Jay Bradley (120p)
Jay Bradley, Chair of the Vancouver Island Coordinating Team (VICT), is 'walking the talk'. He is converting his backyard into a rain garden. The soil absorbs and holds water for longer periods and releases it at much slower rates.
“Since 1996 I have been working across Vancouver Island, both reviewing development proposals and monitoring project implementation. In the last couple of years I have been really pleased to see a huge shift take place in the way projects are being done. As I reflect on the current situation, it strikes me that we have created a new social norm; and it is being accepted by the development community as a whole. The change in attitude is really gaining momentum,” stated Maggie Henigman.
The Capital Regional District has developed an online Self-Guided Tour to promote awareness of innovative rainwater management practices in the region.
Mayors and Chief Administrative Officers representing the four Comox Valley local governments dropped in to show their support for the 2008 Learning Lunch Seminar Series. Sandy Gray, City of Courtenay CAO, lauded the objectives of the Learning Lunch Seminar Series. “We are thrilled by the work of CAVI. It is a tremendous initiative. The cooperation that is taking place around a consistent approach to development is very critical to all of Vancouver Island,” stated Sandy Gray.
In October 2007, the District of Sooke was one of nine communities across British Columbia to receive a grant from the Gas Tax Fund. This has enabled development of the first stand-alone Rainwater Liquid Waste Management Plan in BC.
According to David Grigg, the neighbourhood plan for the northeast area of the UBC South Campus includes an innovative rainwater management system for underground storage of rainwater runoff and pumping to sustain summer baseflow in an environmentally sensitive creek channel.
In developing the Villebois community in Oregon, Costa Pacific launched a rainwater management plan funded in part by the Environmental Protection Agency that filters and redistributes rainwater back into the ground, reducing the amount of pollutants released into the area's streams and rivers.
Dave Briglio – author of Stormwater Magazine articles
In 2007, a 3-part series focused on causes, effects, and remedies leading to the establishment and refinement of administrative procedures, professional trust, proactive approaches, and the elimination of plan implementation obstacles.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency maintains a web page that lists links to published stories on green infrastructure success throughout the United States.
In 2004 the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center in Sonoma County (California) established the WATER Institute (Watershed Advocacy, Training, Education & Research) to promote an understanding of the importance of healthy watersheds to healthy communities.
