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
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/Upnit 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
