely on local, regional, or national corporations or institutions for our basic needs, both because those needs may simply not be met in the future if we rely on them and because it is this centralized economic system that is endangering the Earth’s ability to support our lives. With this in mind, here are some tips for how you and your family can become more resilient in the face of the economic and environmental instability that is becoming more apparent every day.
- Make a plan: This starts with learning more. Then, share information with your friends and family, and make plans with them. Clearly many people in other parts of the world, such as Greece and numerous other countries in recent years, did not consider the possibility or plan for disruptions in their food and general financial systems, but it happened, and most people were not prepared. Canada is by no means immune to such problems, and indeed, there are many signs that our economy is in big trouble.
- Water: It’s also a good idea to have water storage, in 5 gallon containers, rain barrels and cisterns. You can either collect water off your roof, or store water from the tap in case of emergency. Good, gravity fed (not requiring electricity) water filters are very important for emergency situations, allowing you to drink virtually any water source (including rainwater, long stored water, or even ditch water).
- Store food: An ancient practice, in many cultures, was to have enough food stored to make it through tough times. Consider stockpiling enough food and water to make it through a winter at the very least. Storage methods include vacuum sealing or using oxygen absorbers with mylar bags and storing in buckets or barrels with lids, canning, cold cellaring (e.g. squash, potatoes, apples), and fermenting. Foods to store include: rice, whole grains (ideally get a grain mill), sunflower and pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, nuts such as almonds and Brazil nuts, dried peas (cheap), flour, lentils, and seeds for sprouting (see below).
- Prepare to grow food: If you don’t already know how to grow food, start learning through workshops, reading, watching videos, and volunteering on permaculture or organic farms in the area. Get your learning resources so you can have them on hand when you need them. Map land use possibilities: if you don’t already have a space, find out where you’re going to grow your food.
- Seeds for growing: Start a seed bank. Get all of your favourite veggies, like tomatoes, zucchini, squash of various kinds (which store well), kale, and spinach, but don’t forget perennial super foods like nettles, berries, hazelnuts, asparagus, perennial sea kale, and medicinal herbs like lavender and goldenseal.
- Seeds for sprouting: Many (but not all) seeds can be used for edible sprouts, and seeds are far more nutritious when sprouted. You could basically live off sprouts if you needed to. Good sprouting seeds include: Alfalfa, radish, sunflower, pea, fenugreek, and pumpkin.
- Shelter: What will you do if you cannot afford your rent, utilities, or mortgage? Where will you go, and how will you sustain yourself?
How will you keep the heat going if there is a disruption in utilities? - Join local and global efforts: movements like Transition Town have been thinking about these sorts of things for a long time, and working on ways that communities can transition to more locally based, resilient economies. These are just a few of the things you can do to become more self-sufficient and resilient in your own life, but to really make an impact, we must work together in an organized way to create widespread resiliency in our local communities.
- Energy: Invest in a backup energy system or get off-grid with solar or hydroelectric power if available. Sometimes we forget how fragile our energy grid is, and how reliant we are on it for everything from cooking to accessing water. Learn more about energy self-sufficiency in our Energy section.
- Transportation: get a bike, an e-bike, and an electric car if you can. If you have enough power, you won’t be stuck in one place. This can be vital for foraging food, getting supplies, or leaving unsafe situations.
These are just a few tips to get you started. There are many other resources being added to our website on a continuous basis, so check out our other articles on a variety of self-sufficiency topics throughout our site.
