VICT members share their success stories at the 2007 Green Infrastructure Leadership Forum on Vancouver Island

Communities in the Georgia Basin are being transformed by settlement and economic growth. While the province has been experiencing a development boom, the need to mitigate pressures on land and water resources has provided a driver for a ‘green infrastructure’ movement that is water-centric and is founded on a natural systems approach.

In 2007, Convening for Action on Vancouver Island and the Association of Vancouver Island Coastal Communities partnered to organize the Green Infrastructure Leadership Forum, held in Nanaimo. This event was designed to start a conversation that would lead to a region-wide dialogue about achieving settlement in balance with ecology.

The Leadership Forum was structured in two parts. In the morning, there was a ‘roundtable sharing session’ that enabled VICT members to elaborate on the value and power of the 2007 Showcasing Green Infrastructure Innovation Series as a regional team-building opportunity. This celebration of on-the-ground successes energized Forum participants and prepared them for the ‘brainstorming session’ that followed in the afternoon.

“The Showcasing Innovation Series was an energizing experience because we saw how excited people became,” observes Chris Jensen, VICT Co-Chair. “When we reflected on what was taking place within these host local governments, it became clear to us that we were observing a ‘culture of doing’ that makes it possible for champions to emerge.”

In the afternoon, Leadership Forum participants divided into breakout groups to explore how regional growth strategies can be aligned with A Positive Settlement Strategy.

Posted September 2009