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Whistler, I ts Our Future -- SustainI t

Characteristics of Sustainable DestinationResort Communities

BACKGROUND REPORT

R. Warren Flint

Ford C. Frick

Ann Duffy

Jean Brittingham

Kim Stephens

Patrick Graham

Cathy Borgmeyer

August 23, 2002


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Executive Summary

As a resort community, Whistler is known as a back-country retreat, alpine playground, internationalphenomenon, hot property, and premier destination resort. Presently, Whistler owes much of its successto the growth and development guidelines established by the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) andOfficial Community Plan (OCP).

The Whistler community has indicated, however, that it wants to explore its role as a sustainable premierdestination resort. As such, the resort community is now posing the following strategic questions.

When is the quality of place is eclipsed by quantity of place?

When does an environment that was uniquely fresh become stale?

How can individuals be influenced to make decisions that have long term benefits?

When does the icon fail to live up to the visitors or residents expectations?

The resort community is clear in its desire to sustain its uniqueness, however it is ready to "jump the curve"and explore a new direction, one that will differentiate it from its competitors in the 21st century.

The Executive Summary summarizes the elements needed to create a sustainable future at Whistler. It is part

of a Background Report, commissioned by Whistler, that engages various criteria in defining sustainability fora successful destination resort community. The paper is an important part of "Whistler, I t's Our Future,"a planning program conducted by the Municipality directed at developing a comprehensive plan for thecommunity that merges the issues of economic, social, and environmental sustainability.

WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY

Twenty five year ago, Whistler was a relatively unknown ski area. Now it has emerged as a world-classdestination resort community, attracting more than two million visitors annually. It is also home to 10,000permanent residents. Whistlers directive has always included planning for success, however, maintainingthat success in light of current social, environmental, and economic conditions provides a different challenge.

Sustainability means many things to many people. The dictionary defines sustainability as "the ability tosupport life, to comfort, to nourish and to keep alive." In some instances, sustainability applies only to theenvironment and involves a systematic approach to ensuring that the natural environment upon whicheconomic and social stability rests is not upset by human activity. Sustainability also means working toimprove human's productive power without damaging or undermining society or the environment. Whateverdefinition is embraced, one thing is clear: the health of the planet and fellow human inhabitants is foremost inthe search for a sustainable future.

Sustainability, however, is not about walking a tight rope, seeking some balance between economics, societyand the environment. Balance leads to habitats that are only half protected, weakened economies, and

depleted personal principles. Instead, sustainability specialists believe communities need to search for waysto create co-action and assume co-responsibility, while treading lightly on the life-giving environmentalelements that sustain the human species. Economic activity and strong social structures can promote ahealthy environment and, in turn, healthy ecosystems can enrich the lives of the people who live, work andplay in those environments.

A Working Definition:

As Whistler began to consider the concept of sustainability and the characteristics of a successful, sustainable


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resort community within its environment, it became clear that the idea of sustainability needed to be viewed ina much broader context with consideration for the environmental, economic and social forces that must be inplace in order for the community to function as a model of a successful and sustainable resort community."The Whistler, I t's Our F uture" planning process will ultimately involve the community in defining what asuccessful and sustainable resort community will be. In order to develop a starting point for that discussion-- a definition of sustainability in the Whistler context has been adopted:

Whistler will be on target to achieve sustainability when it

understands the economic, envi ronmental and social consequences ofits actions and makes deliberate choices based upon this

understanding that encourages residents to lead healthy, productive,

and enjoyable li ves in a successful destination resort community.

This working definition suggests a three-pronged approach to sustainability -- the economic, social andenvironmental aspects -- economic, societal, and environmental -- that are part of the recipe for achievinga successful and sustainable destination resort community. It requires a pro-active approach, and an abilityto understand how decisions made today will effect the lives and livelihoods of future generations and thenatural surroundings. It also challenges us to extend the decision-making cycle beyond fiscal years and thethree-year election process, to a decision-making process that stretches out over generations.

Sustainability In Action:

The concept of a sustainable future is not new to Whistler. In 1999, Karl-Henrik Robert introduced thecommunity to The Natural Step (TNS). For many people, TNS quickly became the working framework forguiding businesses and residents in taking actions toward creating a more sustainable community. The"Whistler, It' s Our Nature" program and toolkit, championed by a group of early TNS deciples, has beeneffective in working to educate and inform residents about the benefits of The Natural Step.

Simultaneous to the introduction of The Natural Step, the Resort Municipality of Whistler invited thecommunity to assist in the creation of a vision for Whistler's future. Whistler 2002 was the result, and itoutlined five key strategies that would ensure Whistlers status as the premier mountain resort community inthe world remained unchallenged. The document identified financial and environmental sustainability as twoof the five key areas for Whistler to consider. Other areas of the report focused on the factors required tobuild a healthy community and preserve a quality of life - in short, the social conditions required forsustainability. "Whistler, I t's Our Future" has assumed this program and will be utilized as a sustainablestrategic plan for the whole community.

Many challenges face the community that will require innovative thinking and decision-making.

How can Whistler continue to meet the needs of the millions of annual visitors while maintaining a sense

of belonging and place for the people who live here? How will the community maintain diversity, where people have access to affordable housing and goods

and services?

How will the community manage growth and development and maintain its community character andnatural environment?

How will the community adapt to and meet the changing health and social service needs of residents?

These are just some of the issues that "Whistler, I t's Our Fu ture," through full involvement of thecommunity, will try to address.


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Characteristics Of Sustainable Communities:

The following list of questions identifies specific sustainable community characteristics that are designed toencourage critical thinking about the comprehensive footprint of a sustainable resort community. If we are toact more sustainably, what would we need to do? What factors need to considered to ensure each of thesocial, economic and environmental aspects of the vision for sustainability is addressed?

What form of idea, project or program is needed to promote the total economic well being of thecommunity into account? (Economic Security)

What form of idea, project or program is needed to address ecological opportunities and limitations?(Ecological Integrity)

What form of idea, project or program will promote greater equity within the community and outside thecommunity, as well as between present and future generations? (Social Equity)

What form of idea, project or program will contribute to a sense of community among neighbors and tokey features that make a community strong - its residents, businesses, government and institutions?(Citizen Engagement and Responsibility)

What form of idea, project or program respects and utilizes local people and their knowledge, as wellas local energy and materials? (Cultural Vitality)

What form of idea, project or program encourages the participation of all affected people indecision-making and support the civic values of trust and cooperation? (Institutional Effectiveness)

What form of idea, project or program considers the connectivity between issues, makes balancedtradeoffs where necessary and seeks to understand impacts? (Making Connections and Tradeoffs)

What form of idea, project, or program provides systematic methods for responding to changes that cansafeguard the community from failure? (Resilience)

What form of idea, project or program identifies adaptive behaviors that embrace the concept oflearning by doing? (Adaptive Management)

Criteria For Sustainability:

From this list of questions, the consultants have created a series of criteria they believe best describe the ideaof sustainability for Whistler. Consider the full list of criteria in each of the sections and note the specificsustainable community characteristic associated with each criteria. These are the proposed criteria that wecan use to evaluate alternative futures that cover the full gamete of sustainable community characteristics. Doyou agree with the consultants' assessment? Have they left anything out? Do you have other criteria youwould like to add? Do these criteria help to describe your future view of Whistler?

PARTNERING FOR WHISTLER'S SUCCESSBuil ding communi ty capacity through vision and leadership

Destination resort communities with a strong vision that embrace a sustainable future with measurable resultshave the leadership and governance needed to make the vision a reality. These communities are the onesthat will become models for successful, sustainable resort communities.

CREATING A SHARED VISION

Businesses, residents, community groups, the media and the government can influence decision-makingthrough effective participation. Communities are most effective when there established methods for citizenparticipation and when government action is transparent.


