Environment and Conservation
June 2, 2009
Celebrating Newfoundland
and Labrador�s Environmental Leaders
Environmental leadership in Newfoundland and Labrador
was highlighted today when the Newfoundland and Labrador 20th
Annual Environmental Awards were presented by the Honourable Charlene
Johnson, Minister of Environment and Conservation; Mike Samson,
Interim Chair and CEO, Multi-Materials Stewardship Board (MMSB); and
Barbara Taylor, President, Newfoundland and Labrador Women�s Institutes.
"Today�s event marks an opportunity to showcase the
accomplishments of our environmental leaders and to say thank-you for
their dedication and efforts," said Minister Johnson. "This year�s
winners demonstrate tremendous ingenuity and determination, and I
congratulate them and encourage them to continue to be extraordinary
role models for others."
The Environmental Awards is an annual celebration of
environmental achievements in Newfoundland and Labrador. The awards
raise awareness of the individuals, groups and businesses that are
taking action to protect and sustain Newfoundland and Labrador�s
environment. In addition to being celebrated at the awards ceremony,
each of the winners also received a $1,000 honorarium from the MMSB to
go towards furthering their own environmental projects or to donate to
an environmental cause of their choice. This year�s winners were
selected from more than 75 nominations.
This year�s winners are:
Individual: Geneva Woodward
Community Group or Organization: Deer Lake
Community Improvements Committee
Youth, Youth Group or School: Youth for
Environmental Awareness (YEA!)
Municipality or Regional Waste Management
Committee: Town of Glenburnie-Birchy Head-Shoal Brook
Business or Industry Leader: The Sprout
Lifetime Achievement: Robert O�Brien
"The MMSB is honored, once again, to be involved in
recognizing our province�s environmental leaders," said Mr. Samson.
"Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have made it known that the
environment is a top priority. We should all be proud of the
environmental initiative taken by this year�s winners � they are
committed to helping protect, preserve and sustain our environment and
they are influencing others in their respective communities to take
action."
"Daily, we become more aware of the need to protect
our environment. Our future and our children�s futures depend on the
ways we respond to the need to sustain our basic elements of earth,
water and air. Each of us has a part to play, be it physical or vocal,"
said Ms. Taylor. "The Newfoundland and Labrador Women�s Institutes
congratulates this year�s winners. The diversity and originality of the
projects that citizens throughout the province are participating in show
an increased awareness of the needs and advantages gained by becoming
environmentally active."
Minister Johnson also recognized Mr. Robert O�Brien on
receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is given to an
individual who is committed to environmental stewardship and has made a
significant lifetime contribution to environmental protection and
sustainability.
"Mr. O�Brien�s environmental spirit and lifelong
dedication to marine conservation in Newfoundland and Labrador is to be
commended," said Minister Johnson. "I extend my deepest congratulations
to him for the environmental contributions that he has made to ocean
conservation and sustainability in Newfoundland and Labrador."
The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Awards
Program is a joint initiative sponsored by the Department of Environment
and Conservation, the MMSB and the Newfoundland and Labrador Women�s
Institutes.
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Media contacts:
Melony O�Neill
Director of Communications
Department of Environment and Conservation
709-729-2575, 689-0928
moneill@gov.nl.ca
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Cara Pike
Director of Marketing and Communications
MMSB
709-757-3696
cpike@mmsb.nl.ca
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Barbara Taylor
President
Newfoundland and Labrador Women�s Institutes
709-895-2834
b.k.taylor@nf.sympatico.ca
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BACKGROUNDER
Newfoundland and Labrador 2009
Environmental Award Winners
Geneva Woodward
Ms. Woodward is most known for her tireless work and
dedication to protecting the Limestone Barrens habitat, especially the
species at risk plant Long�s Braya and other rare plants. She is a
member of the Limestone Barrens Species at Risk Recovery Team, and plays
an instrumental role in decisions being made regarding plant species at
risk on the limestone barrens of the Great Northern Peninsula. As
principal of Straits Elementary, Ms. Woodward was one of the driving
forces behind the signing of the 2002 Stewardship Agreement between
Straits Elementary, the Limestone Barrens Habitat Stewardship Program
and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. The agreement was the
first of its kind in Canada and the school won an environmental award
for it in 2004 in the School or Educational Institution Category. Ms.
Woodward was also one of the key forces behind efforts to have Sandy
Cove designated as a Provisional
Ecological Reserve.
Youth for Environmental Awareness (YEA!)
