TORONTO, June 2 /CNW/ – The Canadian Environment Awards tonight hosted a gala evening at Toronto’s Liberty Grand to recognize the 2008 winners of its annual celebration of environmental achievement. One of Canadian Environment Week’s major events, the Canadian Environment Awards celebrates the commitment of Canadians who are helping to protect, preserve and restore the country’s environment.
The evening was hosted by award-winning television broadcaster and well-known environmental champion Valerie Pringle. Representatives from local, provincial and federal governments were on hand to congratulate the winners.
The Community Awards is the flagship program of the Canadian Environment Awards and honours individuals and groups of Canadians chosen from more than 125 nominations submitted by the Canadian public. Gold and Silver winners in six categories of the Community Awards were announced tonight. Gisèle Jacob, president of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and Graham Bojé, vice-president of Shell Canada, lead corporate sponsor of the Canadian Environment Awards, presented the Gold and Silver recipients with prizes of $5,000 and $2,500, respectively, which they will donate to the environmental cause of their choice. All winners also received framed prizes expressly designed for the Canadian Environment Awards by Canada Post.
“The Canadian Environment Awards celebrates exceptional Canadians who are deeply committed to protecting the environment,” says Rick Boychuk, Canadian Environment Awards panel chair and editor-in-chief of Canadian Geographic.
“Our winners have remarkable stories to tell about what inspired them to take action within their communities. Their efforts will help all Canadians understand the power of grassroots action to influence the environmental fortunes of this country.”
The Citation of Lifetime Achievement 2008 was presented to Maude Barlow, who for 25 years has been a fierce advocate for the rights of Canadians and for Canadian sovereignty on economic, trade and social issues that have a deep connection to the environment. Barlow’s most recent campaign focuses on the world’s water crisis.
Edward Burtynsky was this year’s recipient of the Ideas for Life Award, created to recognize environmental action demonstrated through the arts, entertainment and design. Burtynsky is one of Canada’s most innovative and respected photographers, recognized for his extraordinary large-format photographic renderings of industrial landscapes.
Dunrankin Drive Public School (Mississauga, Ontario) and Henry Street High School (Whitby, Ontario) were the Junior and Senior Grand Prize winners of The Green Team Challenge, respectively.
The Canadian Environment Awards program was founded in 2002 by Canadian Geographic Enterprises and the Government of Canada and is supported by nine corporate sponsors. The founding corporate partner is Shell Canada, which sponsors the Community Awards. Hewlett-Packard (Canada) Co. sponsors the Citation of Lifetime Achievement, Panasonic Canada Inc. sponsors the Ideas for Life Award, and TD Bank Financial Group sponsors The Green Team Challenge; Canada Post is the sponsor of the Awards Gala.
Photographs of the Canadian Environment Awards Gala 2008 and profiles of each of this year’s winners are available at www.canadiangeographic.ca/cea.
GOLD AND SILVER COMMUNITY AWARDS WINNERS 2008
CLIMATE CHANGE
- Gold: Zerofootprint, carbon-reduction network for consumers and businesses, Toronto, Ontario. Now: https://www.carbonx.ca/
- Silver: Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology Student Volunteers, Share the Warmth Home Energy-Efficiency Project, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
- Silver: Judith Sayers, Hupacasath First Nation/Unit Power Corporation, Port Alberni, British Columbia
CONSERVATION
- Gold: Appalachian Corridor Appalachien, transborder conservation initiative, Lac-Brome, Quebec
- Silver: Jon Lien, founder, Whale Research Group of Memorial University, Portugal Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador
- Silver: Ocean Net, shoreline cleanup program, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Gold: Jim Brophy and Margaret Keith, community health advocates, Windsor, Ontario
- Silver: Clean Air Foundation, Switch Out and Switch the ‘Stat, Toronto, Ontario
- Silver: Evergreen, national program to create outdoor classrooms for play and learning, Toronto, Ontario
ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING
- Gold: Club agroenvironnemental du bassin La Guerre, council for the promotion and development of sustainable agriculture, Saint-Anicet, Quebec
- Silver: André Bélisle, clean-air and climate-change activist, Saint-Léon-de-Standon, Quebec
- Silver: Etablissements verts Brundtland, education for a sustainable future, Québec, Quebec
RESTORATION & REHABILITATION
- Gold: Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation and the Town of Coaldale, community raptor rehabilitation and education centre, Coaldale, Alberta
- Silver: Comité ZIP Jacques-Cartier, group for the enhancement of the St. Lawrence River at Montréal, Quebec
- Silver: Gerard Nellestijn, Salmo Watershed Streamkeepers Society, Salmo, British Columbia
SUSTAINABLE LIVING
- Gold: Local Food Plus, network for the certification and promotion of locally produced food, Toronto, Ontario
- Silver: The Otesha Project, national youth-driven sustainability campaign, Ottawa, Ontario
- Silver: The Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul, Heirloom Seed Sanctuary, Kingston, Ontario
THE GREEN TEAM CHALLENGE 2008
JUNIOR
Dunrankin Drive Public School, Mississauga, Ontario
SENIOR
Henry Street High School, Whitby, Ontario
CITATION OF LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT 2008
Maude Barlow, activist, advocate and chair of The Council of Canadians, Ottawa, Ontario
IDEAS FOR LIFE AWARD 2008
Edward Burtynsky, photographer, Toronto, Ontario
For complete details of the Canadian Environment Awards 2008, visit
www.canadiangeographic.ca/cea.
For further information: Diane Chaperon-Lor, Public Relations Manager,
Canadian Environment Awards, Telephone: (416) 653-0849, Cellphone: (416)
788-8271, E-mail: chaperonlor@canadiangeographic.ca
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