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Criteria: People have a shared vision of their community and take responsibility to help achieve that

vision by staying involved throughout the critical planning and implementation stages of theprocess. (Citizen Engagement & Responsibility)

The community plans strategically to achieve its vision, and involves other communities within

the region that may be affected. (Making Connections and Tradeoffs) Through transparent and accountable governance, the community has the ability to positively

affect the outcome of decisions that influence them. (Institutional Effectiveness) Local government, businesses, and citizen organizations work together in a way that assists

the political succession process in continuing to achieve the shared vision. (Resilience) Citizens are provided with the information and opportunities to take part meaningfully in

decision-making, and all affected people are encouraged to participate in policy formulation

and implementation. (Citizen Engagement and Responsibility)

ACHIEVING THE VISION

For decision-making to be effective "adaptive management" needs to be in place. Such an approach

includes improved decision making, enhancing the links between science and policy, and making the most outof learning from past mistakes.

Criteria: Planning and development decisions at the local government level are consistent with the

shared community vision. (Cultural Vitality) Decision-making processes focus on achieving the long-term vision of economic, social, and

environmental sustainability, instead of relying solely on short-term gains. (Resilience) Municipal policy and bylaws are amended, as necessary, to incorporate a systems approach to

achieving the vision of a sustainable destination resort community. (Institutional Effectiveness) Monitoring systems are in place to assess and measure the impacts of our environmental,

economic, social, and infrastructure strategies, and unsuccessful strategies are adjusted orabandoned. (Adaptive Management)

The community's core values are applied to ensure that when social, economic, andenvironmental goals cannot be met simultaneously, reasoned and balanced tradeoffs are

made, and benefits and costs are distributed fairly. (Making Connections and Tradeoffs)

COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY

In sustainable resort communities, community members take responsibility for working together to achievesustainability.

Criteria: Informal education promotes the awareness and willingness of citizens to accept joint

responsibility and become accountable for achieving economic, social, and environmentalsustainability. (Citizen Engagement & Responsibility)

Individual needs and wants are balanced with the economic, social, and environmental limits of

the resort community as a whole. (Social Equity) Government institutions and other organizations have the skills to work together to support

the community's vision for preserving the environmental and cultural sustainability of the

destination resort. (Institutional Effectiveness)


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Best Practices:

In Curitiba, Brazil innovative leadership and vision has yielded positive results. In Curitiba, the favelo slumswere strewn with garbage, the favelo pathways were too narrow for garbage collection trucks and thepeople could not afford either garbage collection or transportation to the areas of the City where work wasavailable. The solution developed by government was simple: provide incentives. If people brought bags ofgarbage to collection points on the edge of the slum, they could trade them for food and bus passes. Thegarbage regulatory problem was largely solved and more slum-dwellers found work and improved their

quality of life through better nutrition for their families.

Chattanooga, TN, once rated the most polluted city in America, now hosts conferences and internationalvisitors to their "Living Laboratory of Sustainability." This includes government programs for urbanrevitalization, electric powered mass transit, river walks and urban parks, streetscaping, and teen pregnancyprevention. Chattanooga's model civic leadership and community involvement process was built on afoundation of vision, common language and an educated populace. Through government vision andleadership, public-private partnerships transformed sustainability goals into reality.

PROTECTING OUR FUTURE

Sustain ing our natural environment

Fundamental to becoming a more sustainable community is the concept of changing the basic methods inwhich humans interact with the environment. In order for Whistler to sustain the natural assets that haveattracted visitors for generations, it is necessary to think about environmental stewardship in a different way.

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

"Natural capital" refers to features inherent in the natural environment. The most critical and irreplaceablecomponent of natural capital is biological diversity at the scale of populations, species, landscapes and the

entire biosphere. Other components of natural capital include habitat, ecosystem integrity, carrying capacity,water, air quality and aesthetic value. And, just as economic capital provides steady financial returns, naturalcapital provides environmental returns in the form of ecosystem services.

Throughout the world, natural capital is under siege. Communities are shipping waste to other communities.The air is unsuitable for breathing in some areas. Access to clean water has been quoted as the biggest issueof the 21st century. The worlds natural capital is slowly deteriorating.

That does not need to be the case, however. Because humans are part of nature, nature's systems are ableto provide basic necessities. Managed properly, humans should be able to survive on natures provisionswithout eroding natural capital.

Protecting Whistlers natural capital will take time and innovative thinking. It entails rethinking daily practiceswithin the community: transportation, waste management, growth regulation, and environmental stewardship.

Criteria: The community strives to limit the accumulation in nature of chemicals from the Earth's crust

or chemicals produced by humans -- TNS System Conditions # 1 & 2. (Ecological Integrity) In the development of municipal infrastructure and human services, the community maintains

the basic ability of the natural environment and its ecosystems to sustain a productive

capacity ("living off the interest") essential to the future of the destination resort community,as well as all species that inhabit the region -- TNS System Condition #3. (Ecological Integrity)


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Cultural and natural attributes that enhance the community character are preserved. (CulturalVitality)

Residents, visitors, and businesses have a sense of stewardship for our natural environment,for its essential natural functions, its beauty and livability as a landscape, and its ability to

provide sustainable supplies of natural resources and waste processing capacity. (CitizenEngagement and Responsibility)

Diversity and redundancy in natural ecosystems is protected, so as to not undermine the

capacity of these ecosystems to withstand disturbance. (Resilience)

The community is aware of the ecological interconnections that exist beyond its borders (itsecological footprint) and is able to make informed decisions about the impact of importing

resources from elsewhere, or exporting its wastes. (Making Connections and Tradeoffs) Environmental and resource management agencies formulate incentives and/or regulatory

mechanisms that promote forms of sustainable action, such as recycling and energy efficiency

by households, businesses, individuals, and organizations. (Institutional Effectiveness) Urban and outlying watersheds are treated as whole systems, by the integration of

biodiversity conservation with sustainable management of other resources, such as soils,

forests, wetlands, and mountains. (Adaptive Management)

PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Physical Infrastructure includes the services and facilities in a community that many of us take for granted.It's like the engine in your car or the electronic circuits in your computer. When your car or computer isdoing its job effectively and efficiently, you don't even know the engine or motherboard is there. Whensomething goes wrong, you know it right away.

Whistler's municipal infrastructure provides for and treats the water, and it processes and treats the waste,whether it is garbage, wastewater or storm water. BC Hydro and BC Gas, for example, provide power andgas to heat and operate our homes. Each of these infrastructure services has real and lasting impacts on thenatural environment and also offer creative solutions to assist Whistler in achieving a sustainable future.

Criteria: The community finds ways to capitalize on the region's ecological infrastructure,

complementing conventional approaches to flood control, stormwater management,wastewater treatment, and park design with approaches that emphasize the services providedby healthy natural ecosystems. (Making Connections and Tradeoffs)

Waste is promoted as a resource to take advantage of alternative uses of water, energy, andmaterials in an effort to achieve zero-waste production (in the context of "cradle to cradle"recycling of materials). (Resilience)

Best Practices:

Loudoun County, Virginia is blessed with a combination of a proud heritage and high quality naturalresources and environments. Central to Loudoun's quality of life and appeal is its rural character andprecious natural resource base. In a commitment to current residents and future generations, Loudoun hasdeveloped strategies that provide for the beneficial economic use and protection of the region's naturalresources. These include protecting open space, adopting water resource protection policies, creating amodel and assessing the feasibility for a county-funded strategic land revolving fund, implementing thecounty's purchase of development rights program, establishing overlay environmental and historic districts,providing tax incentives to protect natural resources, and reviewing and strengthening opportunities forcluster development.


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Killington Ski Resorts implemented a waste water recycling system in 1987 that saves up to 90,000 liters ofwater per day and nearly 3 million gallons per year. The system reclaims water from various non-sewageuses and then treats and reuses it for flushing toilets and urinals. The wastewater is completely separate fromwater used for drinking and in kitchens and wash basins. As an added precaution, a harmless blue dye isadded after treatment so the wastewater can never be confused with fresh supplies. Signs in each toilet stallask "why is the water blue" and go on to explain how the novel system works.

