Water is a Form-Maker: Building water-resilient communities explored at FLOWnGROW Workshop

Note to Reader:

Held in Kelowna in November 2016, the FLOWnGROW workshop was the fourth in a series of annual events. The theme for each is a bold idea. For those participating in the series, it has been a building blocks process.

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FLOWnGROW – Balancing Economy, Ecology and Settlement in the Okanagan

The workshop was about HOW to respect ecosystem and cultural values, ensure food security and build water-resilient communities.

To Learn More:

Visit the homepage for the FLOWnGROW workshop to read a a comprehensive set of articles:

https://waterbucket.ca/cfa/category/partnership-for-water-sustainability-annual-workshop-series/2016-flow-and-grow/

Towards Water Sustainability

kim-stephens_dec2015_dsc_0556_120p“Water is a form-maker. It defines communities. Also, water-centric decisions ripple through time,” states Kim Stephens, Executive Director, Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia.

“Choices made today will determine what the future looks like. Over time, will our decisions result in cumulative benefits or cumulative impacts?”

Three Bold Ideas

The FLOWnGROW workshop was the fourth in a series of annual events. The theme for each is a bold idea. For those participating in the series, it has been a building blocks process.

4_Eric Bonham_120p“The program for FLOWnGROW showcased three “bold ideas” – Whole Systems Approach, Blue Ecology and Cathedral Thinking,” says Eric Bonham, team leader for Module A, titled Spirit & Science – An Inclusive Journey.

“With the program structured as four cascading modules, these ideas were the threads that linked the storyline from start to finish.”

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“The FLOWnGROW program has the real potential of influencing how we address water sustainability issues in BC going forward.”

“The themes, Whole Systems Approach, reflecting integration through inclusion, Blue Ecology, the interweaving of First Nations and Western Thought and Cathedral Thinking, the foresight and planning for future generations, set the context for the day.”

“The purpose of the workshop was to explore ideas that have universal value and broad application as we travel the road towards genuine long-term water sustainability.”

“I closed the workshop with the quotation (below) from Stephen Hawking, theoretical physicist, cosmologist and author.”

YouTube Video

Watch the 3-minute video of Eric Bonham. It is posted on YouTube:

To Learn More:

Visit CALL TO ACTION AT FLOWnGROW WORKSHOP: Science-based Understanding + Inter-generational Commitment = Water-Resilient Communities 

Visit FLOWnGROW WORKSHOP: “The challenge of climate change now demands a level of collaboration and commitment heretofore unseen,” states Eric Bonham in his reflections on the most important take-aways

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