Overview:

Take a tour of one of the most forward thinking communities in North American. The recent host of the 2010 Winter Games and winner of numerous sustainability planning awards, including the UN sponsored Liveable Communities Award and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Sustainable Community Planning Award, a trip to Whistler will not disappoint. Learn about the community’s successes guided by The Natural Step Sustainability Framework.

The journey will begin with a stunning bus ride along the Sea to Sky Highway through the mountains and fjords of British Columbia’s west coast. We will hear how Whistler created a sustainability plan, Whistler2020, that lives and delivers results, and then take a walking tour to learn of some on-the-ground outcomes of sustainability planning and decision-making. Lunch will be traditional food served at the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre (SLCC), including a welcome and introduction by one of the SLCC ambassadors. On the way out of town we will visit the Athletes’ Village, a LEED ND Pilot Project, which was converted to the community’s newest resident neighborhood, Cheakamus Crossing. We will hear about the district energy system using heat from the wastewater treatment plant, and the unique resident restricted affordable housing model. A special treat will compliment your bus ride home. Don’t miss this opportunity to see sustainable community in action.

Schedule:

7:15 am                             Meet in hotel lobby ( North Tower)

7:30 am                             Bus departs from hotel

9:45 am                             Arrive at Whistler

10:00 am - 11:10 am      Introduction to community’s process and implementation  

11:15 am - 12:15 pm      Introduction to Living Building Challenge for local Whistler businesses;  
                                            Downtown walking tour Library, Whistler Olympic Plaza, Passive House,
                                            Whistler Blackcomb, Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Center.

12:15 pm - 1:15 pm        Lunch

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm          Tour Olympic Village – presentation on bus, wastewater treatment
                                            house and high performance center

2:30 pm - 4:30 pm          Drive back to Vancouver

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn how the Natural Step sustainability objectives were used as guiding principles in corporate and community decision-making.

2. Understand Whistler2020 and how the annual process moves the community towards sustainability.

3. Learn about some of the on-the-ground sustainability initiatives in the community.

Presenters:

Cheeying Ho, Executive Director , Whistler Centre for Sustainability

Convener/Moderator:

Regina Hauser, Executive Director , The Natural Step Network USA

Regina Hauser is Executive Director of The Natural Step Network, a non-profit organization established to motivate organizations to act sustainably. Under her leadership the educational organization’s reach is growing nationally from its base in Portland, Oregon where it began in 1997. The Natural Step uses a science-based Framework as the foundation for the Network’s strategic approach to sustainability education, training and advisory services.

Prices:

Living Future Delegates       $120
Cascadia / ILBI Member      $135
Non-member Registration   $170
Limited spaces so book early!