Blogs

Can design by committee work for infrastructure projects?

The article quoted in my previous post on Integrated Sewerage Systems has critics claiming that with an extension granted by the Province for completion of the sewer upgrade project in Victoria, BC, the Capital Regional District should seek a wide base of input and comment on the viability of integration options for the proposed sewerage treatment system.

This puts the engaged consultants in a difficult position. Outside interest and comment on design ideas is often welcomed, but should changes be made to the design or a shift in the project priorities occur, who defines the change in scope and the appropriate compensation for the work undertaken.  read more »

One of the recent innovations in wastewater is the integration of sewerage treatment and disposal with district heating and energy generation. In the Kootenays, the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary is in the middle of a Liquid Waste Management Plan, much like other communities and regions around the province of BC. At a preliminary stage, the plan describes several options available to the regional district to improve the treatment of sewerage, and capacity of the plant. One concept that hasn't been discussed in the local example, seems to be gaining ground in the Capital Regional District (CRD) - integration of systems.

Victoria News - Your Best source for Local Community News delivered in print or online

"This is not just a sewage issue anymore", he said. "It has moved into a system integrated urban design problem."

The provincial Integrated Resource Management study, released in May, pointed out opportunities for cross integration of systems, such as heating and organic waste.

The concept of integrated systems has only recently been introduced to North America, after years of success in some European countries. From a sustainability perspective, it only makes sense to be seeking symbyotic relationships between infrasrtucture projects.

Technorati Tags: sewerage, sewer, water, CRD, Capital Regional District, Victoria, BC, technology, district heating, integrated sewer, sustainability

Playgrounds should be safe for kids, right. Well Playworld, one of the major playground component manufacturer in the US has gone PVC-Free.

Playworld Systems, Inc. Is First Major U.S. Playground Manufacturer To Eliminate PVC From Products

Playworld Systems, Inc., a leading international manufacturer of playgrounds and playground equipment, has announced that it will become the first major playground manufacturer to abandon the use of polyvinyl chloride plastic (PVC) in its products. PVC, commonly knows as “vinyl” has been a significant component in playground equipment for decades. However, recent private and public studies have indicated it is environmentally unsound and a potential health risk.
“We have a responsibility to the environment and the children who use our playgrounds to do everything in our power to use the most environmentally friendly substances” said Matt Miller, president of Playworld Systems. “We are proud to be the first major playground manufacturer to do something about the actual problem of PVC and not just ‘offset’ its effects by other means.”

For those who don’t know about the health risks of PVC, read the Greenpeace page on the PVC issue.

Support manufacturers who choose to minimize their impact, I don’t know much else about Playworld, other than the fact that their equipment is fun, colourful and now a whole lot Greener.

It’s been a good weekend here in the Kootenays. Hot. Castlegar opened the new Spirit Square and City Hall with a fine celebration, I picked a bunch of super juicy apples from random abandoned orchards around town, then I took a ride down the Slocan River in a tube as the sun set over the mountains. Today I had a traditional Doukhabor lunch at a friend’s parents house in Shoreacres as we discussed the old days of growing wheat in this valley, and the lost art of self sustaining gardening/farming.

Summer is truly about getting out and enjoying wherever you live. Out on the water, on a farm, or in the community, these interactions and activities give clarity to the region and community we live in. If things are going to change due to Climate Change or Peak Oil, these bonds and the great moments we can have in community will strengthen as life becomes simpler by necessity, and possibly harsher, if technology can’t provide the answers to replace the massive amounts of energy that support our diet and lifestyles.

The environmental movement has united people from all walks of life. This from George Monbiot…

Monbiot.com » Hypocrites Unite!

Environmentalism is the most politically diverse movement in history. Here in the climate camp I have met anarchists, communists, socialists, liberals, conservatives and – mostly - pragmatists. I remember sitting in a campaign meeting during the Newbury bypass protests and marvelling at the weirdness of our coalition. In the front row sat the local squirearchy: brigadiers in tweeds and enormous moustaches, titled women in twinsets and headscarves. In the middle were local burghers of all shapes and sizes. At the back sat the scuzziest collection of grunge-skunks I have ever laid eyes on. The audience disagreed about every other subject under the sun – if someone had asked us to decide what day of the week it was, the meeting would have descended into fisticuffs - but everyone there recognised that our quality of life depends on the quality of our surroundings.

Do you fit into any of these groups? Does the environmental movement suffer or gain because it is so broad?

The Tyee online magazine has an excellent article about the shrinking, aging communities of Northern Vancouver Island...
North Island Dreams of Better Days :: News :: thetyee.ca

The demographics of the North Island aren't encouraging. According to B.C. Stats, the population of the region in 2006 was 12,489 -- about the same as one square kilometre of downtown Vancouver. The region's total population has fallen about 2 per cent a year over the last decade.
That population is aging as well as shrinking. In 2006, about a quarter of North Islanders were young people under 18. By 2016, they'll be down to about one in five. Seniors were 7.7 per cent of the population in 2006, and by 2016 they'll be 13.6 per cent.

Hit hard by struggling forestry and fishery industries, tourism is doing little to maintain economic viability, with ferry and fuel prices continually on the rise just getting there is half the issue.
The challenges of maintaining a level of community are huge...

Now the money is coming from outsiders who buy waterfront houses, sight unseen, for $300,000 -- and then live in them for maybe a month or two every summer.  Becoming a getaway for rich Vancouverites and Americans isn't just a step down for the North Island. It means young people like Kirié McMurchy and her classmates will never be able to afford to come back. Visitors and residents alike seem to have mixed feelings about the future. They'd like the North Island to stay the way it is, but they realize it can't.

The North Island was reliant for years on strong readily available primary industries and cheap gas, without these two things the communities must shrink or adapt. Sound like a small mountain community in the Kootenays?

Technorati Tags: rural, Vancouver Island, BC, British Columbia, Canada, forestry, fising, natural resources, primary industries, economy, gas, North Island, tourism