The world is flooded with information about our nanosecond in planetary history, and the mess we’ve made of it. What’s much harder to find is a clear, cogent depiction of the much, much bigger picture… That’s what I got from the Think Resilience videos: the context of everything. It colors everything I’ve read since about the climate and our future.
– David Pogue, New York Times columnist and technology writer

I was really happy with the online Think Resilience modules that you have developed. They were engaging, full of essential information, and did an excellent job in focusing in on key concepts. They made excellent contributions to our discussions and helped many thoughtful conversations along during the course of the seminar.
– Anthony Perl, Professor of Urban Studies at Simon Fraser University
Dr. Perl used Think Resilience in his 2018 course, Constructing Post-Carbon Communities

What I enjoy with the Think Resilience course is connecting the dots and understanding that there are no magical “solutions,” but there are many responses. And many of them take place at the community level.
– Michele Guieu, creator and curator of the What’s Next For Earth project

I really like how systematic Richard is at explaining concepts, systems and interactions. I also really appreciate how he emphasized the need to bring everyone in the community to work together. Thank you to the PCI team for an eye-, intellect-, heart- and action-opening class!
– Gabrielle P., climate scientist

Thanks so much for the terrific series. This is one of the most comprehensive and well thought out resources on the changes we need to make so our children have something worthwhile to inherit.
– Steve T., Transition Guelph, Ontario

This course has opened up my thinking. It has been a fruitful journey. Very vital aspects were highlighted and following my line of work, this is topnotch knowledge I needed to fuse in my activities as an environmental activist.
– Mtumbi M. (Zambia)

This has been one of the best learning experiences I have undertaken. Thank you for arranging it so well. Learning and social science fascinate me to no end, so I have to say the most memorable for me has been the historical roots of our societal problems. This course gave me so much clarity, and really some big ah-ha moments around our belief systems and the physics of consciousness that lie deep in our culture of consumerism.
– Wendy N.

Thank you so much! I’ve been spending time on this course every morning before work. It’s helped me feel like I have a strong grounding in the history of why we are where we are now. An incredible opportunity. So much gratitude to the folks at Post Carbon Institute and everyone who helped make this possible!
– Xeo S.

I found the course very enlightening and enriching. And now I feel challenged to do something to share it with others. Thanks again for a project so well planned and executed!
– Maan B.

This course has provided an excellent foundation on the vast umbrella of resilience — the need for it, the interconnected elements, and the first layer of examples to understand how groups are taking action. My next step will be to dig deeper into some of these examples and decide what I can bring into my professional sphere as well as my personal sphere. Many thanks!
– Maria P.

I’m very impressed with the organization and distillation of information into a compact format and understandable content. Heinberg’s delivery is sincere and effective.
– Clifton W.

I loved the systems thinking discussion, especially the idea that the greatest opportunities are where the concepts of diffusion and leveraging crises meet. That will provide food for thought for me for years.
– Cara S.

The most memorable thing I learned from these videos was contextualization. I thought the videos did a good job of interconnecting topics and providing historical context for each of these.
– Julie B.

The six foundations for building community resilience are great. That framework makes it easy to discuss the concept.
– Lisa M.

Most memorable to me were the the six foundations for building resilient communities — excellent in presentation and the accompanying report.
– Marty C.

Session IV really helped me understand the difference between sustainability and resilience. Further, it helped me grasp the relationship between the two.
– Heather H.

Very clear and concise presentation. Thank you very much!
– John I.

I am an electrical engineer; I found the implications energy technology has had on the development of civilisation astonishing yet sensible.
– Oscar B.

This course has provided me with a lot of needed information for me to be an effective member of the municipal Energy and Environment Committee I am part. It also provided the education I need to an engaged citizen and worried parent as we work together to create a more resilient and sustainable future for generations to come.
– Terry C.

The concepts and ideas [of Session I] were generally familiar to me, but the storyline — the way that all of the pieces have been put together to paint the picture of the converging crises — is exceptional. I particularly like the image of humans as tool-makers and using it to explain how we have transformed, and continue to transform, our world. The example of the electric car and its supporting infrastructure is going to be very useful for me in communicating why we need to re-think our lifestyle patterns rather than just replacing the source of energy.
– Anna A.

The most memorable thing for me is the class itself. It is so well done. The intentionality and objectiveness in delivery was very useful – seeming like it could reach anyone. Well done!

I’m not sure that I could digest any more information than was provided. The pacing and content meets my needs. Thank you for the great work you have done in connecting so many ‘dots’ and promoting systems thinking.

After getting through Session I, I am already so captivated by all there is to learn.

I am very pleased with the material. I think a solid foundation in the basic principles of how important energy is in our civilization and the factors that influence it’s use and effectiveness is being laid.

I appreciate the non-judgmental, calm way Richard Heinberg presents the information.

The most memorable thing that I have become aware of (possibly learnt) is the breadth of understanding needed to tackle climate change. My community has a challenge before it, with an application for a new industry being considered by our local government. I am thinking about how the lessons in this series can help me understand what is going on and how our community might respond.

Finally being able to sort through so much climate/energy related terminology and hold in my mind the crux of our energy crisis: that which may be defined as embodied energy and operational energy. I have never heard of these terms before and boy does it make so much sense to me, and I can now SEE our energy production mechanisms, and SEE our energy uses that feed the production mechanisms. I can now connect logically in my mind, new energy sources to energy uses I understand across many levels and needs. Very helpful for me going forward as I take more and more active roles in my community.

I was pleased to get so much clarity on the difference between sustainability and resilience.

I really think this was a very comprehensive course. It left no stone unturned, so to speak.

[Regarding Session VI:] This section made me aware of the somewhat overwhelming task of developing a community resilience assessment and action plan, without focusing on very specific doable objectives. I have been involved on local committees but realize that we lacked the knowledge to do the job successfully. This section has provided me with the awareness of what to knowledge and processes to use to access the communities needs and focus on a specific action plan. Perhaps the most important point being to include the individuals in the community by seeking out their opinions and involving them in the work. Another is to seek out allies.

I really appreciated the way Richard covered such sweeping topics remarkably concisely.

Thanks for providing such high quality material… I must commend Richard Heinberg and the producers on the quality and accessibility of the material.

I’ve been making a lot of noise about the wrong things. And I’m a chemical engineer. I didn’t know that I knew nothing. And apparently I’ve been surrounded by like engineers. Because all of us were making noise about a lot of stuff that never mattered and saying nothing about the stuff that did. Here is a hopefully relevant story: A bunch of somewhat experienced engineers at [a semiconductor manufacturer] gathered shortly before a high-profile meeting and light-heartedly chatted before managers and bigwigs arrived. We joked about what new magic will be asked of us at this meeting. One engineer, I remember him in this moment so vividly, said, ‘An engineer never says that something can’t be done.’ No one disagreed. I didn’t disagree. It was the truth. Then the managers started filing in, and that engineer’s comment range in my head forever after. Something about it sounded odd but I couldn’t put my finger on it at the time. It was only much later, after I had left that job and industry, that I realized what was wrong with that statement: An engineer’s first job and responsibility is to say what cannot be done because it shouldn’t be done. It’s incredible that I had to leave my job to realize this, and to ask some vital questions that ultimately led to taking this Think Resilience course.

I finished today! I am so excited about it, as I have enjoyed the course so much. Fortunately, I was able to devote a lot of time and really delve in this week; to study and contemplate on all the rich course material. Thank you for making this opportunity available to people like me.