ARTICLE: Pathway to Urban Water Sustainability in British Columbia: Partnerships, Collaboration, Innovation and Integration (Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine, January 2010)
Doing Business Differently: Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine publishes article about BC’s Water Sustainability Action Plan
The January 2010 issue of Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine includes an article about the policy framework put in place by the Province of British Columbia that enables local governments to commit to doing business differently.
The article states that the program goals for Living Water Smart, BC’s Water Plan and the companion Green Communities Initiative constitute a ‘call to action’ on the part of British Columbians to manage settlement change in balance with ecology.
The article describes how implementation of Living Water Smart and the Green Communities Initiative is being advanced through partnerships, in particular the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia. One vehicle for program delivery is Convening for Action on Vancouver Island, known by the acronym CAVI.
Convening for Action on Vancouver Island
“Over the past three years, we have engaged in a conversational process to create a picture of what a shared vision for Vancouver Island could look like. We have also drawn attention to the need to balance settlement change in harmony with ecology. Although ecology can exist without habitation by humans, human habitation cannot exist without ecology,” states Eric Bonham.
He is a founding member of the CAVI leadership Team, BC Water & Waste Association (BCWWA) Liaison for Vancouver Island, Past-Chair of the Highlands Stewardship Foundation, and formerly a Director in both the BC Ministry of Environment and BC Ministry of Community Services.
“It is revealing that inserting the word team could have such a profound impact on how practitioners view their world. Inclusion of the team word implies there is personal commitment – that is why the regional team approach is fundamentally different than a regional approach,” states Tim Pringle, Special Programs Director with the Real Estate Foundation of BC.
To Learn More
The article was written by Kim Stephens, Program Coordinator for the Water Sustainability Action Plan. The article draws on the perspectives of:
- Lynn Kriwoken– Director, Ministry of Environment
- Glen Brown– Executive Director, Ministry of Community & Rural Development
- Tim Pringle – Special Programs Director, Real Estate Foundation of BC
To download a copy of the article, click on Pathway to Urban Water Sustainability in British Columbia.
