›› Kayla Siefried

From heat waves to forest fires to floods, the chaos that has ensued this past year from climate change is stark. What inspiration and lessons can we garner from the seemingly dark and gloomy climate news we see on the regular? How can we become more resilient as humans living through these wild and unpredictable times?

Resiliency to me, means that even if enduring a difficult climactic event, I’d be able to sustain my basic needs and live through the difficult time, and even recover quickly from the challenge. That would require a strong community of friends, family, and neighbours, healthy ways to regulate and care for my mental health, access to healthy food for long periods of time, the ability to live outside, and more.

I’d like to focus for a second on the healthy food piece, which is intricately connected to the strong community and good mental health. Healthy food access really relies on healthy soil, and now more then ever we need to build the healthiest soil we possibly can wherever we can. Whether on balconies, in yards, on boulevards, or in community parks, we need to be closing the loop on food and yard waste—processing it ourselves, into fertile, living, compost, and using that compost to grow the next round of food crops in our gardens. So, this holiday season and into the new year, do all that you can to become resilient whether in your garden or in your heart. Here are just a few ideas for ways to become more resilient:

  • Call a friend to build community or bring a holiday treat to a housed or unhoused neighbour
  • Learn how to breathe deeply in stressful moments
  • Support the climate resilient programming that the Compost Education Centre offers by signing up for a workshop, buying a membership for a friend, or making a holiday donation
  • Establish a community garden in your neighbourhood
  • Compost your food scraps and yard waste—build resilient soils in the process. You can find out more about which composting option is best for you at the Compost Education Centre, compost.bc.ca.

All are valuable ways to feel more resilient in challenging times. Wishing you and your garden a happy winter!