Designing and creating communities or redesigning and reworking existing ones around concepts that can leave us in a better place, regardless of the social crisis, is imperative. This can be done in ways that will leave you and your community better off, in an emergency or not.

By preparedness, we aren't talking about contributing to a shortage of toilet paper. (By the way, give me a long term supply of soap and water over a limited stash of toilet paper, any day.) Also worth noting is that people who have prepared ahead of time did not contribute to this problem. They had already purchased a supply of toilet paper in line with their preparedness plan months before a shortage in stores. What lead to a shortage of toilet paper was panic buying fueled by group fear which then exposed a supply chain fault.

How do we avoid this? For both our own calm and for the well-being of our community? By having toilet paper ahead of time, one need not take what may be someone else's last available roll.

Through a permaculture lens? Toilet paper will mostly fall under material capital in the 8 forms of capital.

If you are not yet familiar with the 8 forms of capital, it is a framework that values diversifying resource. For an in-depth understanding, please check out Appleseed Permaculture's work on the topic. By paying attention to the different forms we change what sometimes feels like the overwhelming power of financial capital and places it on equal ground with other forms that you call upon and continuously work through.

We will cover these in more depth in later newsletters, but the 8 forms include Financial, Social, Spirituality, Material, Experiential, Living, Intellectual, and Cultural, In place of the material toilet paper, you may have the social capital that would have a friend share some with you. You may have the experience to know you don't need it, but can wash instead. You may have cultural knowledge that understands other ways around the world this problem is solved. Living capital can be the plants you have planted that have leaves perfect to replace toilet paper (and if you are practicing humanure, will add to compost). Think about these as options to build a resiliency, and preparedness that not only leaves you with more, but your community with more, as you have provided and shared more of yourself in return.

To the spring gardens,
Joe Kilcoyne, Co-Founder