SEASON FINALE FOR WATERBUCKET.CA SERIES ON LIVING WATER SMART IN BRITISH COLUMBIA (June 2025): In essence, “know your history, learn from history” is a reminder that the past holds valuable lessons that can guide us towards a better present and future
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. Stories are structured in three parts: One-Minute Takeaway, Editor’s Perspective, and the Story Behind the Story.
The edition published on June 3, 2025 brought to a close the Winter /Spring 2025 season of the weekly newsletter series. During the past 3-month period from January through May 2025, the Partnership for Water Sustainability published 19 feature stories.
Know your history; learn from history – season finale
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. Stories unite us. Water does it. Water is life.
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
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. It is reinforced by the following quote from legendary columnist Thomas Friedman.
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.”
EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE / SEASON IN REVIEW
“Nineteen stories in five months. This is how we pass on oral history. With this 20th edition, we bring to a close the current season (January through June 2024) of the Waterbucket eNews weekly newsletter series,” stated Kim Stephens, Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director.
“We celebrate the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. We start with a compelling quotable quote and delve into the “story behind the story” because that is what is interesting and relevant.”
“We have kept this season in review simple. To refresh reader memories about the topics and how much ground we have covered, we have brought forward the headline plus defining quotable quote from each of the 19 storylines.”
SEASON IN REVIEW: Headlines and Defining Quotable Quotes
JANUARY 21, 2025: Will 2025 be the year of the re-set?
To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Will 2025 be the year of the re-set?
JANUARY 28, 2025: Remembering Barry Janyk, political champion for Smart Development
To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Remembering Barry Janyk, political champion for Smart Development.
FEBRUARY 4, 2025: Counterbalance Artificial Intelligence with Natural Intelligence!
To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Counterbalance Artificial Intelligence with Natural Intelligence!
FEBRUARY 11, 2025: Confront the problems, operationalize sustainable service delivery! |
To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Confront the problems, operationalize sustainable service delivery!
FEBRUARY 18, 2025: Nature-First Cities – restoring relationships with ecosystems and with each other |
To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Nature-First Cities – restoring relationships with ecosystems and with each other
FEBRUARY 25, 2025: Network of networks in Cowichan Region is like a forest ecosystem
To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Network of networks in Cowichan Region is like a forest ecosystem
MARCH 4, 2025: Overcoming fear and doubt to build a community atop Burnaby Mountain
To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Overcoming fear and doubt to build a community atop Burnaby Mountain
MARCH 11, 2025: Food security is at the intersection of land, water, agriculture, and climate
To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Food security is at the intersection of land, water, agriculture, and climate
MARCH 18, 2025: Melting Glaciers, Healthy Watersheds, and You
To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Melting Glaciers, Healthy Watersheds, and You
MARCH 25, 2025: BC snowpack levels are in the RED zone!
To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of BC snowpack levels are in the RED zone!
APRIL 21, 2025: Livability of Southwest BC at a crossroads, again
To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Livability of Southwest BC at a crossroads, again
APRIL 8, 2025: Urban streams are municipal assets; they supply ecological services
To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Urban streams are municipal assets; they supply ecological services
APRIL 15, 2025: waterbucket.ca, Storytelling Platform for an Ecosystem-Based Approach to Land and Water Use
To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of waterbucket.ca, Storytelling Platform for an Ecosystem-Based Approach to Land and Water Use
APRIL 22, 2025: Lynn Kriwoken, champion for Living Water Smart
To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Lynn Kriwoken, champion for Living Water Smart
APRIL 29, 2025: Erik Karlsen, an extraordinary legacy
To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Erik Karlsen, an extraordinary legacy
MAY 6, 2025: Mobilize Stewardship Groups, Close Data Gap in Community Planning |
To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Mobilize Stewardship Groups, Close Data Gap in Community Planning
MAY 13, 2025: Regional Team Approach to Municipal Collaboration Powers Change |
To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Regional Team Approach to Municipal Collaboration Powers Change
MAY 20, 2025: What’s in a definition? Reimagine urban green infrastructure as an ecosystem
To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Reimagine urban green infrastructure as an ecosystem
MAY 27, 2025: A watershed moment for reconciliation in the Cowichan region on Vancouver Island
To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of A watershed moment for reconciliation in Cowichan region
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.
TO LEARN MORE, VISIT: https://waterbucket.ca/about-us/
DOWNLOAD: https://waterbucket.ca/atp/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2024/01/PWSBC_Annual-Report-2023_as-published.pdf