Resiliency is the ability to bounce back, pick up the pieces, withstand and recover from either everyday stress or occasional disasters.

 

In the Caribbean, flooding is an example of a stressor which tests our resiliency. As we have seen in Dominica most recently and as we see regularly in Guyana, Trinidad and Barbados there is a wide range of sources for this flooding - hurricanes in the summer, heavy rains at any time of the year, failing water barriers (seawalls/dams/bridges), garbage-blocked or redirected water channels, sea-level rise and loss of water-absorbing green spaces.

 

More broadly, just about any aspect of our lives which we perceive as adding stress, pressure or challenges are opportunities for us to build resiliency. In entrepreneurship this resilience may also be known as grit. In academia, this resilience may be known as persistence.

 

Struggling through these stresses doesn’t necessarily build resilience, it is our recognition of lessons learned and application of our wisdom which strengthens our resiliency.

 

We can talk about resiliency at the personal, community, national and regional levels, however if we want to consider how we can actually build resilience at any of these levels, we must start with our personal choices.

 

Selecting products, services and technology which are both resilient and build resiliency are of utmost urgency for us in the Caribbean. Our local economies are tied tightly to markets driven by decisions made outside of Caribbean realities. Our local environment is directly impacted by pollution, planned obsolescence and consumption trends developed outside of Caribbean realities. Our individual and collective Caribbean societies are influenced through media, financial systems, governance channels and public engagement strategies designed outside of Caribbean realities.

 

So how do we shape our personal choices in a way which is grounded from our Caribbean reality?

 

First, we choose to really live our lives. We consider the value and the quality of our lives. We open our eyes, breathe the air, jump in the ocean, enjoy our music, spend time with our friends and family, eat our Caribbean food and remind ourselves of the details and experience of our Caribbean reality.

 

Consider what we have first and then we can move on to figuring out how to build resiliency to withstand economic, environmental and social stressors.

 

In order to consider how we can build resiliency - 

 

Ask yourself......

 

Could this product/technology be used during a natural disaster?

 

Could this product/technology be used if there is a break in transmission from your utilities (water/electricity)?

 

Could this product/technology withstand chemical alteration from sea-spray?

 

Could this product/technology reduce the impact of flooding?

 

What do you need to survive a flood/hurricane/electricity or water outage?

 

Will this product last more than 5 years?

 

Has this product/technology been certified by a third party?

 

Could this product/technology be repaired locally if it malfunctions or is damaged?

 

Could this product withstand a natural disaster?

 

 

Read more on resilient labels HERE.