Water Sustainability: from awareness to action in British Columbia

Water - Choosing Sustainability for Life and Livelihoods

Partnerships, partnerships, partnerships! This was the key message at a half-day reporting out session on ‘Water Sustainability – Convening for Action in British Columbia’, held as part of the 2007 Annual Conference of the British Columbia Water & Waste Association (BCWWA). Held in Penticton, the conference theme was “Working Towards Sustainable Communities”.  

According to Jim Levin, BCWWA President, “This phrase captures a common element in our day-to-day work regardless of the kind of work we are engaged in. Fundamentally, most of what we do is tied to trying to overcome the challenges presented by our communities whether as a municipal employee, consultant or supplier. Events like this conference are opportunities to learn through the exhibits, technical presentations, demonstrations, tours and discussions with delegates. It is this sharing of experience that moves us toward creating better and more sustainable communities.

CONVENING FOR ACTION IN BC: The Convening for Action session at the BCWWA Conference provided implementation updates on how a water-centric approach to community planning and development is being advanced under the partnership umbrella of the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia.

According to Lynn Kriwoken, Director of the Ministry of Environment's Water Stewardship Division, "Water is the piece that integrates everything that we care about. You will note that we are using the phrase water stewardship, not water management. Stewardship is about replacing self interest, dependency and control with service, responsibility and partnership."

TO LEARN MORE: To download a copy of an article published in September 2007 by Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine, please click on this link to Water Sustainability: from awareness to action in British Columbia. The half-day program comprised a set of cascading presentations, with each presentation addressing an element of the Action Plan.