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Sustainability seminar lays the groundwork for The Natural Step

The Resort Municipality of Whistler and various early adopters of The Natural Step (TNS) sustainability plan made one thing clear during the course of an all-day seminar and workshop on Dec.

The Resort Municipality of Whistler and various early adopters of The Natural Step (TNS) sustainability plan made one thing clear during the course of an all-day seminar and workshop on Dec. 7: it is no longer a question of "if" environmental sustainability is in Whistler’s best interest, but how and when it should be implemented.

More than 200 people, representing business and government from Whistler and around B.C., attended the seminar, which was meant to introduce TNS and collect feedback from participants on how it could be introduced to and implemented in the general public.

"We were trying to get people motivated, and turning around and asking participants what they feel it would take to get other people motivated, and how they would like the program rolled out to them," says Mayor Hugh O’Reilly. "What’s the best way we can introduce this to make sure people are going to want to receive it."

After listening to various speakers, including TNS experts from Europe and representatives from organizations which have already adopted The Natural Step program, the 200 members were divided into groups and asked what it would take for them to buy in, and how they would package the program to sell to others.

The group of Whistler’s "Early Adopters", including the municipality, Whistler-Blackcomb, The Chateau Whistler, Tourism Whistler and Foto Source, will take those suggestions and try to work them into a package before TNS is introduced to the general Whistler public in March.

"We already have a number of initiatives underway," says O’Reilly. "There’s a video planned and some toolkits, we’re putting a common language together and a whole program and booklet so everyone is working from the same premises and understanding."

The Natural Step Program is the brainchild of Dr. Karl-Henrick Robert of Sweden, a leading cancer researcher who became concerned that the environment was continuing to deteriorate while scientists squabbled over the issues.

By doing extensive research and meeting with scientists, he produced a set of four basic system conditions that were incontrovertible, that all scientists agree with.

The first system condition is that substances from the earth’s crust – minerals, petroleum, and other materials – should not be extracted at a faster rate than they are replaced, otherwise they will accumulate as waste.

The second condition is that man-made substances should not be produced at a faster rate than they can be broken down. Otherwise they will accumulate and cause damage. This includes chemical compounds that are persistent, bio-accumulative and that aren’t easily broken down, like plastics, PCBs, and Freon.

The third condition is that we should not diminish the productivity or diversity of nature, harvesting our ecosystems at a faster rate than they can replenish themselves. This applies to fisheries, forestry, agriculture and society.

The fourth condition is that we have to use energy efficiently and meet human needs with fewer demands and a fairer distribution of our resources.

By applying these system conditions to Whistler, O’Reilly and the Early Adopters believe we can make Whistler environmentally sustainable for the future.

"It is a major priority for us, right up there with our major directives," says O’Reilly. "The number one thing mentioned, alluded to by Suzanne (Denbak), was that when we put together our vision document, protecting the environment was the number one unanimous response we had."

Early Adopters feel that The Natural Step will do more for Whistler than ensure clean air and water. As the economy slowly becomes "greener" and more people start to think about the environment, they believe that TNS could be a competitive advantage: given a choice between a holiday and an environmentally friendly holiday, most people will eventually opt for the second choice.

"We should be moving towards environmental sustainability, not just at the business level, but for the entire community," says Denbak. "Whether you run a business, or are just here for the mountains, our environment is who we are, what we sell, and what we position against the competition.

"We need to regard the land in a proactive and timely way. One trend is that there is a growing concern with the impact of tourism on the environment. Tourism communities and businesses are not in the sights of environmental organizations. Mining and logging have been targeted and tourism is next."

She pointed to a recent case where the Sierra Club sued the Hawaiian Tourism Bureau for an initiative that would have substantially increased tourism without an environmental assessment of the initiative’s effects on the State’s already endangered species and ecosystems. The case attracted world-wide attention.

Environmental groups have also targeted ski areas and challenged skiers to look at the environmental record of a town before making a decision.

"This is all happening at a time when consumers have more access to information than ever before through the Internet. Personal values in respect to the environment are making people more prudent in the products and services they buy," says Denbak.

"Whistler needs a change of course, to have a process in place that will take us to environmental sustainability, to show people that we are being proactive and responsible with our environment. It’s a story to promote to the world. It will encourage customers to consider environmental records before they make plans… and a competitive advantage."

At the core of The Natural Step is the principle that environmentalism doesn’t cost money, it generates it through enlightened customers and a more streamlined and sustainable way of doing business.

Over the winter months, the Early Adopters and senior management within the municipality will be meeting with one another and local businesses to sign on more companies and help drum up support in the community. About 40 people have already participated in a program that will enable them to train others in the meaning and implementation of TNS.

"Just the fact that people are being audited, and graded, and people are asking questions that have never been heard before is a sign that people are more aware and that it’s time to start taking sustainability to heart," says O’Reilly.

"We anticipated this, so we’re way ahead of other communities already. We understand that it’s part of the survival and sustainability of the resort, and our goal is to be able to position ourselves as the leaders."

The municipality will be introducing TNS over the next few months, until it becomes an official policy.