Prepared Neighborhoods: Creating Resilience One Street at a Time

by Scott James, Luan Johnson PhD (Editor)

Overview

Resiliency is a worthwhile pursuit, both for individuals and communities. But how to build strength into our lives as citizens? And into our towns? According to author Scott James, the answer lies within our neighborhoods, where sustainability meets preparedness. Prepared Neighborhoods will walk you step by step through creating a more resilient - and enjoyable - neighborhood and community.

Self-sufficiency for every citizen is not realistic nor desirable. Creating group resilience through urban homesteading and neighborhood preparedness projects is a much more attractive goal that leads to a stronger community and brighter future!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780692851685
Publisher:	Prepared Neighborhoods, LLC
Publication date:	06/05/2017
Pages:	300
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.67(d)

About the Author

BusinessWeek named Scott James as one of "America's Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs" and Forbes Magazine profiled him as a "Game Changer." The products from his companies have been featured in publications as diverse as Oprah's O Magazine, National Geographic, Parents Magazine, the Washington Post, Outside Magazine, and US News & World Report. His media projects range from the opening films at the United Nations Climate Change Summits (Producer Lyn Lear and Director Louie Schwartzberg) to the breakthrough nature-based series on Netflix (title series: "Moving Art"). Scott was awarded the Governor's Award of Excellence in Service by the state of Washington for his nonprofit community preparedness work. Scott's training includes permaculture, Transition Towns, CERT, as well as mindful movement techniques such as MovNat and yoga... all of which tend to be reflected in his work. Scott previously worked in the high-tech sector, including Visio and Microsoft, and completed degrees at Baylor University and the University of Notre Dame. He lives with his wife and children on an island micro-farm in the Pacific Northwest. Scott does 1:1 sessions with top performers and small teams of senior thinkers, particularly among the social entrepreneurship tribe. You can learn more at www.scottjames.me. This is his first book.

LuAn K. Johnson, PhD is the Executive Director and Founder of SPAN, a 501(c)(3) non-profit disaster educational service corporation, originally founded in 1990 and incorporated in 2004, to help individuals, homes, neighborhoods, and local governments better prepare for disaster. SPAN is solidly grounded on proven principles of how to effect change - we design our messages and materials utilizing the latest empirical research. Our programs and preparedness tools are founded upon experience and proven training methodologies. SPAN is a dedicated, skilled, innovative non-profit service organization specializing in disaster preparedness services that enable people to go beyond knowing - to take action - in other words, to actually prepare. She is also the architect of the popular Map Your Neighborhood program for Washington State, now used in many states throughout the USA. Neighborhoods that are prepared for emergencies and disaster situations save lives, reduce the severity of injuries and trauma and reduce property damage. In addition, contributing as an individual and working together as a team helps develop stronger communities and improve the quality of life in the community. The Map Your Neighborhood program guides you and your neighbors through simple steps to help enhance your preparedness for an emergency. These steps will help you to quickly and safely take actions that can minimize damage and protect lives. It is designed to improve disaster readiness at the neighborhood level and teaches neighbors to rely on each other during the hours or days before fire, medical, police or utility responders arrive.

Table of Contents

Contents

Building Social Resilience 1

Food 25

Water 69

Energy 97

Shelter 129

Communication 157

Transportation 185

Teamwork 209

Security 233

Opting Out En Masse 255

Appendix A: Shelter-in-Place Checklist 279

Appendix B: Go Bag Checklist 287

Appendix C: Get Home Bag Checklist 291

Editorial Reviews

Scott James has a hands-on, deeply philosophical, understanding of the world we live in and of the need to address the issues that will impact his children and mine -- all the children of our planet. This book guides us along a pathway to truly understand the nature of our collective futures. It is a brilliant tapestry that interweaves the emergency preparedness and sustainability movements.

John Perkins
New York Times bestselling author

Prepared Neighborhoods is a powerful resource for both small communities and individual households. Scott James clearly lays out the "What If's" many of us harbor in the backs of our minds and proposes sustainable and resilient ways to address them. Best of all, this book is written for real neighborhoods, using the language they speak in and clear examples.

Caitria O'Neill
Founder, Recovers

Scott James has filled a missing link in the transition to a new economy. The neighborhood unit - bigger than a household and smaller than a city - is the essential human scale for building community resilience and preparedness. Get your neighbors together to read Prepared Neighborhoods and act!

Chuck Collins
Senior Scholar, Institute for Policy Studies
Co-Founder, Resilience Circles Network

Books like Scott's are resilience stabilizers, helping us navigate the circuitous path of change. Communities come together for solutions. Going it alone is a myth; the more we embrace our collective wisdom and skills, the stronger and more resilient our communities become. Oh, and make sure that those communities are building fun into the mix - no one wants a future unless it is going to be fun!

David Johnson
Advisor, Transition Towns US

From the Publisher