We have to look climate change in the eyes and make changes now.
Nice to meet you. My name is Carla, and I live in Central Maine. In the last year, I’ve initiated a giant personal project, one step at a time: I’m preparing myself, my family and my home for the adverse and dynamic effects of a changing planet. I’m shifting my focus – to one of resilience, adaptation and preparedness – away from feelings of guilt, futility and anger.
This website, Nextsteaders, is meant to encompass the journey towards preparing for rapid changes in climate, increased natural disasters, potential energy grid disruptions – but in a way that is positive, not paranoid.
I chose the term “Nextsteader” because to me, this effort is different than homesteading. Homesteading implies a return to simpler, more self-sustaining practices when communities and households were small and isolated.
Changing to “next” implies that we have to change to a lifestyle that hasn’t existed yet. It’s futureproofing our lives as individuals and communities in a way that acknowledges that it is not possible to return to the life we lived before.
When you search for ‘preparedness’ and ‘homesteading’ is is a short leap to find ideologies that incorporate ideas of violence, resource hoarding or privileged escape from disaster. In Nextsteaders, we will be focused on non-violent, non-militaristic approaches only. There’s plenty to do for our homes, children, education, community, food, energy and shelter before building an arsenal or hunkering in a bunker with MREs.
My goal is to chronicle my own efforts and thoughts on climate adaptation and preparedness; share knowledge, advice and resources for others looking to do the same, and give a space for voices of experts that can help us be more effective in our efforts to do the same.
Thank you for joining us to make the world that’s next.
The Nextsteaders 