Partnership for Water Sustainability celebrates 10th Anniversary of “Water Sustainability Action Plan for BC” at 2013 AGM
Note to Reader:
Released in February 2004, the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia provides a partnership umbrella for on-the-ground initiatives in the local government setting. The 2013 Annual General Meeting of the Partnership for Water Sustainability was the forum for kicking off the 10th anniversary celebration of Action Plan development and implementation.
Convening for Action in BC
Six members of the Partnership’s Leadership Team described what has been accomplished in British Columbia under the umbrella of the Water Sustainability Action Plan. These individuals and their areas of focus in the tag-team presentation are listed as follows:
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Kim Stephens – genesis for “convening for action”; and where next
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Peter Law – the regional team approach
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Mike Tanner – waterbucket.ca website
- Richard Boase – Water Balance Model
- Eric Bonham – Vancouver Island 2065
- Ted van der Gulik – Agricultural Water Demand Model
All six have played major roles over the past decade in first developing and then implementing the Action Plan.
“The Partnership has a bridging role between Province, local government and community,” stated Kim Stephens, Executive Director. “We are building on the ‘collaborative model’ to implement Living Water Smart and Green Communities. We are doing this by delivering the Water Sustainability Action Plan through partnerships.”
“To advance development and implementation of a fully integrated Water Sustainability Action Plan, we are promoting a number of strategic partnerships. These early initiatives are categorized under three ‘threads’ to reflect the breadth of roles that the Partnership is playing.”
Breadth of Strategic Partnerships
In 2004, the Action Plan defined the three “threads” as follows:
- Thread One: Initiator – where the Partnership is the vehicle for direct action.
- Thread Two: Collaborator –where the Partnership is the vehicle provider for others.
- Thread Three: Educator – where the Partnership spans boundaries as the connector of initiatives or is an education facilitator.
“Over the past decade, we have built a ‘partnership architecture’ that solidifies commitment to achieving practical outcomes under the umbrella of the Action Plan. It is the breadth of these partnerships that enables the Partnership for Water Sustainability to fulfil its integrating role and connect dots to links humans, watershed, landscape and buildings,” concludes Kim Stephens.
Scope of the Action Plan
The main goal of the Water Sustainability Action Plan is to encourage province-wide implementation of fully integrated water sustainability policies, plans and programs. The Action Plan:
- Recognizes that the greatest impact on water, land and water resources occurs through our individual values, choices and behaviour.
- Promotes and facilitates sustainable approaches to water use, land use and water resource management at all levels – from the province to the household; and in all sectors – from domestic, resource, industrial and commercial, to recreational and ecosystem support uses.
“The Action Plan Elements are comprehensive in scope, ranging from ‘governance’ to ‘site design’. Element selection also reflects a guiding philosophy to concentrate efforts in those areas where there is the will, the energy and the long-term commitment to create change. Future elements and success will build on the foundation provided by the initial Action Plan Elements,” emphasizes Kim Stephens.
To Learn More:
To download a copy of the PowerPoint presentation, click on Water Sustainability Action Plan for BC – 10th Anniversary Celebration
To download a copy of the Water Sustainability Action Plan, click on Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia, February 2004
2013 Annual General Meeting of the Partnership for Water Sustainability was held at the Radisson Hotel in Richmond, BC
