Introduction: The Trip and Purpose of the Blog

When I first started this blog, or rather a blog like this under a different name, I struggled immensely. I kept trying to think of the catchiest name, a cool and funny writing technique and a concise argument with loads of research behind it. All of the things mentioned are no doubt important but I had forgotten the most important part: me. Yikes. That sounds pretty self centered but I'll explain. I became so focused on those details that I forgot this blog's purpose is a creative and reflective space for me to jive about sustainability and the environment. I felt like I got all dressed up for prom but forgot who my date was or worse yet, forgot who I was. That's exactly it: I forgot that I want this blog for myself to clarify my own convictions about sustainability and the ecological crisis rather satisfy others' demands about what I should write about and how it should look. My hope is to be true to myself and my passion and readers will follow.

So on that note, let me introduce to you Resiliency Rising. I plan to use this blog for a trip I am quite excited about. My friend, Sasha Merigan, http://solvent-green.blogspot.tw/2012/04/news.html and I plan to visit sustainability projects of all different sizes in Asia in order to observe the growing movement for clean energy, local and organic food and a responsible use of our planet's natural resources. To put it simply we want to bear witness to the wider global movement of sustainable living. The plan is to leave Taiwan during Chinese New Year and head to China, South East Asia and India to get a close look at sustainability projects ranging from food, energy and transportation. I am realizing more and more that this will be the trip of a lifetime. I am both excited and nervous. To combine my love of the environment and travel seems like a dream come true and even more surreal to make definitive plans to carry out this mission.

I am hoping to accomplish a lot with this trip. The older and possibly wiser I become I realize that making connections with people no matter where they are from are invaluable. To treat people with kindness is a philosophy I adhere to and I think it will pay you back in the long run. I foresee having international connections a boon to help other 'bioneers' in their missions but also as a good measure and mode to share information and inspire one another. I hope that through this trip I can find myself later in a career in sustainability where if I am facing a problem I can call on the global community of the environmental movement for advice.

I hope to acquire hands on skills and knowledge of organic gardening, permaculture, rainwater catchment, water conservation, wind power, solar and biogas energy. Recently it has begun to bother me with how little practical skills I have in creating a sustainable future. It is one thing to talk about the desire and the imperative for a more resilient future but it is quite another to have the skills to bring that future closer to a reality. I want to possess the skills that can help communities achieve that goal. I think experience is one of the best teachers and the trip will be designed to add experience and exposure to 'green' projects.

Finally, on this journey I ultimately hope to find an almost inexhaustible supply of hope and inspiration. I believe we live in troubling times. Corporations have never been more powerful. A corporation's sole purpose is to profit. What's worse, the framework that our economic model operates (continual economic growth) is incompatible with our finite planet and its resources. We are already seeing the warning signs with changing fuel prices and climates. I will resist the temptation to go in depth about a plethora of disturbing topics of desertification, deforestation, peak oil, overfishing etc. and instead I would like to spread the message of hope. I want to illuminate the fact that it doesn't take much capital or resources, sometimes none at all, to lead a more resilient and environmentally sane lifestyle. In places all over the world, individuals and communities are finding that small scale, decentralized sustainability projects are far better at confronting problems caused by a world of shrinking resources and changing climates. In China, there is an enormous effort under way to power homes with biogas technology. A medium sized biogas digester filled with decaying organic material can provide 5-6 homes with all of their water heating and cooking needs. Throughout rural India, we are seeing a reemergence of the johad, a traditional system of catching rain water to irrigate crops and provide water for the community. It is small scale community organized projects like these that defy the assumption that developing countries require massive infrastructure to improve livelihoods. Stories such as these give us hope. Stories like these make us stronger.

As far as fairness and balance is concerned, I think my partner and I both agree that there is merit in looking at all sustainability projects and projects that call themselves sustainability. There is an enormous amount of misinformation about what technology is best and most sustainable. We will do our best to look at as many different types and sizes of projects. Sasha makes more of an effort to remain neutral and likes to ask “Does sustainable living make sense or is it just hype?” Most often times his conclusions are yes and why haven't we done this sooner. I will make no pretense about my advocacy. I will be an outspoken advocate for a more resilient future not only because it makes sense but because our very survival depends upon it. Henry David Thoreau couldn't have said it better in Walden, “If I seem to boast more than is becoming, my excuse is that I brag for humanity rather than for myself; and my shortcomings and inconsistencies do not affect the truth of my statement.” (39)