On June 13th, we held our 3rd Annual Conference on Sustainability and Community, at the Clal Building in downtown Jerusalem, on the theme of “Local Resilience.” Some 300 participants enjoyed lectures, round tables and workshops. Over 40 organizations, local authorities and government ministries presented the cutting edge of knowledge and initiatives in sustainability and community, from Israel and the world.
Before the conference, we put out a call for submissions where we invited organizations and people active in the field, to present a replicable tool or approach that is already being used in the field, and has the ability to strengthen communal resilience, and thus was created the Index of Tools for Communal Resilience.
“Resilience” is a trending concept in the world of sustainability, relating to how we are going to survive the multiple threats of climate change, crowding, poverty and more. Local resilience refers to the ability of the system to deal with, and ideally to flourish, when confronted by temporary shocks amid long-term pressures, and the ability to bounce back to full healthy functioning. A strong and stable community, where the connections between its members are strong, and which feels to be a real part of decision making together with the authority, is a basic component of resilience.
The Index brings together tools and approaches that were presented at the conference, with a short description of each one, a real example from the field, and contact info of the relevant people. We encourage everyone to use these tools, to contact the ones who developed them, and invest in strengthening the resilience of communities, of cities and of all the places where people live and work.
None of this would have been possible without the generous support of all our partners and supporters: Habitus – The Sustainability Hub for Urban Sustainability at the Botanical Gardens of Jerusalem, The Ministry of Environmental Protection, The Ministry of Construction and Housing, the Municipality of Tel Aviv-Dept. of Sustainability, The Ministry of Welfare, The Jerusalem Foundation, the Aroma coffee chain, the Laboratory of Innovation and Environmental Sustainability, The Porter School of Environmental Studies, the Forum of the 15, the Community Center (Matnasim) Association, and more.
-Written by Rony Erez