“Seattle may well lag behind the rest of region in implementing change, but it stands on the threshold of taking a step that's perhaps more important: committing to the right goals, and throwing the muscle behind those goals to set real, systemic change in motion,” wrote Alex Steffen.
“I don’t worry so much about oil, because you have alternate sources of energy. I worry about water and I worry about phosphorus. Without ‘em, nothing can live. Nutrient removal and recovery is a good example of what we must continue to espouse – resource recovery and reuse MUST be part of everyday life in a modern society, to sustain our enviable lifestyle,” stated Don Mavinic.
The problem is that paved surfaces contribute to stormwater pollution. The solution is clear. Removal of impervious pavements will reconnect people to the natural world.
Brock Dolman (120p) – WATER Institute
The workshop provides a timely forum for 'convening for action' to advance a new culture for watershed protection and restoration in British Columbia. There is a need in many areas for human development designs to move from drainage to retainage.
“Green infrastructure is a fiscally responsible and environmentally sustainable answer to today’s water challenges. It manages rainwater by treating it like a resource – and it works with nature, rather than against it,” writes Gart Belan.
At the 2009 Comox Valley Learning Lunch Series, Rob Buchan explained how the Development Review Committee is helping to achieve the City’s sustainability vision.
The EPA is in the process of developing a comprehensive strategy for incorporating green infrastructure more broadly into its clean water rules.
The policy makers have jumped on the low-impact development (LID) bandwagon and have given the marching orders to staff: LID for everyone! Come back with an implementation plan.
Towns and cities tend to put into sharp relief some of the key problems we are facing as a society. So they are a good place to start when try to illustrate just where green spaces can deliver significant improvements for relatively little cost.
The City continues to receive recognition for its progress in the area of sustainability, with the latest award from the Canadian Institute of Planners in the category of Environmental Planning.