YEA! was founded by a group of young people in Baie
Verte in 2006 and is dedicated to raising awareness of environmental
issues in the community. Its most recent initiative is a campaign to
make Baie Verte the first idle-free community in Newfoundland and
Labrador, which involves businesses and organizations proclaiming their
premises as idle-free zones. The group is committed to educating the
public about harmful greenhouse gases that are released into the
atmosphere from idling vehicles. YEA! has also partnered with a local
grocery store to promote the use of reusable bags and teamed up with a
local Sears outlet to help promote a catalogue recycling program. Other
planned projects include household battery recycling drives, tire
pressure clinics, and shoreline clean-ups.
Deer Lake Community Improvements Committee
The Deer Lake Community Improvements Committee is a
sub-committee of the Town of Deer Lake that has been in operation for
over 10 years. Most recently, the committee established a Community
Compost Program that has proven to be very successful. A big part of
establishing the program included carrying out extensive research on
composting, visiting compost sites in other towns and consulting with
residents involved in backyard composting. Since the opening of a
community compost site, the amount of curbside garbage in the town has
been reduced. This, in turn, has reduced the amount of waste going to
the local landfill. The Community Improvements Committee has also been
involved in beach clean-ups, integrated pest management promotion, trail
development, and an initiative with Green Streets Canada that has
resulted in over 100 native trees being planted throughout the town.
Town of Glenburnie-Birchy Head-Shoal Brook
Situated within the boundaries of Gros Morne National
Park, the Town of Glenburnie-Birchy Head-Shoal Brook has been involved
in a number of environmental efforts, including the passing of a motion
in 2007 to declare the town a sustainable community. The town also
adopted the David Suzuki Nature Challenge in 2007 � the first community
in Canada to do so. As well, the town passed a motion to prohibit the
cosmetic use of pesticides and herbicides on gardens and lawns, making
it the first municipality in Newfoundland and Labrador to implement such
a by-law. The town has participated in a number of environmental
activities such as distribution of compost bins and reusable shopping
bags to residents; introduction of an LED Christmas lights initiative;
energy audits; beach clean-ups; community gardens; tree plantings;
removal of car wrecks; and purchase of a dishwasher and reusable dishes
for the recreation centre. The town also played an instrumental role in
the Sustainable Tourism Accord signed last year between the seven
municipalities adjacent to Gros Morne National Park, Parks Canada and
the Gros Morne Institute of Sustainable Tourism. The first initiatives
under this accord will be an idle-free and a re-usable bags campaign
that got underway on June 1, 2009 in all seven communities.
The Sprout
Since opening four years ago, The Sprout restaurant
has implemented innovative programs that help lessen its impact on the
environment and reduce waste by approximately 60 per cent. Each week,
the restaurant throws out only about six bags of garbage, compared to
its 12 bags of recycled material like cans, plastics, cardboard and
paper. Given that as much as 70 per cent of all waste from restaurants
is food waste, The Sprout fills approximately four 40-litre containers
weekly, drastically reducing the amount of organic waste going to the
landfill. The nutrient rich organic soil that is created from the
composting is given to local farmers to use. It also has approximately
300 units of refundable glass recycling a week. The restaurant also
reuses a number of items such as boxes for storage and paper from food
catalogues, and it minimizes the amount of waste it produces through
such actions as reducing the packaging on items served to customers and
buying in bulk. Reusable bags are also used to pick up groceries and
products for the restaurant instead of plastic bags. The Sprout also
utilizes environmentally sound take-out containers, bio-degradable bags
and 100 per cent post-consumer waste napkins and paper towels. It also
buys local products that not only benefit the local economy, but also
help to reduce harmful CO2 emissions.
Robert O�Brien
Robert O�Brien is the founder of Ocean Net � a
non-profit organization committed to the conservation of marine
environments in Newfoundland and Labrador and the cleanup of shorelines
around the province. Mr. O�Brien founded Ocean Net in 1997 and, to date,
he has inspired over 32,000 volunteers to clean up over 1,600 beaches,
shorelines and underwater sites across the province, removing over
500,000 kilograms of garbage. Through Mr. O�Brien�s efforts and
commitment to sustained conservation awareness, the Provincial
Government designated every third Friday in September as annual Ocean
Net Day. He has been recognized regionally and nationally for his
environmental work through such awards as Earth Day Canada Hometown Hero
Award, 2007; Recognition Award, Town of Portugal Cove-St. Philips, 2007;
Doug Wheeler Tourism Award, Department of Tourism, Culture and
Recreation, 2006; Recognition Award, United Nations Environment Program,
2002; Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Award (individual
category), Department of Environment and Conservation/MMSB/Women�s
Institute, 2000 and Canadian Geographic Conservation Award, 2000.
2009 06 02
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