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LIVING WATER SMART IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “I always had issues with the discipline of ecology as taught in the university system where it was very much mechanistic, Cartesian dualism of mind and body and human and nature,” stated Dr. Zbigniew Grabowski, principal author of ‘What is green infrastructure? A study of definitions in US city planning’

Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNews celebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. Stories are structured in three parts: One-Minute Takeaway, Editor’s Perspective (REPRODUCED BELOW), and the Story Behind the Story.

The edition published on May 20, 2025 featured the story of Dr. Zbigniew Grabowski, systems thinker and thought leader who advocates for a socio-ecological approach to urban green infrastructure that intertwines Indigenous knowledge. To follow his passion, he has made the leap from professor and researcher to executive director of a stewardship sector alliance that champions co-governance of a watershed.

 

EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE / CONTEXT FOR BUSY READER

“Zbigniew Grabowski is a systems thinker and thought leader,” stated Kim Stephens, Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director. “He is passionate about his mission to reimagine urban green infrastructure through a social lens. He says, I work towards transforming human-ecosystem relationships through the lenses of culture, infrastructure, and everyday life.”

Twenty years ago, British Columbia was recognized as a green infrastructure leader

“The story behind the story of Z’s seminal work on United States green infrastructure practice is eye popping. When Tim Pringle and I met with Z in 2022, we had an Aha Moment. I recall saying, bingo!”

 

 

This gem quote showed just how far ahead of the game the Partnership was in 2005. We were already there with a provincial government mandate, Design With Nature objectives for community development, and a program for peer-based learning. But in the 2010s, British Columbia lost momentum, resulting in unfulfilled promise which is playing out as organizational amnesia.

Setting the scene for a future story about Zbigniew Grabowski and Michael Blackstock

“When I reached out to Z for an update on his journey, an unexpected outcome was him connecting the dots to Michael Blackstock. So, my action item is to facilitate a conversation between Z and Michael. We will publish the story of their conversation later this year in the Fall season of Waterbucket News.”

 

 

“That never really sat well with me. I was doing work where I was trying to dissolve that paradigm and work towards another one,” explains Z. “The thought of connecting with British Columbia’s Michael Blackstock is therefore exciting. His Blue Ecology work was partially the inspiration for my doctoral thesis.”

 

Making the case for an ecosystem-based approach

“Zbigniew Grabowski and I concluded that the stories of our experience in making the Ecological Accounting Process and Blue Ecology real to British Columbia audiences can help him…just as his story can help us…by providing external frames of reference for judging progress in advancing an ecosystem-based approach,” concluded Kim Stephens,

Curious to learn more? 

Download a PDF copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Caring for the land means going beyond just doing enough. Published on January 20, 2024, it features Michael Blackstock and Tim Pringle in a conversation about interconnecting Blue Ecology and EAP.

To Learn More:

Waterbucket eNews stories are structured in three parts: One-Minute Takeaway, Editor’s Perspective and Context for Busy Reader, and the Story Behind the Story. To read the complete 3-part storyline, download a PDF  copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Reimagine urban green infrastructure as an ecosystem.

DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/05/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_Zbigniew-Grabowski-reimagines-green-infrastructure_2025.pdf