| In September of 2001, the Kootenay Association for Science and Technology (KAST) organized a workshop for businesses, non-government organizations (NGO) and government staff to discuss the impacts of industrial activities in the region. The workshop focussed on the concept of ‘by-product synergy’ (BPS) as a tool to address the concerns.; BPS can be defined as the synergy among diverse industries, agriculture and communities resulting in the profitable conversion of by-products or ‘wastes’ to usable resources (CEIN, 2001a, pg. 3). These by-products are typically materials or energy.; As a result of the interest from the workshop, this paper was prepared to explore the question “How can the principles of by-product synergy be effectively applied in the West Kootenays to promote economic development and waste recovery/reduction?” The objective was to develop a strategy for implementing BPS in the region to increase economic development while simultaneously minimizing the environmental impacts of business activities. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
