Baumbrough looks at sustainability

Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: August 13, 2009 6:00 PM

Efforts are escalating to ensure Vernon responds to climate change.The green light has been given to Coun. Buffy Baumbrough to attend the Gaining Ground/Resilient Cities Urban Sustainability Conference Oct. 20 to 22. “I went last year and it’s the best conference I’ve been to,” said Baumbrough. “I learned an enormous amount of information.” The Vancouver conference will explore strategies to make cities more robust, and will enable participants to advance their thinking on three key subjects:

- innovation in sustainability governance and best current practices for managing sustainable urban systems;

-capturing opportunities in the green economy;

- strategies for building widespread sustainability collaborations that engage the community level.

“Most of the speakers are from communities that have implemented measures and I can bring them back here,” said Baumbrough of the information that she gathers when attending conferences.“I come back and ask staff, ‘Can we do this?’”Registration for the conference is $395, and there will also be costs associated with travel, but Baumbrough believes the expense is necessary if the community is going to be prepared for the future.“Change occurs at the local level. It’s up to municipalities and regional districts to put measures in place to adapt to climate change,” she said.