BUILDING A STRONG AND VIBRANT COMMUNITYEnhancing quality of l if e

Sustainable communities have a rich, vital sense of place and community, understand and celebrate theircultural heritage, welcome and encourage social and economic diversity, and have systems to provide for thehealth and well-being of residents and visitors.

SENSE OF COMMUNITY

A sustainable community recognizes and supports its residents need for a sense of well being, which includes

a sense of belonging, a sense of place, a sense of self-worth, a sense of safety, and a sense of connectionwith nature.

Criteria: The community is healthy and all residents can maintain community values, such as a sense of

belonging, a sense of safety, and a sense of place that contribute to community cohesion.(Citizen Engagement and Responsibility)

Municipality land uses are designed so active areas of the community are linked to oneanother. (Cultural Vitality)

Everyone finds ways to do more with less, so resources are used fairly and efficiently, to the

benefit of all who live in the community -- TNS System Condition #4. (Social Equity)

CULTURE

A sustainable community is one that preserves cultural attributes developed over time, while embracing newtraditions that reflect changing conditions.

Criteria: The community retains and celebrates its cultural heritage, and benefits from the skills and

perspectives of all local peoples. (Cultural Vitality) Diversity is a cultural value that ensures the community reflects a variety of social, economic,

and ethnic characteristics. (Social Equity)

WORKFORCE

The workforce includes the number of workers, their skill and education, available to fill the jobs in acommunity. The workforce must fill the needs of businesses, as well as provide community services.Economic activity is often driven by the availability of skilled people.

Criteria:


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A critical mass of sufficiently trained workers, who are guaranteed a "living family wage" (in

the Whistler context), is available within the region to support the existing economicenvironment, as well as to accommodate changing economic environments. (EconomicSecurity)

To ensure the availability of a sufficiently trained workforce there are well-defined employeetraining programs that are used by all businesses. (Resilience)

AFFORDABILITY

Affordability of housing, and goods and services is a common challenge for many destination resortcommunities. Housing prices are often beyond the affordability of most local employees, with prices triplingover the last decade. As well, the cost of food is often more expensive - due to both the distance fromgoods production and the relatively small size of the permanent resident community.

Criteria: Policies exist to promote fair and affordable access to housing. (Social Equity) Cooperatively developed programs are in place to provide affordable goods and services to

Whistler residents and employees and to shift tax burdens to visitors. (Making Connections and

Tradeoffs)

HEALTH SERVICES AND EDUCATION

Health services and education are intregral to providing a desirable quality of life. Communities must meetthe needs of residents and visitors. Education provides young people with the skills, perspectives, values andknowledge to live sustainably in their community. And life-long education means that education at all levels iskey to assisting community members move towards their personal goals. Sustainable development includesthe equitable fulfillment of basic human needs - which translates into an acceptable quality of life foreveryone, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Criteria: Protection of public health for residents and visitors is a priority. (Economic Security) Convenient access to health services is available to all residents and visitors. (Social Equity) Educational opportunities that enhance sustainable behavior are provided for all members of

the community. (Citizen Engagement and Responsibility)

Best Practices:

The Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton (RMOC) combined efforts with public utility companies andthe Ottawa-Carleton Home Builders' Association to determine the feasibility of changing developmentstandards for subdivisions as a means to address the lack of affordable housing in the community, as well asthe impact of new residential development on the environment. Preliminary research conducted by theRMOC indicated that using alternative planning and engineering standards around right-of-way width, lotdimension, house-to-house separation, and infrastructure provision could result in servicing and land costsavings of up to about $12,500 per unit for single-family homes and $5,500 per unit for multi-family homes.A 165-unit demonstration project was built on a five-hectare site in Gloucester, Ontario. Even afteradditional landscaping costs required for the demonstration project were taken into account, the use ofalternative development standards produced average savings of approximately $4,000 per unit and thesavings were passed on to home buyers.

Montgomery County, Maryland requires developers of new projects to set-aside 15 per cent of all housingas affordable. The County then buys back one in every three set aside housing units to better control the


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affordability of the market. In the end, Montgomery County has found that providing enough sound, decent,affordable housing for the area's moderate income working families makes sense for the region's economy.

ENRICHING THE WHISTLER EXPERIENCEStrengthening the resort communi ty

The Whistler Experience is a magical mix of world-class resort facilities and recreational opportunities, set in

a natural and built environment blending together to create a sense of cohesion and community character.The next step in the process is to find innovative economic, land use and transportation models that enrichthat experience, rather than eroding the natural, economic and social capital the community has worked sohard to create.

ECONOMIC SYSTEMS

A sustainable community has a healthy and diverse economy, which adapts to change, provides long-termsecurity for residents and respects ecological limits. At the same time, the community tries to price goodsand services to reflect the full social and environmental costs of their provision.

Criteria: The resort community economy is resilient and capable of adapting to change, which is

dictated by the state of diversity and redundancy of different economic sectors. (Resilience) The resort industry is diversified, the degree of local ownership increases, and it has the

capacity to change with a changing market place by expanding to new markets and/or addingvalue to existing assets. (Economic Security)

Local buying networks and other mechanisms exist to encourage the purchase of local goods

and services and to keep money circulating in the community. (Social Equity) An active and evolving business incubation process is provided to sustain new diversifiedresort businesses. (Adaptive Management)

LAND USE AND URBAN DESIGN

Aerial views of a community relay the intention and resulting actions of land use and urban design decisionswithin a community. The village is nestled in the valley, and residential developments seem to blend into thesurrounding forests as rooftops peak out from the trees. Developments are interspersed and connected tonatural areas, reinforcing the natural mountain setting as much as possible given the community's position as adestination resort community.

Sustainable land use and urban design principles will be required to make sure the destination resortcommunity continues to meet the changing needs of the people who live and work there.

Criteria: Land is used prudently, preserving quality wildlands and designing compact urban

development that features pedestrian and transit oriented mixed use design, with extensive

access to green space. (Ecological Integrity) Land use plans promote a connected network of functional ecosystems where the core

ecological reserves, wildlife corridors, and buffer zones are sufficient to protect biodiversity.


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(Resilience) Innovative land use and development proposals, that exceed those minimum steps required by

municipal regulations for environmental protection, are encouraged. (Institutional Effectiveness) Planning provides for the development or re -development of human-scale neighborhoods that

are diverse, livable, affordable, and reflect innovative ("new urbanism") strategies includingtransportation, mixed land use, pedestrian and bicycle corridors, and compact community

plans. (Adaptive Management)

ACCESS AND MOBILITY

Mobility and access is more than simply moving people. It includes moving people and goods across avariety of modes - transit, car, rail, walking and cycling. Destination resort communities often have aneffective system of trails and urban design that allows people to park their cars and walk once at the resort.Many also offer free transit in and around the village.

In the future, experts believe there will be increasing pressure on issues of access and mobility as destinationresort communities grow and sprawl. In all communities, it has been difficult to move people out of theirsingle occupant vehicles into alternatives like car or van pooling and walking and cycling.

Criteria: A multi-modal transportation system provides for the safe and cost effective movement of

people, goods, and services to optimize the whole system's performance for the least total

cost. (Economic Security) Transportation systems do not fragment natural or human habitat, or in other ways impact

environmental quality. (Ecological Integrity) There is a focus on demand side transportation management strategies to encourage citizen

responsibility for solving access and mobility problems. (Citizen Engagement and Responsibility) An integrated, seamless transportation system on a national, regional, and local level ensures

convenient passage between main routes to and from the community. (Institutional Effectiveness)

Best Practices:

In 1994, Edmonton, Alberta established a revolving fund to support internal energy-efficient retrofit work toreduce energy consumption in municipal buildings and operations. City departments and facilities borrowmoney from the fund to finance energy-efficiency projects. Loans are repaid, ensuring a constant source offunding for new projects. To date, the fund has leveraged 30 projects valued at more than $1 million,resulting in energy-efficiency investments of more than $2 million. Building on this success, Edmonton's citycouncil increased the fund from $1 million to $5 million. Payback varies for every project, ranging from 1.5to 4.8 years. The economic and environmental impacts include: cost savings of approximately $1,400 to$37,000 per year; electricity savings up to 470,560 kWh per year; natural gas savings up to 2125 GJ peryear; water savings up to 11,050 cubic meters per year; and projected reductions in greenhouse gasemissions of 2,500 tones per year.

