Kate Miller champions 'regional team approach' to rainwater management and green infrastructure in the Cowichan Valley
Rainwater Management & Green Infrastructure
Kate Miller, Manager of Regional Environmental Policy with the Cowichan Valley Regional District (and a founding member of VICT), was an early proponent of a 'regional team approach' to rainwater management and green infrastructure. Her leadership led to the Cowichan Valley Regional District hosting the first of the two pilot Vancouver Island Learning Lunch Seminar Series in 2008.
The Cowichan program was launched on June 6, 2008 when the first of three sessions in the Cowichan Valley Series was held at the Freshwater Ecocentre in Duncan. The program was developed by an organizing committee comprising representatives of the Cowichan Valley Regional District, District of North Cowichan, and City of Duncan.
About the Cowichan Valley Series
The Cowichan Valley Series comprised a set of three seminars during the June-July 2008 period. The seminars were designed to provide an inter-departmental learning opportunity for collaborative exploration. The series was conducted as a cumulative process, from philosophy to tools. The desired outcome was a common understanding and consistent messaging regarding expectations at local government front counters.
According to Kate Miller, “A message that we are hearing from local government, and certainly from the Province, is the increased expectation for 
rainwater management. For that reason, we brought together this inter-governmental group to develop a policy framework for our region. Through the Learning Lunch Seminars, we are hoping to foster a dialogue that will result in adoption of a set of tools for implementing green infrastructure that is based on a rainwater management way-of-thinking.”
To read the complete set of Cowichan Valley stories posted on Water Bucket, click on Cowichan Valley Learning Lunch Seminar Series.
Posted September 2009