Don Degen (City of Kelowna):
New landscaping standards will help to reduce water consumption across the city and reduce residential landscaping water consumption by a further 15 per cent. This makes Kelowna the first city in BC to set this level of landscape water usage standards.
This is the first comprehensive analysis of the water soft path, drawing on studies from Canada and around the world. The book demonstrates that soft path analyses are both analytical and practical. It emphasizes that soft paths, beyond being conceptually attractive, can be economically and politically feasible.
Program provide residents with the tools to reduce water and energy use, save on energy and water bills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated through water heating.
Ted van der Gulik (BC Ministry of Agriculture):
Conference will bring together local government elected officials and staff from throughout the Columbia Basin to learn from leading practitioners.
Ontario's Bill 72 has a strong potential to set a new standard for water conservation policy across Canada.
The Comox Valley Regional District has recognized two homeowners and one local business for creating water wise landscapes and for their commitment to reducing water consumption.
Mike Zbarsky (120p) – Comox Valley Regional District
Development activity and population growth is putting extreme pressure on regional water resources. A key message is that the Comox Valley needs to use less water for a number of reasons.
The Comox Valley Regional District has launched a pilot toilet rebate program as part of its plan to achieve a 27 percent reduction in water consumption by 2014.
After a series of focus groups with Kelowna homeowners, it became apparent that there were three key reasons why residents used so much water: 1) poor soil conditions; 2) inefficient use of automatic irrigation systems; and 3) lack of education.
To help homeowners conserve water and save energy costs, the City of Surrey has implemented a voluntary water metering incentive program. The public outreach program that outlined the benefits of metering over flat rate services was key to the City of Surrey making the switch to water metering.
