Leadership in Water Sustainability: "Vancouver Island Vision" is Mission Possible
Note to Reader:
In its October-November 2012 issue, Douglas Magazine published an insert that previewed what to expect at the 2012 State of the Island Economic Summit organized by the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance. The article below is extracted from a story about the CAVI-Convening for Action on Vancouver Island initiative.
CAVI and VIEA Champion 50-Yr Vision
“An important step in this process of creating a 50-year vision for the island has been thedevelopment of the VIEA-CAVI partnership that embraces both economic viability and environmental sustainability,” states Eric Bonham, a founding member of the CAVI Leadership Team. “CAVI began as a grassroots initiative, now falls under the umbrella of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC, and is provincial demonstration application for moving from awareness to practice.”
“Forming alliances that encourage both socially and ecologically responsible practices then leads to the ‘new way of doing business as usual’. This opens the door to both creative and 
diverse solutions towards long-term sustainability,” continues Tim Pringle, Partnership President.
“Launched in 2006 at the Water in the City Conference in Victoria, the CAVI-Convening for Action on Vancouver Island initiative is about this long-term vision for balance. The vision is water-centric because water is a form maker: watersheds are defining landscapes that serve the needs of human settlements and provide natural habitats and their ecological systems.”
“Water features include coastlines, river fronts, lakes, riparian areas, aquifers and other elements that contribute to the values of land for habitat, agriculture, recreation and real estate. In numerous ways, the built environment has to adapt to watershed features and water movements to maintain viable settlements. This designing with nature approach is fundamental to achieving water sustainability and therefore life sustainability from any perspective.”
To Learn More:
To download a copy of the complete article, click on Leadership in Water Sustainability, published by Douglas Magazine in its October-November 2012 issue.