Proposal:

Comox Valley Sustainability CentreDowntown Courtenay

Understanding, information, connections,

products and services for a

sustainable Comox Valley

Comox Valley Sustainability CentreWhy?

For much the same reasons we have fire halls, ambulance services and hospitals to ensure a safe, healthy, enduring community .

We need visible, positive, practical alternatives to cooking our atmosphere, polluting and using up our water, air and land and making a cesspool of our oceans.

We need to come together as a community to create a better world.

We desperately need wide spread individual and community buy in to the idea of sustainability as essential to all we do.Sustainability needs to be at the centre of our community.

Comox Valley Sustainability CentreWhy?

• a win - win for everyone in the Comox Valley. • be very good for downtown businesses.• be great opportunity for schools• be tremendous for those who want to continue to have a

community with a sense of locality, heritage, culture and belonging.

• be a real boost for those who want to preserve the environmental quality of our valley.

• be an opportunity to bring the residents of the valley together in a way that has not happened in the past

• It would be FUN!

Why is it essential to be in Downtown Courtenay?

There is a lot of available space in downtown Courtenay

• Talking to the same people about the same themes in the same way isn’t working.

• As Sustainability focused groups, we NEED to interact with a broader spectrum of the community in new ways—where they are; in ways they can hear what we say as relevant to their lives and the community they know.

What could a Comox Valley Community Sustainability Centre look like?

It would, first of all, be in a very visible location like the old Valhalla store as the point is to be about community engagement.To the street it would display a unifying brand/ message about the meaning and value of Sustainability—very strongly supporting community engagement in promoting the implementation of the Comox Valley Sustainability Strategy as well as well designed hints/enticements to explore the interior space.

Comox Valley Sustainability CentrePossible Mission Statement

The Sustainability Centre aims to educate, enable and inspire Comox Valley residents to create, together, a truly sustainable Comox Valley. It is the most effective way we know of creating opportunities for conversation about the values and practice of sustainability and for bringing our community together in support of the Comox Valley Sustainability Strategy.

Sustainability Centre: Downtown Courtenay: Sustainable transportation as inherent part of the

brand – and fun!

What could a Comox Valley Community Sustainability Centre look like?

• The interior space would have separate space allotments for the groups that come together to sponsor the Sustainability Centre.

• It would have large common areas for the development of Sustainability demonstrations on issues like water/energy/recycling/permaculture, etc.

• Sustainability demonstrations/ workshops would be happening on a regular basis.

What could a Comox Valley Community Sustainability Centre look like?

What could a Comox Valley Community Sustainability Centre look like?

It would have space for Sustainable products for sale and advertising space for Sustainable business practices/and products.

There would be a carefully managed Sustainability related bulletin board.

A space would be kept open for workshops, films, etc.

Comox Valley Sustainability CentreWho would be involved?

Community groups interested in promoting a public understanding of their organizations work and in sustainability how and why. These groups would, collectively, manage the centre.

Local businesses selling or promoting sustainability products and services

Local governments would be invited to have space on a ongoing or designated term. They would be invited to organize displays and workshops on sustainability issues.

Comox Valley Sustainability CentreWho would be involved?

Local Schools; NIC may be interested in using the space and/or organizing a display.

Provincial Groups with a strong Sustainability interest like Sierra Club, BCSEA, Smart Growth might want a short or long term involvement once the centre has established itself.

While the centre would not endorse a political party, parties would be invited to have a display showcasing their sustainability values and actions.

Provincial Government agencies like BC Hydro may be interested in a public forum for their sustainability actions and promotions.

Comox Valley Sustainability CentreHow long would it run?

That depends on commitment and funding. Three months would seem a lower limit that allows the centre to establish itself in the mind and attention of the community.

With careful planning it could become permanent part of downtown Courtenay—spinning off local displays and workshops in other Comox Valley communities.

Comox Valley Sustainability CentreHow would it be paid for?

• Application to funding groups that support sustainability awareness and community involvement. Surprisingly the Real Estate Foundation was a major funder of the previous Comox Valley Sustainability Institute.

• A centre for Sustainability would do well in a Crowd funding effort.• All groups involved would pay a minimal amount for their floor

space.• Profits on fair trade and sustainability related goods and services• Advertising space for sustainability related goods and services• Workshop fees• Given the number of downtown vacancies a local owner might front

most of two months’ rent to have the space looked after and in the public eye. A lease would be easier to determine after operating for a couple of months.

Comox Valley Sustainability Centre Downtown Courtenay

Creating Community Alliances for a resilient and sustainable Comox Valley