A lot of people are already working to make Prince George a better place to live, and the organizers of the 2015 Canada Winter Games want to give them an opportunity to use the event as a launching pad.
On Oct. 10, the host society is holding a Sustainability and Legacy Summit to try and answer the question of how the Games can fit into already brewing strategies.
"The Games are going to be a high profile, hugely visible national event," said Dan Adamson, sustainability consultant to the Games.
"It's going to create a great platform but it's also going to create opportunities for collaboration, partnership, synergies, motivation, all those sorts of things."
Participants can be from the business, social development, healthcare and environment sectors, among others.
"It's trying to get all the right people in the room that are working on these things that know the lay of the land from their perspective and bring their ideas forward," Adamson said.
The day-long event at UNBC will feature a morning of informative talks from people such as Dr. Charles Jago, Rob Abbott, Greg Halseth, Anne Pousette, Tim Reeve and keynote Olympic gold medalist Adam Kreek. Topics to be covered include trends in sustainability, sustainable land use planning, climate change, being equipped to compete in the global economy and active living.
The afternoon will offer an opportunity for those in attendance a chance to work together.
"It's trying to get all the right people in the room that are working on these things that know the lay of the land from their perspective and bring their ideas forward," Adamson said.
"So when we do that, we not only look at those individual's ideas, we look for connections between those ideas."
The host society isn't attempting to take over these projects and ideas, Adamson stressed, as they have their own sustainability issues to stay on top of during the operation of the 2015 event.
"This is about the work that you're doing now and you're going to be doing regardless of the Games," Adamson said.
"It's just saying, how can the Games help with your work along that way?"
To register for the Oct. 10 summit online, visit cwgsummit.eventbrite.ca. Registration is $25 and seating at the university's Bentley Centre is limited.
In addition to speaking at the Sustainability and Legacy Summit Adam Kreek - who won a gold medal for men's eight rowing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was part of the team that earlier this year attempted to row across the Atlantic Ocean - will also have a free public engagement Oct. 10.
Kreek will be at the university's Weldwood Theatre from 7 to 8:30 p.m., sharing stories about his experience as a high performance athlete and how that shaped his role as a leadership coach and health and environment champion.
