“If the private sector is the future of our industry, we must learn to speak their language; and that is the language of business based on cost, return, and profit and loss. It is now up to all of us to better demonstrate living architecture is also good for the long-term balance sheet,” writes Ron Schwenger.
“It’s great to see how the new Visitor Centre has enhanced the garden’s profile. The building has become a city landmark and we’re seeing younger and more diverse guests enjoying the expanded programming,” states Vancouver Park Board Chair Sarah Blyth.
“The innovative rainwater management approach strives to create a built condition that mimics nature through the use of features that maintain or restore a site’s natural hydrologic conditions, achieving an effective net zero amount of impervious surfaces. The Earth, just like all forms of life, needs to be able to breathe and take in water in order to maintain or restore its health,” writes Mark Buehrer.
The team of Chris Midgley, Zachary May and Cate Soroczan will connect dots and paint the “big picture” for rainwater harvesting in BC.
“The Guidebook is pragmatic. It strikes a balance between ‘too little versus too technical’ by providing information in a way that helps homeowners, builders, designers and suppliers understand what is required of them. Whether it is due to interest or regulation, it is about how to give homeowners and others the tools they need to be able to act,” states Chris Midgley.
“The BC Building Code enables innovation. Designers can propose Alternative Solutions to the Building Code. Coupled with this enabling opportunity, however, is a duty for designers to demonstrate how they are being responsible in applying an understanding of Building Science,” states Zachary May.
“Rainwater harvesting is a grass-roots initiative. The next step is that the provinces get on board. Once they do, this provides a regulatory driver. At a national scale, the purpose of the National Building Code is to achieve consistency. The real driver for rainwater harvesting is water availability, or lack thereof. Hence, the reason why it is a local grass-roots issue and why certain regions or provinces are more ahead than others,” states Cate Soroczan.
“Living Water Smart is an idea that people are embracing. The solutions and commitments go beyond what government does Living Water Smart is about adaptation – that is, collectively what we need to do…to adapt…to prepare for climate change. How we will get there is all about collaboration – that’s my code for silo jumping. We must get out of our silos and broaden our perspectives. Learn from others, share with others – that is when we grow. While legislative reform is a foundation piece, collaboration takes place outside the legislative framework,” states Lynn Kriwoken.
“The Partnership for Water Sustainability values our long-term relationship with IIABC. We especially appreciate that IIABC provided annual funding for the waterbucket.ca website in 2007, 2008 and 2009. And when the Partnership for Water Sustainability was incorporated as a not-for-profit society in 2010, the IIABC again stepped forward to provide the Partnership with seed funding. By jointly organizing the Rainwater Harvesting Workshop, we are taking our partnering to the next level,” stated Tim Pringle,
“This one day workshop will provide information on how with the right controls in place, harvested rainwater can be used for irrigation, outdoor cleaning, flushing toilets, washing clothes and even drinking water. In conjunction with the workshop, we will also be holding a mini-tradeshow,” states Mike Tanner. “The workshop is open to a wide variety of affiliate industry groups, including architects, builders, plumbers, engineers, landscapers, gardeners, do-it-yourselfers, water conservation leaders, and policy officials.”
