GreenLink 2010 Conference provided a high-profile platform for promoting ‘Smarter Water Management’, showcasing Living Water Smart, British Columbia’s Water Plan, and rolling out “Beyond the Guidebook 2010: Implementing a New Culture for Urban Watershed Protection and Restoration in British Columbia” (October 2010)
Living Water Smart Panel tells “British Columbia’s story” to international audience
Held in Vancouver, British Columbia, in October, the two day GreenLink 2010 conference event attracted an international audience and “linked” the best of the best in Sustainable Communities, Finance, Technology and Government. It offered delegates a unique opportunity to see, step by step, how these award winning projects have achieved their success.
“This conference is the first of its kind to bring together the top names in the world in four major areas: investment, technology, governance and sustainable development,” stated Joe Van Belleghem, internationally renowned green developer. He is best known for Dockside Green in Victoria.
The Living Water Smart Panel
The Living Water Smart Panel comprised Lynn Kriwoken, Ted van der Gulik and Kim Stephens. They represent the BC Ministry of Environment, BC Ministry of Agriculture & Lands, and the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia, respectively.
The high-profile GreenLink 2010 Conference provided an opportunity to continue the provincial rollout of Beyond the Guidebook 2010: Implementing a New Culture for Urban Watershed Protection and Restoration in British Columbia.
Dr Peter Williams, the Chief Technology Officer for IBM’s Big Green Innovations incubator, was the moderator for the Smarter Water Management panel session. He has had a major role in developing IBM’s water management solution framework.
“It was a real pleasure to take part in the panel and in particular to hear about the far-sighted and imaginative approach that the BC Government is taking to identifying, managing and educating people about the province’s water management issues. I am sure that this approach will provide lessons for other areas that seek to address their water management needs,” stated Peter Williams.
To Learn More:
To download a set of slides that comprised the integrated presentation, click on Living Water Smart Panel
For a complete listing of who spoke and what they spoke about, click on GreenLink 2010 Conference – Final Program.
Living Water Smart in British Columbia
“Launched in 2008, Living Water Smart, British Columbia’s Water Plan is the B.C. government’s vision and commitment to ensure our water stays healthy and secure. The plan focuses on improving water laws and information to deal with pressures on water, preparing communities for climate change, and encouraging British Columbians to choose to live water smart,” stated Lynn Kriwoken, the Province’s lead person for delivery of Living Water Smart.
To help achieve Living Water Smart targets and actions, the Province and partners have developed a suite of tools. These tools are all web-based and accessible to anyone with a computer. They are intended to support new approaches to water management. They can be applied on-the-ground by land and water practitioners. They will collectively influence practitioner behaviour and facilitate informed decision-making with respect to ‘designing with nature’ and building greener communities.
The suite of tools that enable water-centric planning and water smart choices include the Water Balance Model, Water Conservation Calculator, Water Bucket Website, Agriculture Irrigation Scheduling Calculator, Landscape Irrigation Scheduling Calculator and OKIM (Okanagan Irrigation Management).
Beyond the Guidebook 2010
In October 1997, a focus group workshop convened by UBCM set in motion a chain of outcomes that culminated in Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia, released in June 2002. This was a catalyst for change that has resulted in British Columbia achieving international recognition as a leader in implementing green infrastructure.
Released in June, Beyond the Guidebook 2010 is the story of what has been accomplished on the ground over the past decade, through partnerships and collaboration, under the umbrella of the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia.
The Action Plan is the Living Water Smart implementation interface with local government, and is responsible for two of the five elements of Living Water Smart: (3)efficiency, outreach and public awareness; and (5) community planning and development.
From Awareness to Action
“Beyond the Guidebook 2010 tells the stories: what have people done, what are people going to do, how are they going about it. Telling the stories and letting others hear how people have empowered themselves will help others empower themselves and move the Action Plan forward,” stated Ted van der Gulik. As Chair of the Water Balance Model Inter-Governmental Partnership, he is the Province’s de facto lead person on the rainwater management file.
“In 2002, the Stormwater Guidebook was a transformational document in terms of looking ahead at how we had to change the way we were doing business and start to focus on what we were doing on the ground,” continued Kim Stephens, Action Plan Program Coordinator. “The Guidebook recognized that those who are making decisions on Monday nights at Council meetings…see the individual development applications. So that required a paradigm-shift in the way we do business. We had to see the world through their eyes.”
YOUTUBE VIDEOS
To learn more about what Ted van der Gulik said in his presentation segment that preceded an audience interaction session, click here to view an 8-minute video clip.
And, to learn more about what Kim Stephens said in his segment, click here to view a 5 1/2-minute video clip.
