Over the past few months, the government of Manitoba has conducted consultations a new environmental plan that will guide sustainable development in Manitoba over the coming years. Green Action Centre has submitted an extensive 83 page submission with wide ranging recommendations on the TomorrowNow consultation document, including on areas of building a green economy, climate change and energy, sustainable transportation and community education for sustainability. Below you will find our introduction. You can download the full document here.
Introduction
Green Action Centre is pleased with the Province’s commitment to create the conditions for green prosperity in Manitoba. We share TomorrowNow’s goal for Manitoba “to be one of the most sustainable places to live on earth.” That is a very ambitious goal, which invites comparison with sustainability leaders around the globe. Our own mission is to promote green solutions in pursuit of that goal.
A full-blown plan would provide an analysis of the issues to be addressed and include targets, milestones, actions, evidence that actions will lead to objectives, indicators and monitoring to track progress, a budget, and appropriate governance and oversight. We recognize that TomorrowNow is not a full-blown plan, but more a sketch of where we want to be and an invitation to Manitobans to help create strategies to get there. We accept that invitation by identifying challenges and recommendations for progress.
Green Action Centre’s entire submission consists of this introduction followed by a series of briefs written by members on themes in TomorrowNow. The styles of the briefs may differ, but the content of each has been reviewed by Green Action Centre’s policy committee and is consistent with our mission and principles. Reading this overview is not a substitute for careful study of the component briefs. Rather we here identify more general “lessons learned” to guide the transformations needed to realize the good intentions of the TomorrowNow project.
Manitoba has wonderful natural endowments, which we value for their own sake and for numerous ecological goods and services that undergird and enhance our lives and livelihoods. Upon these natural foundations, Manitobans have built an economy that strives for prosperity and justice. A green economy is one that recognizes this dependence, values and protects the natural systems that sustain us, and provides opportunities for sustainable, low-impact livelihoods and ways of life that enable Manitobans to live well and contribute to a sustainable, peaceful and just world.
