Convening for Action Launched at Okanagan Conference
“The 3-day Okanagan Conference organized by the Canadian Water Resources Association in February 2005 was the kick-off event for a sustained education process that is designed to broaden the province-wide base for this shared vision: In a fully integrated landscape, water is the unifying element,” stated Ron Smith.
Convening for Action in the South Okanagan: Regional Growth Strategy taps into Water Sustainability Action Plan
“The number one concern of local South Okanagan residents is the availability and quality of its water. Water was the main issue identified through public consultation by the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen,” reported David Arsenault.
Design with Nature & Rainwater Management: UBC-Okanagan University hosts Water Balance Model Training Workshop
“UBC-Okanagan provided the venue for this application of sustainability-on-the-ground. This was an outcome of a meeting with the Inter-Governmental Partnership, at which time we realized that UBC-Okanagan and the IGP shared a common objective in advancing the state-of-the-art for water management in the Okanagan,” stated Bernard Bauer
ARTICLE: Thinking Outside the Pipe: 2005 Rainwater Harvesting Workshop Series resonates with British Columbians
“Drawing on the experience of two international
experts, workshops held in Vancouver and in Victoria connected the dots between why harvest rainwater and how to cost-effectively implement rainwater collection, storage, treatment and delivery systems. Delegates left the workshops with a new understanding of the similarities in the challenges we now face in BC to those that Australians, Germans, Japanese and others are beginning to overcome,” wrote Colwyn Sunderland.
Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia: A Partnership Umbrella for On-the-Ground Initiatives
“The Action Plan recognizes that numerous groups and organizations implicitly share a vision for integrated water management. Hence, over time it is envisioned that other elements will be added as momentum builds and support grows province-wide for fully integrated water sustainability policies, plans and programs – resulting in conservation and stewardship practices by BC’s enterprises, institutions and in homes,” stated Kim Stephens. “The Province’s commitment to the Action Plan speaks for itself. The Ministry of Environment has provided core funding over a multi-year period to sustain Action Plan efforts.”
2005 Annual Report from the Chair of the BCWWA Water Sustainability Committee
“The Action Plan is comprehensive in scope and provides an umbrella for grassroots initiatives that are informing Provincial policy through shared responsibility. In 2004, in the second year of implementation, work continued at breakneck speed. Significant progress was made on each of the six key elements. The Action Plan is comprehensive in scope and provides an umbrella for grassroots initiatives that are informing Provincial policy through shared responsibility,” reported Ray Fung.
Inter-Association Collaboration: Convening for Action Launched at ‘Okanagan Conference’ Organized By CWRA in 2005
“The Kelowna conference was an important first step in focusing stakeholder attention on the decisions that need to be made now if we are to move towards sustainable water management in BC. Inter-association collaboration is an essential ingredient if collectively we are to create the province-wide momentum that will result in substantive change related to water management and use,” stated Don Degen. In the spirit of inter-association collaboration, the Water Sustainability Committee of the BCWWA provided the core content for Day Three of the 3-day conference.
Convening for Action in British Columbia: Turning Ideas Into Action
“Our focus is on education as the means for shifting practice in BC to address water use as an integral part of land use. We place emphasis on practitioner education. An integral part of the process is to create a picture of what the future landscape can look like. If we agree on where we wish to be in one or two generations, then we can map out the route to get there,” states Kim Stephens. “Coordination of ‘convening for action’ events generates momentum in two ways: each event builds on the last event and paves the way for the next; and coordination ensures consistent messaging.”
Water Sustainability & “Green” Subdivision Design: City of Kelowna hosted Water Balance Model Seminar in 2005
“It is a way of having some fun at the start of the workshop. It loosens the group up. It gets them thinking about real things, on the ground, so that they can begin to see how use of the Water Balance Model will help them in their day jobs. We have them work in teams,” explained Richard Boase.
Rainwater Management in Kamloops: second in series of three regional events sponsored by EMCO
“The issues and consequences related to land development are universal such that rainwater management is relevant even in a region such as Kamloops where the annual rainfall is less than 300mm,” explained Kim Stephens.