Here is a summary /synopsis of my (John Juricic) efforts to date on this file. It helps contextualize the activity I’m involved with and allows other staff/volunteers to fit in and align. Of the three main categories within a Sustainable Community Development enterprise (Socio/Political, Corporate/Economic & Environmental), my specific interest lies within the Corporate/Economic sustainability sphere.
It’s easier to organize these activities into Etraffic Solutions/Harbour Digital Media, Chamber & Community based categories.
Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce (GVCC)
– I am Past Co-Chair of the Sustainable Futures Sub-Committee of the GVCC Policy Committee. Here were the 2010 Committee objectives:
- To foster and develop an environmentally positive and encouraging operational framework within the administration of the Chamber of Commerce.
- To facilitate education related activities (seminars, weblinks, forums, articles) for Chamber members on environmental, climate and sustainable business development topics.
- To research carbon swapping and/or cap and trade business processes, institutions and policy and determine how this set of activities could impact Chamber members and businesses.
- To provide research and policy development assistance to the Policy Committee on environmental, climate and sustainable business development topics where applicable and/or required.
– I have fostered leadership and momentum on this file via my involvement as Chair of the Victoria Chamber of Commerce (2009) and my current role as Board Member of the BC Chamber of Commerce.
– I have approached Toni Melli, VIATeC’s (Vancouver Island Advanced Technology Center) Chair of VIATeC’s Sustainability Peer Round Table, in an effort to coordinate our organization’s efforts on this file.
Etraffic Solutions / Harbour Digital Media
– At Etraffic, we strongly promoted environmental sustainability as a key benefit to using online learning resources.
– Etraffic had discussions with the Municipality of Langford towards the creation of a Canadian based LEEDS certification program with online learning components. This certification process is part of a larger Langford based initiative towards defining Sustainable Community based standards for municipalities.
– Harbour Digital Media has engaged in a strategic partnership with Dr. Avi Friedman, Professor of Architecture & Director, Affordable Homes Research Group, McGill University School of Architecture.
Economic changes, demographic transformations and environmental constraints make the quest to find sustainable urban development and affordable housing solutions more urgent than ever. Inability of young people to purchase a home has opened a social gap that stands to threaten our social fabric. In addition,global warming, the depletion of natural resources and increased pollution have heightened the needs to create residential environments that are in tune with these realities.
Dr. Friedman has created a series of workshops and lectures in which he conveys the background causes, principles and examples for the design of affordable homes and sustainable communities. One-day or two-day seminars on either of these topics are offered. If applicable, Dr. Friedman can give a single one-hour long lecture on a topic as a keynote address or a workshop.
Community
– I have spoken and discussed Sustainable Community Development initiatives with many local folks. Those include:
- Kim Fowler, Sustainability Director with the City of Victoria.
- David Moffat, Director Business Development & Lauren Zacour, Marketing Development with the Pacific Carbon Trust.
- Colleen Sparks, Director, Climate Action Secretariat.
- Sarah Webb, Climate Action Coordinator, Capital Regional District (CRD). The CRD & GVCC are in discussions towards partnering on a “Green Start Business Program”, a project in 2010/2011 that would focus on providing support to small and medium sized businesses in reducing energy consumption and enhancing environmental stewardship through their operations.
- I had an active dialogue with Meredith Severin, Climate Action Officer with the Vancouver based British Consulate-General. The British are global leaders on this file and Meredith is particularly interested in my activity relating to corporate & economic sustainability.
- Scott MacDonald – CEO Pacific Carbon Trust. This Crown Corporation is very interested in being part of community efforts to promote this file.
- Janice Adair – Seattle based Special Assistant to the Dircetor – Climate Policy, Washington State.
– I have had active discussions with UVIC based folks including:
- Dr. Mike Valente, past UVIC Professor in Strategic & Business Sustainability. Mike has put me in touch with the UVIC Business Sustainability Club and helped arrange a guest speaking appearance on an “Burning Issues” panel discussion at the 2010 UVIC Leadership Conference (http://www.uvlc.ca/).
- Dr. Ali Dastmalchian, Dean, UVIC Business Faculty.
- Ken Babich, Director, Purchasing Services, UVIC. Ken arranged for me to speak at the 2009 Canadian Public Procurement Council’s Annual Conference in Victoria – “A dialogue about Business and Societal Leadership Principles – How the Mother of all Recessions has forced an unprecedented Paradigm Shift for Business Practises” with an emphasis on corporate environmental stewardship.
- Dr. Andrew Weaver – Professor, Nobel Prize Laureate & Director, The Carbon Solution.
– In 2010 I was part of a trip to Seattle with Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin. We were promoting the notion of a “Cascadia Business & Economic Development Zone”between Victoria, Vancouver & Seattle. A key economic development component of this activity will be the promotion of Lower Vancouver Island as a Global Leader in Sustainable Community Development practices, also a key component of the Greater Victoria Economic Development Agencies (http://www.gvda.ca/focus) economic development initiatives. We were successful in coordinating & focussing regional activity on this file towards the Victoria based Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Annual Sustainability Conference in February 2011.
More recently, John has been active in the promotion of the following Sustainable Community Development Initiatives: Consultant Co-Founder – CRD/GVCC based “Green Start Business Program”, Consultant Co-Founder – Cascadia Business & Economic Development Zone / Seattle, Vancouver & Victoria “Green Innovation Partnership”, Co-Chair – GVCC Sustainable Futures Sub-Committee & Chair – City of Victoria Sustainable Development Community Advisory Panel to the Mayor’s Office.