On the same day his town made history back home, an Alberta speaker garnered a large crowd in Whitehorse last Thursday evening, telling residents how Okotoks, Alta., has become a world leader in sustainability.

Richard Quail is the city manager of Okotoks, a small town south of Calgary.

On Thursday, his town became the first in North America to open a subdivision, known as Drake Landing, powered by solar energy. This initiative follows a decade of turning the town into a sustainable community.

'Ten years ago, we decided to live within our capacity,' he said to more than 70 residents who filled the chairs and left a handful to stand at the back of the room at the Westmark Whitehorse Hotel. Attendees included Mayor Bev Buckway and Larry Bagnell, the Yukon's Member of Parliament.

Quail was in town to kick off Whitehorse's own sustainability charrette campaign, said Lesley Cabott, project manager for the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan (ICSP).

Quail told residents a commitment to sustainability requires a number of ingredients, such as a willingness to face risk, and a strong vision.

'But if you take one thing away from tonight, let it be this quote ... If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.' And that's what sustainability is: It's about standing for something.'

The town, which he said is home to about 20,000 residents, relies heavily upon the capacity of Sheep River.

'The river can support about 30,000 to 40,000 people,' he said. With that in mind, the city has been operating with 'fixed urban boundaries' to cap how big the town will grow.

Based on current economic growth patterns, Quail said later, he estimates the city will reach its capacity by 2017.

Setting limits was a theme Quail returned to many times throughout his hour-long presentation.

He said the town has set garbage bag limits, water consumption limits, and restrictive covenants for home builders and owners to ensure every resident is working towards the town's sustainability goals.

'Not everyone is going to be satisfied, but everyone is informed and they understand what's being done,' he said.

Quail illustrated his speech using graphs and charts, with ascending lines and bars indicating the town's progress in the last decade.

He also provided examples of how Okotoks has reduced consumption. These included the use of solar heating at the local pool and solar ice resurfacing at the hockey rink.

The example that received the most raised eyebrows and nods from the crowd, however, was Quail's description of Drake Landing.

'We've used over 800 solar panels,' he said. Each house has two panels on its roof, while structures behind the rows of houses, that look similar to backyard sheds, had more.

The summer solar heat is absorbed by the panels and stored in underground bore holes, he said, then used in the winter to heat the homes and provide electricity.

'Between May and October, we get more sunshine than Greece, Italy and Miami,' he said.

Quail said he did not know whether such an initiative would work in Whitehorse, but that the city is well on its way to using available resources to become more sustainable.

'I've seen the many pathways and the work you're doing on the riverfront, and it's very encouraging to see,' he said.

He advised Whitehorse city councillors and staff to be prepared to think outside of the box when planning for sustainability.

'Make sustainability the business you're in, not a program,' he said.

Catchy slogans abounded, but in the end, residents expressed hope for the city as it moves toward increasing its sustainability framework.

'It's a bit scary, it is a big task,' said Wheeler Street resident John Pattimore. 'You won't get everyone on board, and that's one part that's daunting ... there's people in this city that are progressive.'

In an interview following his presentation, Quail told the Star becoming sustainable doesn't mean spending a lot of money on upfront costs, as many people fear.

'A strategy that is well-crafted doesn't cost exorbitant amounts of money,' he said. 'You save money by doing wise things, and you use that money to fund more wise things, in a cycle.'

Buckway said the turnout to Quail's presentation is an indication that Whitehorse residents are on board and ready for the city to make some changes.

'We're just starting with this, and we have very committed people,' she said Friday morning. 'He said (Thursday) night council has to take a strong stand.'

Buckway said she and council are ready to commit to sustainable development and infrastructure, but are aware that change is difficult.

'Some things will be controversial in the public's eye.'

The city is gathering public feedback now on its ICSP draft plans for 17 sustainable projects to be funded using federal gas tax funds.

Further sustainable projects will have to wait until the 2008 budget is decided, Buckway said, interjecting that the city is already taking steps.

The city's recycling and composting programs, as well as the waste management system, are all ideas she said Quail liked and would be taking back to Okotoks' town hall.

Cabott told residents the city is planning a charrette about the ICSP draft plans Oct. 22-25 at the Mt. McIntyre Recreation Centre.

There, the city will host an open house and public information sessions to gather public feedback and share ideas.