Every person, business and visitor in Cochrane plays a part in implementing the Cochrane Sustainability Plan. The plan includes a seven step framework for implementation that can be utilized by anyone who wants to take part.
First, if you have read the plan and want to do your part, you have already taken the first step laid out in the implementation framework, which is engagement: all citizens ought to be engaged in sustainable community development.
Second, recognize the assets that you bring to this community. By choosing to live, work or play in Cochrane, you are contributing to the overall health and wellness of this place we share together. Building on your existing assets as a community contributor is the second step to implementing the plan.
Third, continuously learn, improve and adjust as you experience Cochrane life. There are many ways to explore and experience the community, whether it is through work or simple neighbourliness. As you learn about Cochrane, why not share with others? The third step is lifelong learning as a strategy to living in a strong, viable community: the more you know about Cochrane, the more you will want to know.
Fourth, build positive relationships. This is the fourth step to creating a well networked community where people help each other in times of need. Over the last 10 years I have learned the truth of the old sage advice that you can get further with honey than with vinegar. I remind myself everyday to heed Bambi’s mother: “if you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all.” Bambi had a smart mom, indeed, and her advice is simple in principle, but complicated to practice.
Fifth, we are all in this together and need to grow the capacity of Cochrane to deal with any problem or issue that comes our way. When we break into factions and deliberately take the “he said-she said” approach to problem resolution, we destroy trust and relationships. Capacity building is the fifth step in implementing the plan.
Sixth, this place is your home, your workplace, your learning environment and your investment opportunity. Be empowered to speak up when things are not as they should be. Take action to improve the quality of life we enjoy here.
Ten years ago, many people in Cochrane did not value wetlands — on Dec. 26, the slough at Toyota was appreciated by hockey players, skaters and others as a valuable amenity worth keeping as part of our highway commercial assets. You can make change happen through persistence, principled negotiations and respectfulness to others. The sixth step is to trust one another and build a culture of responsibility to each other and the community.
Last, look at the whole. When you see an issue through one lens it may seem different than if you look at the matter in a different way. Everything we do is connected to who we are and how we function in this Cochrane system. Cochrane is embedded in a region, a province, a country, a hemisphere, and a world. The choices we make financially affect our social life and health. The choices we make with respect to sharing the Earth with every other living thing affects the global economy and way we interact as a society. The most important step to implementing the plan is to see the connections and embrace them. Our sustainable future depends on it.
