Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC

SEASON FINALE FOR WATERBUCKET.CA SERIES ON LIVING WATER SMART IN BRITISH COLUMBIA (December 2024): “Storytelling is among the oldest forms of communication,” stated Professor Rives Collins, author of ‘The Power of Story: Teaching Through Storytelling’

December 3, 2024 - Posted in water sustainability

Note to Reader:

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. Storylines accommodate a range of reader attention spans. Read the headline and move on, or take the time to delve deeper – it is your choice! Downloadable versions are available at Living Water Smart in British Columbia: The Series.

The edition published on December 3, 2024 brought to a close the Fall 2024 season of the weekly newsletter series. During the past 3-month period from September through November 2024, the Partnership for Water Sustainability has published 11 feature stories.

EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE / CONTENT FOR THE BUSY READER

“Water brings people together. It is a natural starting point for any conversation about common interests, and by extension, our shared future. Stories unite us. Water does it. Water is life,” stated Kim Stephens, Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director.

“We share our world view through our stories and storytelling. It is not the technical stuff that carries the day. It is the stories about the technical stuff that carry the day.”

“Addition of one word, WATER, can make or break whether minds open or close when an idea is introduced to an audience. It is no surprise, then, that the terms water sustainability and water reconciliation are comparatively powerful. Take a moment to think about it.”

A loss of continuity has consequences

“Never has storytelling been more important than it is today. And that is because knowledge is being lost at an alarming rate. A look into the future by Jay Bradley in 2007 has proven prescient in foreshadowing what is happening in the post-COVID era.”

“Jay Bradley’s quote nails the nub of one of the challenges of our time. And that is, loss of continuity is happening just when continuity of understanding is needed most.”

“Without the passing of that baton, those who follow will not know what they do not know. This is why stories behind the stories are important. One must look back to see ahead. But it is more than that. It is also the ability to adapt.”

“Alvin Toffler, regarded as one of the world’s outstanding futurists, stated in a 1998 interview that: Society needs all kinds of skills that are not just cognitive; they’re emotional, they’re affectional. You can’t run the society on data and computers alone.”

SEASON IN REVIEW: Headlines and Defining Quotable Quotes

“We learn through stories. This is how we pass on our oral history. Storytelling is the way we share intergenerational knowledge, experience and wisdom. This is why each and every edition of Waterbucket eNews is built around a conversational interview. We start with a compelling quotable quote and delve into the story behind the story because that is what is interesting and relevant,” continues Kim Stephens.

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024: While the housing issue dominates, “quality of life” context is as important as it was in the 1990s

To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver – Solutions to complex problems require deep knowledge.

SEPTEMBER 24, 2024: Natural Intelligence: a new paradigm for water stewardship

To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Natural Intelligence – a new paradigm for water stewardship

OCTOBER 1, 2024: When elected leaders understand what matters

To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of When an elected leader is THE CHAMPION, the community benefits

OCTOBER 8, 2024: Money is limited, attention spans are short, and choices must be made

To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Money is limited, attention spans are short, and choices must be made

OCTOBER 15, 2024: Affordable, effective, pragmatic Natural Asset Management

To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Reflections on the 3-year transition strategy for embedding EAP at Vancouver Island University -City of Nanaimo experience

OCTOBER 22, 2024: Engineering perspective grounds Natural Asset Management

To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Reflections on the 3-year transition strategy for embedding EAP at Vancouver Island University – Regional District of Nanaimo experience

OCTOBER 29, 2024: Why the Livable Region Strategic Plan matters

To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Understand why the Livable Region Strategic Plan matters

NOVEMBER 5, 2024: Land planning perspective for liability reduction along streams

To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Land planning perspective for liability reduction along streams

NOVEMBER 19, 2024: Is our food security slipping away without anyone noticing?

To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Is our food security slipping away without anyone noticing?

NOVEMBER 26, 2024: Election day flooding spurs re-set and course correction

To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Election day flooding spurs re-set and course correction

About the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC

Technical knowledge alone is not enough to resolve water challenges facing BC. Making things happen in the real world requires an appreciation and understanding of human behaviour, combined with a knowledge of how decisions are made. It takes a career to figure this out.

The Partnership has a primary goal, to build bridges of understanding and pass the baton from the past to the present and future. To achieve the goal, the Partnership is growing a network in the local government setting. This network embraces collaborative leadership and inter-generational collaboration.