We’ve been hearing the word “unprecedented” a lot lately, not just with the unprecedented wind, flooding, and destruction due to Tropical Storm/Hurricane Helene, but also unprecedented development, unprecedented population growth, unprecedented inflation, an unprecedented number of unhoused citizens, unprecedented cybersecurity threats, and much more. Soon the unprecedented will become the precedent—are we prepared?
Sustainability and resilience planning are vital considerations now more than ever before as we clearly see the widespread impacts of climate change, population growth, cyberattacks, and a national housing crisis reflected in our small community. With smart growth, proper planning, and forward-thinking preparation, any organization, from government to families to corporations, can withstand whatever unprecedented event occurs. When you plan with the future in mind, no matter what happens, sustainability and resilience strategies allow us not to simply survive but to thrive.
Sustainability has become a buzzword in corporate America, one that we hear so regularly that it has lost its meaning. We see single-use plastic bottles and bags being advertised as “sustainable,” simply serving as a marketing gimmick, but the actual agreed-upon definition in most circles (thanks to the 1987 United Nations Brundtland Commission) is, “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”…