October 22/99

Sunshine Coast conference highlights sustainability

tephanie Forsyth, dean of

College/Community Partnerships,
was an active participant September 23
to 25 in Sechelt’s first annual
conference on Creating a Living
Economy. The event focused on
sustainable economic development on
the Sunshine Coast and was hosted by
the Madrona Institute. This Institute is
an umbrella partnership established
earlier this year by Capilano College,
the District of Sechelt, Community
Futures Development Corporation of
the Sunshine Coast, and the Sunshine
Coast Regional District.

Named after the hardy and beautiful
arbutus tree (Pacific Madrone), which
is found in abundance on the
Northwest Coast, the Madrona
Institute was established to address
significant local issues, as well as
issues which affect communities
globally.

Some highlights of this year’s
conference included: a presentation on

accommodating growth in the Georgia
Basin by Mike Harcourt, former B.C.
premier and senior associate of the
Sustainable Development Research
Institute at the University of British
Columbia; a witty and insightful closing
banquet speech by Peter C. Newman,
author of Titans (third in a series on the
Canadian establishment) and longtime
former editor-in-chief of MacLean’s;
and an eye-opening delivery by Dian
Cohen, cohost of This Week in Business
for World Affairs (BBC) and author of
No Small Change, Success in Canada’s
New Economy. These were just a few in
an impressive lineup of keynote
speakers participating in this dynamic
two-day conference.

The final day of the event was capped
off by a world café and plenary session
cohosted by Stephanie and Jan
Edmison, vice-president of Butler
Research Associates. They led
conference delegates through a powerful
model of creative collaboration and

ISW participants are, standing from left, Laura Pollard, John Harvey, Jan
O’Brien, Marilyn Taylor, Deborah Guspie, and Mia Gaguen. In front, from left,
workshop facilitators Crystal Hurdle and Jessie Pendygrasse.

collective thinking designed to stimulate
cooperative problem-solving and
interactive exchange — in essence,
creating a mini learning community.

An exciting result of the world café
session was the commitment by
participants to follow up on this
collaborative round table event on
October 21.

What became clear throughout the
two days was the critical role of
education in any sustainable and
thriving community. At the closing
banquet, Peter Newman rightly noted
the role of Capilano College in taking
the lead in delivering a broad range of
excellent training and education to the
graduates and future generations of the
Sunshine Coast — the builders of
community in the quickly approaching
new millennium.

Cheers from Sechelt, and here’s to a
bright and sustainable year 2000!

Submitted by Denise Olaguer,

ISW
participants
have fun in
the sun

his group of Capilano College

instructors recently completed an
Instructional Skills Workshop with
facilitators, Crystal Hurdle and Jessie
Pendygrasse. A rich and rewarding
time was had by all.

If anyone is interested in a future
ISW, please call Annette Lorek, chair
of the Faculty Development
committee, at local 2143.

Submitted by Crystal Hurdle

@nformer