Whistling in the wind? I don't think so

How a Canadian mountain resort became a model of sustainability

Let’s face it, very few of us like Monday mornings, but the beginning of last week was truly a depressing wake-up call for me. I contemplated hiding away under my quilt as the alarm clicked in and BBC radio reeled off the latest on government spending cuts and potential job losses. As the commentators considered what cuts of 20% here and 40% there might mean, I thought of our construction partners as Building Schools for the Future was shelved, and wondered about the prospects for colleagues in local authorities striving to implement low-carbon infrastructure.

But thankfully, my day did get better. I’d organised a Forum network seminar with Ken Melamed, the Mayor of Whistler, to talk about how the Canadian mountain resort community is implementing an ambitious plan to achieve a prosperous and sustainable future. For those of you who don’t know, as well as co-hosting the recent Winter Olympics, Whistler is seen as an exemplar in terms of community planning, with a systems-led approach to sustainable development at its core.

A decade ago the Natural Step framework (http://www.forumforthefuture.org/projects/the-natural-step) was used to inspire, align and guide the community toward a shared vision of sustainability and success. Ken talked about how Whistler2020 (www.whistler2020.ca) lays out a vision, prioritised strategies and action planning process – guiding strategic planning and actions over time. There is also regular and transparent reporting on progress. Drawing on local and external knowledge, Whistler2020 informs decision-making, optimises use of limited resources and provides a framework for aligning community efforts in a common direction.

Today, Ken talks about Whistler2020 being a ‘living’ plan, driving ongoing progress, and being informed by community members, including local businesses. And this long-term plan is leading to significant change on the ground. We heard about how they used the Winter Olympics and Paralympics as a vehicle to accelerate the journey the community is on. This allowed them to complete 30 green building projects, to showcase clean technologies and green building techniques, to pilot a hydrogen-fuelled bus transit scheme, and to create hundreds of low-impact, affordable homes.

But the key message for me was the role of strong and pragmatic leadership through good times and bad. It’s clear from talking to Ken that he knows that Whistler is on a journey and it’s taken a lot of time to get all the necessary stakeholders on board. Barriers have had to be overcome, cynics convinced and some trade-offs made. But at the same time, Whistler has not waited for national government to legislate or tax, or for consumers to demand change.

Where feasible they have adopted innovation and piloted new ideas. The community has experimented with new ways to finance projects for the long term, and has restructured the municipal government around five strategic priorities. They have a plan that is now city-led, but community-owned. It is proving to be workable and Whistler’s approach is now being adopted by much larger towns and communities across Canada.

True, Whistler has some way to go before it is truly sustainable, and still faces significant challenges as a tourist destination. But there is a clear appreciation that uncontrolled growth is unsustainable, and that adding value and doing more with the community’s existing infrastructure and resources is the way forward.

Some may argue that Whistler is different from many of our communities here in the UK, but I believe that there are many lessons that we can learn about long-term planning, community engagement, innovation and implementation. Perhaps most importantly, I get the impression that Whistler will not be diverted from the long-term path it has set, and will continue to demonstrate the strong leadership and clear sense of direction which many of our partners should aspire to, even in the most testing of economic times.

I felt a lot better Tuesday morning.