CV Sustainability Centre

1. Proposal:
Comox Valley Sustainability Centre
Downtown Courtenay
Understanding, information, connections,
products and services for a
sustainable Comox Valley

2. Comox Valley Sustainability Centre
Why?
 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.

3. Comox Valley Sustainability Centre
Why?
• 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!

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Comox Valley Sustainability Centre
Possible 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.

7. Sustainability Centre: Downtown Courtenay:
Sustainable transportation as inherent part of the
brand – and fun!

8. 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.

9. What could a Comox Valley Community
Sustainability Centre look like?

10. 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.

11. Comox Valley Sustainability Centre
Who 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.

12. Comox Valley Sustainability Centre
Who 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.

13. Comox Valley Sustainability Centre
How 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.

14. Comox Valley Sustainability Centre
How 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.

15. Comox Valley Sustainability Centre
Downtown Courtenay
Creating Community Alliances for a
resilient and sustainable Comox Valley