Abacoa is a mixed-use development located in Jupiter, Florida. The project was 10 years in the making andspans 2,050 acres of former farmland and forest. Each neighborhood is organized around a commonsquare, and the connected street network and sidewalks allow pedestrian and bicycle use. Residents use anextensive network of natural trails, which have been maintained in their original state and designed to fit withthe natural landscape. A trolley service provides residents an easy way to get to the town center. Theproject is also remarkable in that much of the existing municipal code for Florida did not support this kind ofdiverse land use. The developers sat down with regulators and rewrote much of the code to accommodate


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their plans for integrated land use design.

In Stockholm, Sweden, city council replaced all its vehicles with ones that run on electricity, biofuel orbiogas. The city has also set up car pools across the region, put diodes in all the lighting, installed districtheating systems, and provide electric goods distribution vehicles for the city centers. Water is recycled, with"grey water" (e.g. used for washing hands) used for flushing toilets and other non-potable needs. Allbuildings in the city have been through an environmental audit.

WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN?

As Brain Nattrass and Mary Altomare state in their new book, "Dancing with the Tiger" (2002), asustainable future means "understanding that the old story is no longer functioning properly. A new storymust evolve to guide decisions and actions, starting with those things over which we have some control --what we purchase, how we renovate, how we use energy, how we design processes and products, how wehandle material flows, how we treat people, and how we influence others." This Report offers the means todevelop a new story. "The future is created, not simply by the facts we know, but, more importantly, by thestories we tell about who we are and who we might become. We cannot change the facts, but we canchange the story."

How can Whistler create an economy that effectively meets human needs while regenerating natural systems?An economy which grows organically - and fills new niches - by working with nature and enriching human

capacities? In essence, economic arrangements of all kinds must be gradually re-designed so that theyrestore, rather than deplete, Natural Capital and Social Capital.

The Whistler community is presented with an unprecedented opportunity to take charge of its destiny andprogress with future municipal development that matches the community's core values for sustainability. Theimmediate challenge is to determine methods that contribute to the greater likelihood that sustainability, ratherthan unsustainability, will prevail. Each resident must be empowered to engage in more effective actions thatcontribute to both local and global health.

This Report presents criteria that might be considered in assessing potential alternative futures to guideWhistler's steps towards sustainability. This set of recommendations is intended to initiate and enhanceplanned community dialogue, in order to allow the entire community to deliberate and agree to those criteriathey will ultimately chose for proceeding to the next step of the "Whistler, I t's Our Future" process.


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Characteristics of Sustainable Destination Resort Communities

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 1BackgroundOverview of "Whistler, It's Our Future" Planning ProcessThe Context of this Report in the Overall Planning ProcessThe Process of Drafting this ReportHow this Report is Intended to be UsedRelated Public Participation Process & Links to this Report

II. OVERVIEW .......................................................................................................... 2

A. Why We Care About Sustainability ...........................................................Why do we need to think about sustainability?How do we become sustainable?

What are the principles of sustainability?Communities and sustainabilityAnatomy of sustainable decision-making

B. Where Is Whistler On The Sustainability Curve? ..................................Introduction to the sustainability curvePhase I - AwarenessPhase II - EducationPhase III - BenchmarkingPhase IV - Best practicesPhase V - Next steps

III. PARTNERS IN WHISTLER'S SUCCESS .........................................................A. Background ................................................................................................

Creating A Share VisionAchieving The VisionCommunity Responsibility

B. General Trends ...........................................................................................C. Other Community Examples .....................................................................D. Whistler Profile ...........................................................................................E. Sustainability Criteria for Whistler ..........................................................

IV. PROTECTING OUR FUTURE ...........................................................................A. Background ................................................................................................

Natural EnvironmentPhysical Infrastructure



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V. BUILDING A VIBRANT RESORT COMMUNITY ..........................................

A. Background ................................................................................................Sense of CommunityCultureWorkforceAffordabilityHealth Services and Education


VI. ENRICHING THE WHISTLER EXPERIENCE .............................................A. Background ................................................................................................

Economic SystemsLand Use and Urban DesignAccess and Mobility


VII. CONCLUSION -- What Does This All Mean? ................................................

VIII. APPENDICES

APPENDIX A - The Science Behind Sustainable Development ..........................

APPENDIX B - General Standards for Sustainability .........................................

APPENDIX C - Consultant Listing .....................................................................


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Chapter I.

Introduction

BACKGROUND

Whistlers location in the dramatic volcanic landscapes of the Fitzsimmons and Spearhead Ranges of BritishColumbia, adjacent to Garibaldi Provincial Park, enhance its reputation as a unique destination resortcommunity. From valley floor to high alpine, the area is breathtakingly beautiful all year round.

In its short history as a destination resort, Whistler has served as a back-country retreat, alpine playground,international phenomenon, hot property, and premier mountain destination resort. In the 1990s, however,two important transitions occurred. First, Whistler became competitive with other popular global resorts andflourished as an international destination resort. Second, the Whistler community recognized that unbridledgrowth in many cities and settlements around the world was affecting both the carrying capacity of the landand the ensuing quality of life. This global condition gave rise to a new movement known generally assustainable development.

Presently, Whistler owes a large measure of its success to the growth and development guidelines established

by the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) and Official Community Plan (OCP). The CDP precededthe OCP as a Council policy statement on the quality of development. The CDP was founded on sevenmain goals regarding the aspirations of the community, which included: enhance the quality of experience for those who live in and visit Whistler; maintain the high quality of the natural and built environments; enhance aspects of the community as part, not separate from the resort; expand and diversify the economy through the resort and activities that are compatible with the resort; adopt an approach to growth management and development planning that respects the limits set by the

community; plan for the long-term development of the resort and the region; and take a more active role in planning for the future of the region surrounding Whistler.

The purposeful planning of the Municipality in the 1990s has strongly influenced the success Whistlerpresently enjoys. Whistler has grown to a current permanent population of just under 10,000; with over14,000 people working full- time or part time. Tax revenues from all levels of government total over $375million annually. The tourism-based economy has created 21,500 jobs in the region and Lower Mainlandthat represents $530 million in wages and salaries. The resort has hosted more than 2 million visitors a year.Overall it is estimated that Whistler contributes $1 billion each year to the provincial economy.

The Whistler community indicates, however, it does not seek to simply continue its success in the traditionalsense, but to also consider how success is defined in the context of sustainability. And in doing so, thecommunity has begun to ask some strategic questions. Are we in danger of that moment when the quality of

place is eclipsed by the quantity of place -- when an environment that was uniquely fresh becomes typicallystale; where individuals make decisions for short-term gain rather than long term benefits; and when the iconno longer lives up to the visitor's or resident's expectations?

The plans of the 1990s are largely fulfilled and development is reaching the previously-agreed saturationpoint. For example, the CDP anticipated that by 2002 total development was likely to be in the range of45,000 bed units, with the only remaining capacity being commercial accommodation. Whistler hasoutperformed those expectations. By the year 2000, 46,388 bed units were developed (including residenthousing) with 8,616 of the total legislated still undeveloped.

Although some of the fundamental issues have not been resolved, the resort community is clear in its desire tosustain its uniqueness -- to retain what has made it world class. It is time to enter a new planning cycle that


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will move the resort community towards a socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable future.

