The American Clean Water Act turned 40 years old in October 2012. “Urban waterways have gone from being wastelands to being the center of redevelopment and activity. The end result — waters are more swimmable, fishable and sources of drinking water are more protected,” writes Gregory DiLoreto, ASCE President-elect.
“The Forum has two” halves: first, LOOK BACK at what has been accomplished by the CAVI initiative over the past six years; then, LOOK AHEAD to paint a picture of settlement,ecology and economy in balance. Commencing in 2007, the CAVI experience demonstrates how to move from awareness to action on-the-ground in the local government setting,” explains Kim Stephens.
“Today was a fascinating discussion which covered, from a university perspective, pretty well every faculty that we have at VIU: from history to philosophy to science. And of course, there was our discussion about values. All in all, I found it to be a very stimulating discussion. It was a very inclusive type of format, one which really encouraged debate and discussion AND inclusiveness,” stated Dan Hurley.
“This sesson was probably the highlight of the Summit. The format was excellent and very inclusive. It was probably also the best networking opportunity of the two-day summit. What I will do differently is read Eva Kras’s book and endeavour to get more involved with the Partnership for Water Sustainability,” stated Gail Adrienne.
“The value of a Vancouver Island Vision, as well as the purpose of CAVI, is that it provides a vehicle to relay success stories that otherwise might not be shared other than in their immediate locale. Each new initiative builds towards the common objective of creating sustainable communities on Vancouver Island ,” states Eric Bonham.
“If you are going to align efforts on a watershed scale, then getting it right at the front-end means looking beyond your boundaries to envision the bigger picture. In other words, global thinking for local action. It means you are communicating and cooperating with others to ensure that your collaborative results are coordinated in a timely manner,” explained Derek Richmond.
“The Guidebook has a strong educational approach because it recognizes that this is going to take time; it is not going to be top-down; and in fact it is going to require a bottom-up approach in order to be successful. This is a case of educating everyone in the process, from the backhoe operator right up to the smalltown politician,” stated Peter Law.
“CAVI’s initiative-based approach has helped VIEA recognize how important it is to bring participants to the table, and to develop plans and strategies that will help identify and protect sustainable resources. And VIEA fully recognizes that we cannot have effective watershed management if we do not have all parties buying into that perspective,” stated Marianne Stolz.
“One of these winning conditions is the lessons we can learn from legal changes and instituitional changes elsewhere. Senior governments still play a role. They are not going to disappear. Rather, senior government will move from being a top-down manager to being an enabler of local action and decisons,” stated Oliver Brandes.
“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,” states Tim Pringle.
