In 2012, the Fresh Outlook Foundation is hosting the 5th edition of the Building SustainAble Communities conference. It will be held in Kelowna, BC from February 27 through March 1. The conference program was inspired by 75 experts on 11 planning committees.
“With more than 250 speakers and industry experts addressing a huge range of topics, it promises to be a must-attend event for anyone passionate about community sustainability,” reports Joanne deVries, Fresh Outlook Founder and CEO.
“There is a special day-long session devoted to sustainable water management issues. Six panel sessions will address different aspects of water and provide a broad-brush picture of the innovation that is emerging in British Columbia. The six sessions will address source water protection, water valuation & costing, sustainable wastewater management, sustainable infrastructure delivery, water efficiency & conservation, and sustainable rainwater management.”
“The Sustainable Infrastructure Delivery and Sustainable Rainwater Management sessions will set the stage for hands-on training at a companion event organized on March 1st by the Okanagan Basin Water Board: Keeping up with the Climate, Keeping up with Technology: Tools Workshop.”
TO LEARN MORE: The Building SustainAble Communities Conference program features a wide range of plenaries, breakouts, panels, forums, debates, and interactive sessions to provide opportunities for enhanced communication and collaboration. To learn more, click on Program at a Glance.
A LOOK AHEAD TO 'TOOLS WORKSHOP': If climate change mitigation is about greenhouse gases, climate change adaptation is about water. Municipalities will face unprecedented pressure on their water resources and municipal infrastructure, and adaptation is key to building healthy, sustainable communities.
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A number of tools have been created to help municipalities adapt to climate change. The Okanagan Basin Water Board will be hosting a workshop to get these tools in the hands of the people that need them by bringing in the experts to answer questions and provide hands-on training," reports Anna Warwick Sears, Executive Director.Tools include the Water Balance Model, Public Infrastructure Engineering Vulnerability Committee Protocol (PIEVC), Okanagan Irrigation Management Tool, and Streamlined Water Use Reporting Tool.
Do you wonder how communities can reduce our ‘water footprint’ by ‘designing with nature’? --- The Water Balance Model is a unique web-based scenario comparison tool. Powered by the proven QUALHYMO calculation engine, the Water Balance Model bridges planning and engineering, links development sites to the stream and watershed, and helps define science-based performance targets (for runoff volume and streamflow duration).
Recently rebuilt on a Linux platform, it now has “launch buttons” at three scales: SITE, NEIGHBOURHOOD and WATERSHED. The addition of three more modules - Climate Change, Stream Erosion and Rainwater Harvesting – provides expanded capabilities. More modules will be unveiled in early 2012, including the Drainage Infrastructure Screening Tool and the Tree Canopy Module. ·
E-Blast #2011-66
December 15, 2011
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