OVERVIEW OF "WHISTLER, IT'S OUR FUTURE" PLANNING PROCESS

As Whistler approached the end of the 1990s, it became apparent to Municipal leadership that many issuesof concern were on the minds of both Whistler business and community members. Thus, through publicinput, feedback, and analysis the Whistler Council released Whistler 2002, which charted a course for the

future with the following Vision:

Whi stler wil l be the premier mountain resort community. We wil l continue to bui ld a

thr iving resort communi ty that emphasizes the quali ty of l if e for its residents and respects

the diversi ty of i ts people. We wil l develop and implement l ong-term growth management

programs that move us toward environmental sustainabil ity and help us achieve f inancial

stabili ty. We and our visitors wil l enjoy an optimum mix of world-class recreati onal

opportun it ies and fi rst -class service in a rugged mountain envir onment uni que to Whistler .

Whistler 2002 stated that this vision was to be achieved through five areas of equal priority.

Building a stronger resort community

Enhancing the Whistler experience Moving toward environmental sustainability

Achieving financial sustainability

Contributing to the success of our region

For those both governing and administering the affairs of the Municipality, the turn of the century has becomea challenging time. As a resort community Whistler has begun to believe it needs to define what economic,social and environmental sustainability means and to identify principles that will guide the Municipality overthe long-term, extending the well-being of the resort community. As used here, a "principle" describes theideal situation or condition. Each principle leads to corresponding actions, such as strategies, techniques,and applications, that when implemented help to achieve that ideal situation.

Added to these dynamics is the prospect of Whistler moving forward in the 2010 Olympic bid. The goalsand legacy objectives of the bid could go a long way toward addressing resort community issues. But if notcarefully planned, it could create problems. Moreover, Whistler needs planning that will secure its economic,social and environmental interests with or without a successful Olympic bid.

Taking into consideration the Whistler 2002 community vision, and anticipating how to put strategies intoplace in order to proceed, the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) initiated the process to prepare aComprehensive Sustainability Plan (CSP). "Whistler, It's Our Future" is the planning program that hasbeen established to develop a CSP. This plan is intended to: define and advance social, economic and environmental opportunities for the community over the long-

term within a sustainable policy framework;

replace the Comprehensive Development Plan and Whistler 2002; inform changes necessary to the Official Community Plan; and bring all the pieces together and into focus in order to guide the different community players and

interests towards development of shared sustainability goals, as a beacon in a lighthouse guides all theships to safety.

Why is Whistler different from any other community in its expectations for sustainability? Whistler has thepotential to be a leading community that steps off the linear growth continuum and defines cycles ofsustainable development within its unique environment for the following reasons.1. Whistler has a history of defining itself and living up to that definition.


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2. Whistler recognizes that its natural environment is quintessential to its economic success.3. Whistler's natural environment is deeply woven into the social fabric of the community.4. Whistler's special relationship between the natural and built environment means that land use decisions

have a greater impact on the whole community.5. Whistler's built environment, such as the village, was designed with special reference to natural

connections.6. Whistler has a progressive citizen base and governance mentality that can distinguish between short and

long term benefits and costs.

7. Whistler as a whole community has recognized that, at some level there are limits to growth.8. Whistler is critically aware of place. The community recognizes that to compromise the attributes of

place is to lose all.9. Whistler has already taken several steps to explore and address sustainability and is in need of a

coalescing plan.

In the "Whistler It's Our Future" process, Whistler is committed to involving the Community. Publicconsultation is intrinsic to all elements of the program. Development of the Comprehensive SustainabilityPlan will hold community engagement up as a first principle. Secondly, it will seek to define Whistler's futurein a regional context. And finally, it will address the issues, define the criteria, and identify the best practicesthat will move Whistler toward sustainability. The easiest way to envision these criteria is to consider the

following analogy: "2020 = The Way We Are = Criteria" that will guide the community toward itsanticipated outcomes.

THE CONTEXT OF THIS REPORT IN THE OVERALL PLANNING PROCESS

The "Whistler It's Our Future" process will include four phases. Phase I will focus on developingbackground information on how a destination resort community like Whistler can achieve both success andsustainability. Two separate Background Reports will be prepared by consultants that define criteria for"success" and "sustainability," respectively. These two reports are expected to provide the foundation forcommunity dialogue that will progress from issues and concerns to the evaluation and community acceptanceof criteria that stakeholders believe are best able to assess a preferred future for a successful and sustainabledestination resort community (2020 = The Way We Are).

The "success" report will define the different elements that have made, and can continue to make, theWhistler resort community prosperous. After fully understanding the criteria for success, the "sustainability"report, and its community-decided defining criteria, will be compared to successful criteria for differences,suggesting where innovative thinking may be required to match success with sustainability. Through thiscomparison the community will be able to resolve conflicts and priorities between their perception ofWhistler as a successful destination resort community and as a sustainable resort community. The resolutionof conflicts and setting of priorities will allow all community members to make better informed decisions onfuture municipality development directions that are able to continue on the path of success while alsoachieving resort community sustainability.

Phase II of the planning process will engage the entire Whistler resort community in the use of theBackground Report criteria to test various possible futures. The two Reports will serve as a "lens" throughwhich Whistler residents evaluate alternative future scenarios against success and sustainabilitycharacteristics, to determine which of the future development scenarios is most desirable. Phase III willinvolve the Whistler community in choosing a preferred future from the alternatives screened in Phase II.With the choice of a community-preferred future, the rest of Phase III will be devoted to developing theComprehensive Sustainability Plan (CSP). Phase IV of the process will focus on the initial implementationof several CSP strategies.


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This "Characteristics of Sustainable Destination Resort Communities" Background Report (the SustainabilityReport) will serve to support the development process for preparation of the "Whistler It's Our Future"plan, as described above. The Report will offer ideas on the meaning of sustainability in the context ofWhistler as a destination resort community and help identify the criteria for the resort community to reviewand evaluate for their eventual application in assessing a sustainable future for Whistler (2020 = The WayWe Are).

The Sustainability Report will provide resource materials for public workshops, to stimulate dialogue and

inform public ideas, so that community members will be able to offer their collective views on sustainability inWhistler. Through the public process, the community will either agree or disagree with the characteristicssuggested by this Report, identify their own, and decide what they feel are important to use as criteria forevaluating a preferred future for Whistler.

THE PROCESS OF DRAFTING THIS REPORT

Earlier strategic planning processes (CDP, OCP, and Whistler 2002) provided the framework for theRMOW in developing a series of studies and reports that explored many of the priorities the community hasidentified through time. These works included the following.

q

Resort Community Monitoring Reportsq Comprehensive Transportation Strategyq Financial Plansq Whistler Environmental Strategyq Whistler Arts and Cultural Planq Whistler Housing Authority Business Planq The Natural Step Program

Each of the forgoing represented an effort to explore the attitudes, methods, and ways the community candefine and retain its uniqueness over time. Each is a part of the puzzle that fits into the full picture of theComprehensive Sustainability Plan.

Consultants with expertise in the many different areas of sustainable development (e.g., environmentalscience, economics, social and cultural aspects of communities, and governance), drafted this Report toexamine sustainability in the context of Whistler and to identify sustainability criteria for review and debateamong resort community stakeholders. Each consultant was assigned various topics for data collection,analysis, and writing. The consultant team focused upon developing an extensive, comprehensive,science-based understanding of sustainability, in all of its temporal, spatial, and systemic dimensions. Theirresearch and writing was intended to inform and advance community accepted social, economic,environmental, and cultural opportunities over the long-term, in order to provide a framework to facilitatedialogue on selecting the criteria for a sustainable resort community, which would then be used to evaluatefuture alternative scenarios.

HOW THIS REPORT IS INTENDED TO BE USED

The criteria contained in this Sustainability Report will provide a "lens" through which to evaluate futurescenarios. This Report will not present the solutions required to achieve the criteria, but rather the basicelements that define various outcomes will be identified for further evaluation of potential future scenarios theresort community might find desirable to move toward.

The Sustainability Report has two primary purposes: (1) to present the many views and concepts behind themeaning of sustainability for awareness and development of common understanding by the Whistler


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community; and (2) to provide expert views on criteria that might best define sustainability in the context ofWhistler, to stimulate public discussion that moves the community toward agreement on a specific set ofcriteria for evaluation of future scenarios. In carrying on functions to serve the Whistler resort community,this Report identifies several key areas of potential focus for citizens to consider.

