Team Human with Douglas Rushkoff Gamifying the Apocalypse: Climate Prep, Zombie Games, and Mutual Aid (w/Charlotte Binns)
May 13, 2026
Charlotte Binns, Director of Sustainability for Irvington and community organizer focused on local climate resilience. She discusses municipal hazard mapping and neighbor-to-neighbor preparedness. They cover practical resource mapping, mutual aid projects like discreet food pantries, affinity groups, and a playful month-long zombie game to motivate readiness and youth engagement.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Local Assessments Reveal Specific Climate Vulnerabilities
- Local climate vulnerability assessments map physical and social assets to reveal unique local risks like aging culverts, fire-prone forests, and flood-prone evacuation routes.
- Charlotte Binns used workshops, surveys, and policy-gap analyses to find missing evacuation plans and heat-vulnerable populations in Irvington.
Organize Neighbors Because First Responders Can't Reach Everyone
- Build and strengthen municipal and neighborhood networks because emergency services won't be able to help every household during a crisis.
- Charlotte emphasizes bolstering neighbors to look after each other since first responders focus on larger-scale incidents.
Sandy Showed Neighbors Fill The Response Gap
- After Superstorm Sandy, grassroots networks (including kids on Twitter and Occupy networks) delivered supplies and medication when official aid was ineffective.
- Charlotte recalls volunteers organizing to reach people stuck without elevators or access while FEMA was backlogged.
