Water – Choosing Sustainability for Life and Livelihoods
Driver for Action
The issue of how to accommodate a doubling of the population in the high growth regions of British Columbia is the driver for implementing changes in the way we develop land and use water. Because of pressures on land and water resources, the growth regions have been experiencing cumulative impacts.
‘Green infrastructure’ is viewed as an effective means to mitigate environmental and social impacts.
Conversations with Elected Representatives
Conversations with elected representatives have yielded insights that have shaped implementation of Convening for Action pilot programs in three regions of British Columbia, namely: the Okanagan, Vancouver Island and Greater Vancouver.
In 2006, the starting point for a series of interviews with an Ad Hoc Chairs and Mayors Focus Group was the premise that we can create our future, and the decisions that elected officials make today ripple through time. Those decisions can result in either cumulative impacts or cumulative benefits.
Interviews and Findings
The interviews with elected officials were conducted by Kim Stephens, Program Coordinator for the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia.
“In 2006, green infrastructure was not fully understood, but was seen as water-centric,” he says in looking back. “In the Okanagan, green infrastructure was associated with the use of water and sustainability of supply; whereas in the Greater Vancouver region and on Vancouver Island, it was associated with control of water that runs off the land and sustainability of aquatic habitat.”
To Learn More:
Key findings are presented in the September 2006 progress report titled Water – Choosing Sustainability for Life & Livelihoods: Convening for Action in British Columbia .
To read the complete story as originally posted on Water Bucket in August 2006, click on Water – Choosing Sustainability for Life and Livelihoods