Building Community Capacity through: vision and leadership community responsibility

Sustaining The Natural Environment

Enhancing Quality of Life through: developing a sense of community cultural activitiesworkforce development affordability health services and education

Strengthening the Resort Community through focus on: economic systems development land use and urban designmunicipal infrastructure access and mobility (transportation)

The Report will be structured as follows. Chapter I (Introduction - this chapter) provides the backgroundto development of this Report. Chapter II (Overview) will address the two topics: (1) "Why We CareAbout Sustainability;" and (2) "Whistler and The Sustainability Curve" -- how can Whistler stakeholdersdetermine where they are in their sustainability journey. Chapter III (Partnering in Whistler's Success)discusses how a variety of different partners must come together to create a shared vision, the cooperativeefforts these partners must implement in achieving that vision, and how the many different communityelements share responsibility in promoting the future sustainability of Whistler's success. Chapter IV(Protecting Our Future) focuses on the topic of Whistler's natural environment and its connection tophysical infrastructure important to sustaining Whistler's future. Chapter V (Building a Vibrant ResortCommunity) will address the various elements that contribute to Whistler's quality of life. Chapter VI

(Enriching the Whistler Experience) will explore community characteristics that enhance the Whistlercommunity for residents and visitors alike, such as economic development, land use, urban design, andtransportation. Chapter VII (What Does This All Mean?) will integrate the various recommendationsmade in each of the preceding chapters regarding specific sustainability criteria the Whistler resort communitycan consider in its evaluation of a preferred future.

The specific format for each of the topics addressed in Chapter III - VI will include the following. First, adescription of the chapter subject will be presented detailing the kinds of issues this particular resortcommunity component addresses in provision of services, planning, and/or governance to the community.Second, each topic will be characterized by a synopsis of general trends now occurring that further describethe status of issues in the chapter. This includes description of opportunities for integrating sustainability

concepts into future actions, as well as highlighting some of the "challenges" and "dangers" of doing so, or insome cases of not doing so.

Third, each chapter topic will be further detailed by the brief description of examples from othercommunities applying sustainable practices with regards to the subject area of the chapter. This section willserve as a reference section to (1) offer some real life examples to recommendations the report author(s)might make and (2) to provide additional information if the reader wants to follow-up with more detail ontheir own.

Fourth, the present Whistler profile (circumstances, status, etc.), as it relates to the chapter subject, will bebriefly described. This section will try to address what the picture looks like for Whistler at the present time


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concerning the community's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). A SWOT analysisis a benchmarking process used in strategic planning and marketing to provide a realistic assessment of theenvironment in which a project or organization operates. A SWOT identifies Strengths and Weakness,factors and issues that are internal, have the potential to affect the success of an organization or project, andfor the most part are in your control. It also identifies the Opportunities and Threats, which are externalfactors that can influence an organization or project. These tend to be factors that are influenced from theoutside and not necessarily controllable.

Finally, the last section of each chapter will present the results of the consultant's analysis to identifysustainability criteria, regarding the various chapter topics. These criteria represent those properties theconsultants believe need to be in place if Whistler is to achieve its vision of sustainability. They weredeveloped from analysis of the many standards identified (Appendix B) for measuring sustainable communitycharacteristics (listed below and defined in Chapter II-A), as they applied to the subject of the chapter,compared with the Whistler Profile described in the fourth section of each chapter. The followingSustainable Community Characteristics were used to guide the development of criteria.

q Economic Securityq Ecological Integrityq Social Equityq Citizen Engagement & Responsibilityq

Cultural Vitalityq Institutional Effectivenessq Making Connections & Tradeoffsq Resilienceq Adaptive Management

The purpose of this analysis was to identify those specific criteria for sustainability that Whistler stakeholderscan use to evaluate alternative futures for the resort community (2020 = The Way We Are).

In summary, Whistler stakeholders can use this Report to:

define what economic, social, and environmental sustainability means to the community as a whole;

help the community understand sustainability for mountain destination resort communities and how itapplies to key community-level issues (e.g. housing, transportation) in Whistler;

identify principles that will guide Whistler over the long-term and extend the well-being of thecommunity;

guide both the municipality and citizen decision-making toward becoming a successful, premiermountain resort community;

continue building a thriving resort community that emphasizes the quality of life for its residents andrespects the diversity of its people;

generate and implement long-term development management programs that move towardenvironmental sustainability and help achieve financial stability; and

assist in resolving proposed courses of action where there are unlikely to be wins all-round.

Whistler has been on a historic success curve, achieved through strong vision and policies. The communitydoes not seek to simply extend the end of this success curve, but rather to create a cycle that renewsWhistler's uniqueness over time. This Report is intended to help in this journey.

RELATED PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS & LINKS TO THIS REPORT

In a Municipality commitment to involving the community in the "Whistler It's Our Future" process, andusing public consultation, the goal of this Sustainability Report is to make sure everyone in the Whistlercommunity is "playing" and that the community is in "tune." This Report will provide the stimulus for dialogue


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among community members, in a number of different consultation forum types, on the subject of sustainabilityin the context of the Whistler community. Using this Report as a guide and source of information, thecommunity will agree or disagree with the sustainability characteristics presented, identify their own, andsuggest what they feel are important criteria to use in screening (testing) alternative future scenarios thatdescribe how Whistler might look.

Through the public process, and the various means the contents of this report will be disseminated, membersof the Whistler community will be presented with the many elements of the sustainability message, be able to

acknowledge those of importance, and express their willingness to help in achieving a reliable vision of thecommunity's wishes where 100% participation cannot be guaranteed.


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Chapter II.

Overview

A. Why We Care About Sustainability

WHY DO WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY?

Thirty years ago, a tremendous sense of optimism surrounded the hope that science and technology wouldsolve all the world's problems. If a man could go to the moon, anything could be achieved! Things are verydifferent now.

Human settlements are placing significant burdens on both local ecosystems and the global environment.Many communities face enormous difficulties as their economic and environmental resources are damaged ordepleted, and their social and cultural systems disrupted. Global warming, deforestation, loss of soil fertility,pollution, chemical contamination, loss of biodiversity, overpopulation, the hole in the ozone layer -- all havean effect upon life on Earth.

Because the environmental and socio-economic dimensions of communities are interconnected, fragmentedinquiry into specific problems generally offers no way to integrate knowledge into effective solutions. Thefrustration this creates in public policy is compounded by large knowledge gaps between

Figure II 1. Comparison of increasing human demand for natural resources toresulting decline in these natural resources over time.

the people affected by the problems and the scientists who might provide understanding and solutions. Thischallenge cuts across traditional disciplines and demands new, multi- and trans-disciplinary means ofunderstanding scientific knowledge. It also requires more effective mechanisms for conveying information topolicy makers and the public. To assist in the application of science toward sustainable development,Appendix A of this Report provides additional scientific information related to achieving sustainability.

Now

2050

TIME

LifeSustainingNaturalResources

Resource Productive


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Briefly, the nature of the problem facing the world can be summarized by the simple graph shown in FigureII-1. The demand for resources is continuing to increase. This is being driven by an increasing worldpopulation, and by the aspirations of that population for an ever-increasing standard of living. At the sametime, the capacity of the planet to meet this demand is in decline through a multitude of factors such asover-harvesting, inappropriate agricultural practices, and pollution. These impacts on Earth are occurringbecause humans are not in line with the natural world principles described above.

For example, the average North American needs twice the area required by the average Western Europeanto produce the natural resources consumed and absorb the carbon dioxide emitted, and some five timesgreater than what is required by the average Asian, African, or Latin American. Thus, if every human alivetoday consumed natural resources and emitted carbon dioxide at the same rate as people in North America,or in fact, as in many other developed nations, at least two more Earths would be needed, according to theWorld Wide Fund for Nature's Living Planet Report 2000.

