A Story of Resiliencyby

emily erickson, hilary wilson, & anne herman

Scene 1A huge typhoon brings an eco tour

cruise to shore in Saipan and four kids from diverse backgrounds meet at a hotel where they are waiting it out.

They talk about the storm, and why it’s happening. Their different

nationalities and backgrounds lend different viewpoints about climate

change and the human factors which contributed to the current situation.

Scene 2One kid’s iPad is a source for some sobering statistics about carbon and

climate as well as wealth disparity and population growth. The four continue

to discuss the current factors of society that contribute to global

disparities and lack of resiliency in the face of a changing planet. They are starting to see the systems behind

each individual problem –intuiting links, feedbacks and unintended

consequences.

Current Situation A Black Swan world

Catastrophic climate change due to human activities

Delays between corrections we make and their results

Running out : arable land, viable ocean, drinkable water, oil

Human population is increasing faster than food production

Governments and economic systems based on continual growth

Demand for material goods / services increasing

Huge disparities in income and material consumption

Innovation and increases in efficiency happening, can they keep pace?

Underlying problem: unknown variables

Scene 3

The power at the hotel goes out, the i-Pad dies, and the European, Chinese and

American kids are hungry and a bit freaked out. The local kid, an islander, takes the other three outside. They dig up taro and process it, and help to kill,

dress and roast a chicken.

Scene 4

The other three kids have never experienced food not from a store or

produced for people to buy. Their theoretical discussion from earlier

becomes quite literal to them through the consumption of this meal.

Scene 5

The lights come back on, the storm is winding down. They return inside the hotel and look up resiliency and biomimicry on the iPad. An email is sent to them about it, and each kid is excited to share his/her new

knowledge with their peers upon returning home.

Rules of Resiliency1. I t learns f rom nature.

2. I t is diverse.

3. I t is variable.

4. I t is modular and decent ralized.

5. I t has t ight feedbacks.

6. I t understands syst ems delays.

7. I t fosters social capit al.

8. I t is innovat ive.

9. All aspect s of the syst em are valued.

Rules of Biomiciry1. Create food.

2. Harness energy.

3. Create the tools it needs.

4. Heal it self .

5. Store what it learns.

6. Get things done ef f icient ly.

7. Have closed systems, with no waste. Waste f rom one life form is t he building block for another.

8. Gain an advant age from shape.

9. Do things in modules.

Epilogue

The storm is over, the boat departs and the kids return to their respective homes with a strong understanding of resiliency and how they personally will be implementing these

values in their future lives.

resources & study guide:

•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_capital

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n77BfxnVlyc

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FYMRH3XVlo

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhk1y4Qz-n0

•http://www.asknature.org/