CONVENING FOR ACTION AT THE 2024 BC LAND SUMMIT: “The phrase attitude change goes to the heart of what the Partnership session will showcase at the Land Summit. With an attitude change, anything is possible,” stated Kim Stephens, Executive Director of the Partnership for Sustainability
Caring for the land means going beyond doing just enough
On the 20th anniversary of the first BC Land Summit on May 9 in Nanaimo, the Partnership for Water Sustainability will convene a 2-part session under the banner Caring for the Land Means Going Beyond Just Doing Enough. The two parts are integrated and cascading. Caring for the land is the core value that links them.
In the first session, Richard Boase will tag-team with Paul Chapman to lead a session about Blue Ecology, a compass for a water-first approach. Michael Blackstock, an Independent Indigenous Scholar, developed the Blue Ecology ecological philosophy to build bridges between Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultures.
In the second session, Tim Pringle will tag-team with Anna Lawrence and Sam Gerrand to tell the story of Year One of the 3-year transition strategy to embed EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process, at Vancouver Island University (VIU). Tim Pringle developed the EAP methodology and metrics.
Blue Ecology, a compass for a water-first approach
Blue Ecology is a framework for interweaving Western Science and Indigenous Knowledge. Water reconciliation is the goal. The Partnership for Water Sustainability co-produced a 90-minute video about Blue Ecology moderated by Richard Boase, released on World Rivers Day 2023, and broadcast multiple times throughout BC by Shaw Spotlight on their community channels.
EAP is an expression of Blue Ecology
“The BC Land Summit is a watershed moment for showcasing new ideas. The audience is comprised largely of players involved in some form of land-related profession, that is: land appraisal, real estate, land planning, agrology, landscape architecture,” states Kim Stephens, Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director.
“Their thinking is financial to quite an extent. And because EAP is a financial approach, the Partnership anticipates that EAP will resonate. Showing how EAP is an expression of Blue Ecology elevates the conversation to a higher plane. The context for that conversation is DRIPA, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.”
About the BC Land Summit:
Held once every five years, the BC Land Summit is the premier collaborative conference providing interdisciplinary education, professional development, training, and networking opportunities for professional practitioners in fields related to land and land-use in British Columbia.
