Metro Vancouver Reference Panel recommends establishing a “stewarding committee” to ensure Liquid Resource Management Plan stays true to the vision
“Metro Vancouver Reference Panel recommends establishing a ‘stewarding committee’ to ensure Liquid Resource Management Plan stays true to the vision. There is a need for fresh, objective eyes bolstered by a strong political mandate to keep asking questions, prod Metro Vancouver and members toward the vision, and assist with the waste-to-resource paradigm-shift over time. A ‘stewarding committee’ would play an expert and non-partisan role,” stated Susan Rutherford.
Agricultural Irrigation Scheduling Calculator
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Three Metro Vancouver examples demonstrate a progression in scale for Integrated Resource Recovery
“The policy framework proposed by the Reference Panel is founded on the premise that the Metro Vancouver region will manage sewage and rainwater as resources, not wastes; and will strive to achieve Integrated Resource Recovery progess incrementally,” stated Elaine Golds.
Vancouver Island Pilot Program informs Metro Vancouver’s Liquid Waste Management Plan
Commencing in 2007, Vancouver Island has been the pilot region for a regional team approach that seeks to align local actions with provincial goals. “Experience gained in one region is being adapted to suit the needs of the other regions. Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island are learning from each other, and are moving in the same direction,” stated John Finnie.
Re-Focus Integrated Stormwater Management Plans on outcomes, recommends Metro Vancouver Reference Panel
“Strategies and actions in ISMPs will impact on Metro Vancouver’s sustainability for generations to come. Hence, it is important to link those actions to a picture of a desired outcome,” stated Kim Stephens. “One has to start with the desired outcome – which is protect or improve stream health – and then determine what actions in the watershed will green the urban landscape. Re-focus ISMPs on watershed targets and outcomes so that there are clear linkages with land use planning.”
How does a community weigh the benefits and liabilities of change driven by demand for land use?
The key principle is that settlement and ecology are equal values and they must be as much in balance as possible for wellbeing of human and natural systems. “If we were in fact measuring ecological values, there would be more ‘weights’ (reliable data) on the ecology side of the balance scale; thus leading to more informed conclusions and hence different decisions,” stated Tim Pringle.
Nutrient Recovery: Creating Value from Waste at Metro Vancouver
The focus of the Lulu plant tour was on the pilot nutrient recovery technology developed by Dr. Don Mavinic of the University of British Columbia. “To demonstrate the potential for sustainable wastewater treatment solutions, researchers at UBC have developed the technology to capture phosphorus and ammonia from high concentration streams of municipal sewage, and recycle them into environmentally safe fertilizer,” stated Dr. Don Mavinic.
Pathway to Water Sustainability in British Columbia: Partnerships, Collaboration, Innovation and Integration
“The organizers had heard about what we are doing in British Columbia; and so they asked me to tell the BC story in Toronto to a mainly Ontario audience. This provided a timely opportunity to reflect on what we have achieved since 2004, and identify universal principles that should be applicable anywhere,” explained Kim Stephens.
Vision for the Water Bucket Website explained by Mike Tanner at the 2009 Penticton Forum
“The website is designed to provide universal access to information and to further collective understanding and collaboration. First, it is a new magazine for raising awareness of BC success stories, secondly, it has a growing library of information resources on the BC experience and third, it houses made in BC tools for use by practitioners on-the-ground,” stated Mike Tanner.
ARTICLE: 2009 Penticton Forum: Showcasing partnerships, collaboration, innovation and integration
“The Province’s Living Water Smart and Green Communities initiatives provide a framework and direction for convening for action in the Okanagan, on Vancouver Island and in Metro Vancouver. Each regional initiative is developing a vision and road map for achieving settlement in balance with ecology,” stated Glen Brown.