The Natural Step's (TNS) metaphorical use of a "funnel," developed by Dr. Karl-Henrik Robert, furtherillustrates how the perceived needs of the society are clashing with the natural environment (Figure II-2).Society is "hitting the limits" (like hitting the wall of a funnel) in its never-ending use of natural resources andproduction of waste. The condition of people on the Earth can be viewed as a funnel with ever diminishingroom to maneuver. Life-support systems for our continued existence on the planet are in decline. At thesame time, the global population and global demand for these resources are increasing, leading us to "hit thewall" of the funnel. For example, compare the similarities of the lines in the Figure II-1 graph with the twowalls of the funnel in Figure II-2. Where the lines in Figure II-1 cross, indicates the funnel wall has been hit(Figure II-2).

HOW DO WE BECOME SUSTAINABLE?

Figure I 2. Conceptual illustration of the funnel used by Dr. Karl-Henrick Robert to describe The Natural Stepphilosophy. Taken from the Resort Municipality of Whistlers Publication, Whistler, Its Our Nature HouseholdToolkit.


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The word sustainabilityimplies the ability to support life, to comfort, to nourish, and to keep alive.Throughout human history, the Earth has sustained human beings by providing food, water, air, and shelter.Sustainablealso means continuing without lessening while developmentmeans improving or bringing to amore advanced state, such as in our economy. Thus, sustainable development can be described asworking to improve human's productive power without damaging or undermining society or the environment.

Communityis a group of people who live in and interact with a certain area, supported by a commoneconomy. Therefore, a sustainable community is one that seeks to maintain and improve the economic,

environmental, and social characteristics of a place in order that its members can continue to lead healthy,productive, enjoyable lives.

Definitions of sustainability have varied and often remain vague. But it is possible to think about and discusssustainable development in the context of elements common to communities: homes, children, jobs, nature,the air, and food. These topics are what sustainability is really about. And although variations in definitionmay occur, many share a number of basic principles including:

concern for the well-being of future generations;

awareness of the multi-dimensional impacts of any decision (broadly categorized as economic,environmental, social) and,

the need for balance among the different dimensions across sectors, themes, and scales of place

and time.

Traditional approaches to societal problems, however, often take apiecemeal, singular approach, addressing issues of economics, orenvironment, or social health, sometimes in isolation from oneanother, as demonstrated by the three separate circles in Figure II-3. In addition, typically individual interests override a collective willto preserve the uniqueness of place.

In contrast, sustainability promotes a multi-dimensional way toachieve recovery and improve the quality of life for everyone. Buthow? Sustainable development simultaneously considersenvironment, life, and human well-being (Figure II-4). It not onlyimplies wisdom and stewardship in environmental management tomeet future needs, but also includes the equitable fulfillment of basichuman needs now, such as food, shelter, clothing, and the economicmeans to achieve these. This view translates into an acceptablequality of life for everyone. Sustainability suggests reliable,responsible economic activity that considers tradition, a sense ofhistory, a cyclical view of time, the significance of place, the benefitof personal relationships, the importance of natural ecosystems, andwhen continued over the long-term, will:

1. not diminish the quality of the present environment;2. not critically reduce the availability of renewable resources;3. take into consideration the value of non-renewable resources to future generations; and4. not compromise the ability of other species or future generations to meet their needs.

Figure II 3. Demonstration of howtraditional problem-solving is usuallyconducted by considering separatelyissues of economy, society, and the

environment


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To better envision ideas of sustainability, consider the threeoverlapping circle diagram illustrating the interconnectednessof a communities' economic, social, and ecologicaldimensions (Figure II-4). Members of a sustainablecommunity would realize that long term economic viabilitydepends upon having a sound ecosystem, a healthy socialenvironment, and a political system that facilitates full publicinvolvement in governance (suggested by the ring of people

around the three circles). Each of the circles characterizesthe basic elements of sustainability:

Economic Viability (Compatible with Nature) --development that protects and/or enhances naturalresource quantities through improvements inmanagement practices/policies, technology,efficiency, and changes in life-style.

Ecologic Integrity (Natural Ecosystem Capacity) --understanding natural system processes of

landscapes and watersheds to guide design of soundeconomic development strategies that preservethese natural systems.

Social Equity (Balancing the Playing Field) -- guaranteeing equal access to jobs (income), education,natural resources, and services for all people; total societal welfare.

All three elements are equally important in establishing the foundation of sustainable communities. Therefore,any project, program, or regulatory issue seeking to promote sustainability must simultaneously address eachof these three circles at their overlap, the area represented by the black intersection area of the three circles(Figure II-4).

In understanding the three overlapping circles, it is also critical to recognize there is "directionality" to eachcircle's dependence on the others. It is true that all life depends on natural resources. But, economy andsociety are no less important to humanity than ecology. Rather there is a "directionality" of dependence(Figure II-5).

In examining these three ellipses inside one another, the following question arises: is there any species ofanimal, besides humans, that possess an economy?Probably not in the traditional sense. And, through theages our economy has changed significantly (e.g., fromhunters and gathers, to a subsistence economy, to the

industrial revolution), without changing the basicrelationships defined by the idea of society. Theexistence of economies are based solely on theexistence of societies and the society ellipse will existno matter what the economy ellipse represents(economy is inside the society ellipse).

Furthermore, we can all agree that society cannot existwithout an environment. Therefore, the society ellipseis inside the environment ellipse. In sum, this is the

Figure II 4. Illustration of the sustainabilitymodel where the three overlapping circlesindicate the integration of economic, ecologic,

and social issues (darkened area of circles). Thering of people around the circles suggests fullpublic involvement.


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directionality for issues of ecology, society, and economy -- or in terms of a three-stage rocket shippropelling or building and enhancing natural capital (ecology) first, which powers human capital (society)second, and finally, propels financial capital (economy) through the engines of society.

Thus, a sustainable community would not be one that has merely attained a "balance" between its economicsand its environment as if they were two distinct entities. Rather, it would be one that has a directionalitywhere economic and cultural activities are integrated into natural processes in a cyclic fashion so as not todegrade the environment upon which economic prosperity and social stability rest (the directionality of the

ellipses in Figure II-5).

As Whistler began considering sustainability, the community determined it needed to view sustainability in abroad context, and to consider the environmental, economic and socialforces that must be in place if the community is to be viewed as a modelof what a successful and sustainable resort community can be. The"Whistler, I t's Our Future" planning process will ultimately involvethe community in defining a successful and sustainable resort

community. But stakeholders still need a starting point for the discussion that links them to the basicconcepts discussed above -- a definition of sustainability in the Whistler context that allows everyone tofocus their energy and thinking, and begin to shape what a future vision of the community will look like.

Therefore, the resort community has adopted the following working definition:

Whistler will achieve sustainability when it understands the

economic, environmental and social consequences of its actions and

makes deliberate choices based upon this understanding that al lows

all people to lead healthy, productive, and enjoyable lives in a

successful destinati on resort communi ty.

This working definition helps people consider the three-pronged approach to sustainability -- the economic,social, and environmental aspects -- required to achieve the goal of a sustainable and successful destinationresort community. It challenges all to cast their minds to the future, and to fully assess and understand the

implications of the decisions they make today on the lives and livelihoods of future generations, as well as thenatural surroundings these generations will rely upon. It also challenges people to extend thedecision-making cycle beyond fiscal years and the three-term election pattern, to a decision-making processthat stretches out over generations.

WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY?

To begin defining principles of sustainability we can consider The Natural Step (TNS), a process whichrecommends humans maintain the integrity of the ecological systems that support life. TNS provides a modelfor sustainable development, integrating the dictates of the natural world (as detailed in Appendix A), with

the major societal issues of economy, ecology, and equity, into four System Conditions. Using these fourSystem Conditions can provide a "compass" to guide organizations, communities, and individuals towardssustainable practices. The four Conditions are the following.

