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International Awards for Liveable Communities
The
LivCom Awards
Newsletter No. 10 -
April 2008
The LivCom Newsletter
is intended to keep you advised of developments
relating to the LivCom Awards. If you wish to
contribute to the Newsletter regarding your
experience of LivCom or in respect of any subject
relevant to LivCom, please contact the LivCom Office
on info@livcomawards.com
The Awards were launched
internationally in 1997 and are endorsed by the United
Nations Environment Programme and are managed by a UK
Company Limited by Guarantee, which prohibits the
distribution of any financial surpluses earned, and is also
a UK Registered Charity.
In 2007 a Memorandum of
Understanding was signed between the United nations
Environment Programme and the International Awards for
Liveable Communities.
To access all details of the LivCom
Awards in 30 languages, click on
www.livcomawards.com
LivCom
2008
Finals 6th – 10th November 2008
Dongguan, China
Closing Date for Registrations, 31st
May 2008
Registration Fees
-
Whole City Awards – No Fee
-
Environmentally Sustainable Projects entered
by a community participatingin the Whole City Awards – No
Fee
-
Environmentally Sustainable Projects NOT entered by a
community participating in the Whole City Awards – Fee £200
-
Bursary Award – No Fee
-
LivCom Personal Award – No Fee
To view full registration Form and Judging Criteria in 30
langyages go to www.livcomawards.co.uk or contact the LivCom
Head Office on info@livcomawards.com. Tel/Fax: 0+44 (0) 118
946 1680.
Dongguan – A New City
Dongguan is situated in the South of China, near to Hong
King, and was the winner of a Gold Award and First Place in
the LivCom 2006 Awards. It is an exciting ‘new’ City that
demonstrates a commitment to creating an environmentally
sustainable city that offers a high quality of life for its
citizens. The Finals will be based at a new high quality
hotel that will be offering very special accommodation rates
to LivCom Delegates.
The city’s
mayor, Mr Li Yu Quan said: “Having been awarded First Place
and receiving a Gold medal at the International Awards for
Liveable Communities in 2006, it is a great honour for
Dongguan to be able to host the LivCom Awards.”
Dongguan is
located where the Zhujiang River reaches the South China
Sea. Its total area is 2,465 square kilometres with a total
population reaching 6.5 million.
Today the city
has thriving modern manufacturing industry but it has also
worked hard to protect its environment.
The city boasts
a green coverage rate of 45% and its 16 forest parks, make
Dongguan a renowned Garden City in the Pearl River Delta.
Preservation of
its heritage, one of the criteria which LivCom judges are
looking for, has been successfully managed in Dongguan. It
was one of the places where the South of Five Ridges
civilization originated in China, with a documented history
of civilization that dates back more than 5,000 years. Its
abundant heritage is seen in numerous relic sites. Fittingly
as host of a major international awards event, Dongguan was
also one of the first places in China to establish relations
with foreign countries. The incense of China Eaglewood,
which Dongguan was renowned for, was an important commodity
for the development of the ancient “Silk Road of the Seas”
(Hong Kong).
2008
Registrations Begin
To date,
Registrations have been received from United States, Canada,
Australia, New Zealand, India, China, Czech Republic,
Bulgaria, UK amongst others.
Benefits of
participation in the LivCom Awards
To obtain the
maximum benefit from participation in the LivCom Awards,
communities should consider registering for the
Environmentally Sustainable Project and Bursary Award
Sections in addition to the Whole City Awards.
Every year,
professional delegates comment that participation in the
LivCom Awards has been the most professionally rewarding
experience of their career.
Political
delegates confirm that being exposed to the Presentations of
cities from other countries and cultures has provided many
policy ideas that could be effectively introduced in their
own community.
A regular
comment is that by compiling the Initial Submission
communities are effectively carrying out a self-audit and
discovering both strengths and weaknesses.
Delegates
constantly confirm that through LivCom they have formed
partnerships with representatives of communities from other
countries and cultures, through which a constant exchange of
experiences, information and best practice takes place for
the benefit of both communities.
LivCom Personal Award
The criteria for the LivCom Personal Award are:
The winner shall have made a significant contribution to
liveability, covering at least one of the LivCom Criteria.
The contribution made should be such that it is regarded as
International Best Practice or has had a significant and
clear impact on the community involved.
Nomination Forms are included within the 2008 LivCom
Registration Form
Quality of life and sustainable development a focus of
LivCom Awards Champions
In France, buildings and property are responsible for 40% of
energy consumption and 25% of greenhouse-gas emissions. All
efforts made in this sector will therefore have a real
impact on the environment in the medium term. For several
years now, the city of Lyon has positioned itself on the
national stage as one of the forerunners of a
cross-disciplinary approach to the problem.
Its objective now is to become a European pioneer in the
field of sustainable development and its achievements were
recognised at the 2007 LivCom Awards.
In Lyon, 96,000 sqm (net floor space) of offices either
already completed or under construction meet the specific
environmental requirements established for office premises.