1. How does a society reduce its dependence on mining and fossil fuels? IN A SUSTAINABLESOCIETY NATURE'S FUNCTIONS AND DIVERSITY ARE NOT SYSTEMATICALLY SUBJECT TOINCREASING CONCENTRATIONS OF SUBSTANCES EXTRACTED FROM THE EARTH'S CRUST.

There are thresholds beyond which living organisms and ecosystems are adversely affected byincreases in substances from the Earth's crust. Human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels,and the mining of metals and minerals need not occur at a rate that causes them to systematically

ure II 5. The directionality of sustainabilitycating how socio-economic issues are directlyted to the health of the environment.


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increase in the ecosphere. Problems may include an increase in greenhouse gases leading to globalwarming, contamination of surface and ground water, and metal toxicity which can cause functionaldisturbances in animals.

2. How does a society reduce its dependence on persistent, unnatural substances? IN ASUSTAINABLE SOCIETY NATURE'S FUNCTIONS AND DIVERSITY ARE NOT SYSTEMATICALLY SUBJECTTO INCREASING CONCENTRATIONS OF SUBSTANCES PRODUCED BY SOCIETY.

Synthetic organic compounds such as DDT and PCBs can remain in the environment for many years,concentrating in Earth's atmosphere or accumulating in the tissue of organisms, causing profounddeleterious effects on predators in the upper levels of the food chain. Humans should avoidproducing systematic increases in persistent substances such as DDT, PCBs, and freon. Societyneeds to find ways to reduce economic dependence on persistent human-made substances.

3. How can a society reduce its dependence on nature-consuming activities? IN ASUSTAINABLE SOCIETY NATURE'S FUNCTIONS AND DIVERSITY ARE NOT SYSTEMATICALLYIMPOVERISHED BY PHYSICAL DISPLACEMENT, OVER-HARVESTING, OR OTHER FORMS OF ECOSYSTEMMANIPULATION.

Biodiversity, which includes the great variety of animals and plants found in nature, provides the

foundation for ecosystem services that are necessary to sustain all life on this planet. Humans shouldavoid taking more from the biosphere than can be replenished by natural systems, or systematicallyencroaching upon nature by destroying the habitat of other species. Society's health and prosperitydepends on the enduring capacity of nature to renew itself and rebuild waste into resources.

4. How can a society do more with less? IN A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY RESOURCES ARE USEDFAIRLY AND EFFICIENTLY IN ORDER TO MEET BASIC HUMAN NEEDS GLOBALLY.

If one billion people lack adequate nutrition while another billion have more than they need, there is alack of fairness with regard to meeting basic human needs. In order to be sustainable, humans needto be efficient and fair with regard to resource use and waste generation. Achieving greater fairnessis essential for social stability and the cooperation needed for making large-scale changes within theframework laid out by the first three conditions. Economists believe in "growing the pie" so that poorpeople will get a "bigger slice." On top of the fact that Earth's capacity may not allow for "growingthe pie," providing a "bigger slice" from a larger pie to the poor is not decreasing the gap betweenrich and poor (fairness). It is actually increasing this gap.

The fourth TNS System Condition brings attention to a long-held view. Because economic growth hasbecome associated with progress, an economy that does not grow is considered a "bad" or unhealthyeconomy. Economist Herman Daly says that "sustainable development is development without growth --as growth means getting bigger while development means getting better." In theory this should not be toodifficult to envision. Each of us does much the same thing in the course of our individual lives. We grow

early in life and when we reach adult maturity we develop mentally, socially, and culturally, instead ofcontinuing to grow structurally. Physical growth during maturity usually means obesity or cancer.

In summary, sustainable development is progressive social betterment without growing beyond the ecologicalcarrying capacity: achieving human well-being without exceeding the Earth's twin capacities for naturalresource regeneration (e.g., trees and water) and waste absorption (e.g., carbon dioxide and toxicchemicals).

COMMUNITIES AND SUSTAINABILITY


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Traditionally socio-economic systems have been caught up in the adversarial "economy versus environment"debate, doing business in a linear direction -- taking resources from the Earth, making them into products,and throwing them away to produce large amounts of waste (take-make-waste). According to the principlesof The Natural Step, this can result in communities being unsustainable.

Sustainable development is not walking a tight rope, seeking some mythical balance between economics andenvironment. This leads to habitats half protected, economies weakened, and personal principles bargained

away. Instead communities must search for ways to create co-action and assume co-responsibility, whiledoing no harm to the life-giving environmental elements that sustain the future of people. Economic activitycan promote a healthy environment and healthy ecosystems can enrich their inhabitants.

But how can a region achieve community synergy, simultaneously responding to economic pressures whilealso protecting the environment?

An unsustainable community tries to govern nature. A sustainable community emulates nature. A sustainable community is defined not by legal boundaries but by patterns of relationship,

connection to place, and amount of citizen involvement. A sustainable community is conscious of its obligations to future generations and develops

leadership that can accept with change. In a sustainable community the imperatives of collective well-being transcend the narrow economic

interests of individuals and effective processes exist for finding common ground. A sustainable community is one that transmits shared values and honors them in good faith.

Thus, sustainable communities would be identified by the following characteristics. These are also thecharacteristics used to identify criteria for evaluating the different community goals and function described inthe following chapters of this Report.

Economic Security: What type of idea, project, or program take the total economic well -being ofthe communi ty?A sustainable community possesses a healthy and diverse economy (variety of

businesses, industries, and institutions which are environmentally sound) that adapts to change,provides long-term material security to residents, and respects ecological limits by maximizing incomegeneration while also maintaining or increasing the assortment of natural assets that yield benefits.Sustainable communities strive to price goods and services to reflect the full social and environmentalcosts of their provision and link area businesses, products and services, and resources andcustomers to increase the recycling of money and other resources that will remain in the community.

Ecological Integrity: What type of idea, project, or program is needed to account f or ecologicalopportuniti es and limi tations?Sustainable communities are inhabited by people with a sense ofstewardship who maintain and enhance the environment and natural ecosystems both for their ownessential functions, their beauty, their livability as a landscape, and their ability to provide sustainablesupplies of natural resources and waste assimilation capacity for all human use, without underminingtheir function and longevity in the future. Communities use land prudently, preserving quality wild andproductive lands and designing compact urban development that features pedestrian- andtransit-oriented mixed-use development with extensive access to green space.

Social Equity: Does the idea, project, or program promote greater equi ty with in the communityand with people outside the community, as well as between present and future

generations? Social equity implies that diverse social and cultural systems are preserved and thattensions can be resolved by distributing costs and benefits equitably. A more sustainable communityrecognizes and supports an evolving sense of well-being which includes a sense of belonging, a senseof place, a sense of self-worth, a sense of safety, a sense of connection with nature, and provision of


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goods and services to meet community needs, both as they are defined and as they can beaccommodated within the ecological integrity of natural systems. Sustainable communities considerintra-generational equity (e.g., elimination of poverty, viable levels of welfare, protection of publichealth, provision of education) and inter-generational equity (e.g. leaving the world in a bettercondition than we found it, protecting future generations' rights to opportunities of presentgenerations).

Citizen Engagement and Responsibility: What is needed for an idea, project, or program to

contr ibute to a sense of communi ty among neighbors and to key featur es that make acommunity strong -- its residents, businesses, government, and insti tutions?Engagement isa participatory approach to managing a region that blends concepts of good governance, consensusbuilding, the assuming of civic responsibilities, and strategic planning. It also requires a commitmentto community where people strive to strengthen their sense of place and willingness to work together.A more sustainable community enables people to feel empowered and to take responsibility based

on a shared vision, equal opportunity, ability to access expertise and knowledge for their own needs,and a capacity to affect positively the outcome of decisions that influence them.

Cultural Vitality: What is needed for an idea, project, or program to respect and use local peopleand their knowledge, as well as local energy and materi als?A sustainable community is one

that preserves cultural attributes developed over its history, while also being open to alternativ

Documents

Whistler Sustainit3