Lyon celebrated being a double prize winner at the 2007
LivCom Awards collecing first prize for "enhancement of the
landscape" (category: towns and cities of all sizes) for the
Berges du Rhône project, and second prize for "overall
quality of living environment" (category: cities with
200,000 to 700,000 inhabitants), just behind Malmö in
Sweden.
Ilmar Reepalu, social democrat and Mayor of Malmö, has been
working since the mid-nineties to change Malmö from an
industrial town to a modern, green capital of the region.
And with great success – Malmö has received numerous prizes
for its green projects, most recently the prestigious 2007
‘LivCom’ award.
“The beginning of the nineties was a time of crisis for
traditional industry in Malmö and 26,000 people lost their
jobs. We needed to change the priorities of the town from
industrial production to knowledge economy and as a part of
this process we wanted to go green,” explains Reepalu.
For more than 15 years the city council has been working to
inspire a more eco-friendly mentality among the citizens of
Malmö. The approach is whole-hearted and grasps everything
from encouraging school children to plant trees to
introducing better public transportation. The flag-ship
project is the west harbour of Malmö – an old industrial
district which the city council has transformed into an
eco-friendly urban area. “We wanted to show that if you take
the best and most innovative knowledge you can actually
build a completely sustainable housing area,” says the
Swedish mayor.
LIVCOM AWARDS OPEN TO COMMUNITIES GREAT AND SMALL
The LivCom
Awards are the world’s only competition focusing on best
practice regarding the management of the local
environment. The Awards are endorsed by the United Nations
Environmental Programme and every year recognize the
achievements of communities great and small in tackling the
most pressing environmental issues for the planet.
All sizes of community are catered for by the awards and the
2007 finals, held in Westminster, showcased presentations
from 46 communities and projects from 23 nations. A total of
280 nominations were received for these Awards. Judging is
across six criteria that are considered to create a liveable
community. The criteria are Enhancement of the Landscape,
Heritage Management, Environmentally Sensitive Practices,
Community Sustainability, Healthy Lifestyles and Planning
for the Future.
One Award is given for the each of these six criteria and
the smallest community to reach the finals in 2007, St.
Walburg, Saskatchewan, in Canada was awarded the Criteria
Award for Community Sustainability.
In the Whole City Awards, Section A, which is for
communities with a population of under 20,000, St. Walburg,
population 850, won a Silver Award and placed second after
Clonakilty, Ireland. This Award is based on all six
categories.
This was the second year that St. Walburg was accepted as a
finalist and invited to attend the Awards. In 2006 the St.
Walburg delegation of Tony & Merrill Leeson and Norm & Ennie
Linkert came home from Hangzhou, China with a Bronze
Award. The improved performance in 2007 by the delegation of
Mayor Gordon Hall and Tony & Merrill Leeson indicates that
St. Walburg was good and is now better.
Mayor Gordon Hall said: “The Town can now claim to be a
world class sustainable, liveable community.”
Perspective of a
Small Sustainable Community
St. Walburg,
Saskatchewan, Canada
St.
Walburg on the world scale is an insignificant dot. Many
housing developments in larger centres have populations in
excess of St. Walburg’s 800 residents but at the 2007 LivCom
Awards St. Walburg won first place in Community
Sustainability. This small community outperformed all the
other 39 communities invited to attend. These communities
represented a total of 21 countries.
Sustainability, to a small town struggling for survival, has
many dimensions that are taken for granted in larger
communities. As a result when we talk about community
sustainability we think of sustainability in a holistic
sense. The sense of community, civic pride and the
involvement of individuals in planning are of paramount
importance as is the economic dimension. Other factors
include the carbon footprint and long term planning.
To
obtain grassroots participation in decision making the Town
uses a system of seven appointed committees each with a
council representative responsible for reporting back to
council the aspirations and needs of its members. These
members are in turn representatives appointed by clubs or
organizations covered by the umbrella organization. In order
that all voices are heard, each year the call goes out for
“at large” members for the appointed committees. In this way
these fiscally responsible committees are empowered by
giving them the ability to have a say in future planning and
formulating policy. This fosters civic pride and gives a
sense of belonging.
Over
half of the members of committees for St. Walburg
organizations live outside Town limits. These people
identify themselves with the Town. This means that the St.
Walburg community extends far beyond the Town boundaries.
Although this results in the Town taxpayer becoming
responsible for providing services such as fire, rescue,
libraries, health care and sports facilities for more than
double its population, the Town becomes large enough to have
the critical mass of people to sustain the numerous groups
and organizations in Town. In turn all these members of the
extended community join together to raise the funds and
provide the volunteers necessary to sustain community
projects of their choosing. In this way St. Walburg gains
facilities such as the Communiplex and Golf Course.
Civic
pride and the related sense of belonging are generated by
involvement. The Town has no parks department, yet it has
four small parks, hanging baskets on Main Street and
planters on the corners. Each of the parks is on privately
owned land and is maintained by the organizations or groups
that own the land. Another committee looks after the hanging
baskets, planters and plantings on Town property. No taxes
are charged on the properties and water is supplied by the
Town. Most prairie towns have some sort of monument they
identify with but St. Walburg has three. A life-size bronze
statue of a mounted pioneer greets a person entering Town,
in Town is a Chuckwagon pulled by four horses commemorating
St. Walburg’s wagon heritage and a Carillion in Centennial
Park is found beside Main Street. These monuments serve to
create civic pride but more impressive is the fact that all
were concepts of individuals or organizations paid for by
donations. With a minimal tax base Town Council can only
supply needs. Wants are facilitated by Town Council but they
must be financed and brought to fruition by those who want
them.
Volunteers are the backbone of St. Walburg. Once again they
come from the greater community. This is exemplified by our
fairs and festivals which are dependant on volunteerism and
in kind help. The Fair is a two day event as is the Polka
Fest. The Wild Blueberry Festival is only a one day event
but as it brings over 5,000 visitors each year most of the
greater community are involved in one way or another.
To be
a cohesive small community, integration is of paramount
importance. This has been no problem in St. Walburg as the
community only came into existence eighty-five years ago
when the railroad reached this point and went no further.
The original settlers were from many different countries
with many different customs and religions. Newcomers of all
persuasions are still welcome. Although English is the
language of communication, it is common to hear many other
languages spoken in Town.
The
main reason for St. Walburg being sustainable economically
has been Town Council’s clear vision of the future and an
ability to look for the silver lining whenever the future
looked bleak. Surrounded by the Northern Boreal Forest and
marginal farmland most would see the combined effects of a
depressed farm economy and a precipitous drop in family size
as the death knell. St. Walburg responded by increasing its
service based industries, improving its recreational
facilities, establishing an Economic Development Council and
targeting tourism. Recognizing that its main problem was its
low tax base St. Walburg sought partnerships in ventures and
actively encouraged investment in new businesses. The result
has been that the Town has continued to grow and has
provided more job opportunities than graduates for the last
two years. Focusing on tourism infrastructure and the
residents of the more than 2,000 cabins that dot the
numerous lakes north, west and east of St. Walburg has made
St. Walburg’s future outlook bright. Combine this with oil,
gas and forestry the economy is now diversified.
Those
same oil, gas and forestry industries that help our economy
had the potential to harm our pristine environment unless
they were properly controlled. Likewise the monoculture
practice of prairie farming threatened our natural diversity
and hence our sustainability. These industries were all
beyond the reach of Town Council so it opted to join
regulatory organizations that controlled the practice of
these industries. The same depression in farm income that
had threatened the Town’s existence worked in the Town’s
favour as the marginal farmland was not suitable for a grain
monoculture. Ranching returned large areas back to pasture
and organic farming became more economically viable. By
becoming part of the North Saskatchewan Watershed Advisory
Committee the Town could encourage Best Farm Practices and
push for measures to ensure clean water. Similarly, by
becoming a member of accreditation Public Advisory Groups
for both forestry companies operating in the Northern Boreal
Forest, St. Walburg could insist on ecologically sound,
monitored forestry practices. The silver lining to these
committees is that with sound practices the fire cycle for
the forest should be increased from 55 to 75 years which
would not only reduce the forest fire threat but also
produce a healthier forest with a more even serel
representation. As for oil and gas incursions into our
pristine environment, St. Walburg joined the Northwest
Municipalities Association. These industries are well aware
of their reputation and will cut costs if allowed to do so
but if the rules are spelt out clearly will bend over
backwards to comply. Once again we were fortunate to be
latecomers.
Steps
to reduce our carbon footprint and be ecologically sensitive
to sustainability are well underway but once again St.
Walburg is held back by its diminutive tax base. Fortunately
St. Walburg had a head start on many as its Energy Reduction
Strategy began in 1982 when it retrofitted the old hospital
building. Over time most municipal buildings have had energy
audits and have been retrofitted. Last year it was the turn
of the municipal campground and this year it will be the
Historical Museum’s turn. It should be noted that retrofits
are the responsibility of the organization operating the
building but the energy audit is provided by the taxpayer.
The Waste Reduction Strategy was a ten year project which
was only completed this year. The Town now has negotiated
with outside bodies a complete recycling package. Garden
waste can be composted at the Town compost site. Individual
home composters are available at cost from the Town Office.
A large chipper is used to reduce branches and small trees
to chips for use on the Town trail system. The silver lining
this time has been over a 70% decrease in household garbage
and a new much smaller garbage truck could be purchased. The
Water Reduction Strategy is another long term plan based on
yearly price increases for ten years calculated to make
sewer and water utilities independent of the tax base. This
includes replacement costs for infrastructure. Water and
sewer charges are based on actual consumption. This removal
from property tax is supported by the population as they
individually decide on how much water they use. For the last
three years this has resulted in a three percent decrease in
water use each year.
 It is
only by having a clear sense of direction that
sustainability can be achieved. With long-term planning,
reviewed annually, it is possible to take
advantage of situations that present themselves. St. Walburg
has shown that it is people not expensive green projects
that make a community sustainable.
Antony V. Leeson
Councillor,
Town of St.Walburg |
