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2011 EcoStar Award Winners

 

There are many shades of being green. Happily, we have an award category for every one. The 2011 EcoStar Award winners are listed below. You can also learn more about each Ecostar by watching the videos.

Waste Reduction

Lighthouse Brewing Company (Award sponsored by reFuse Resource Recovery)

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Lighthouse Brewing Company is committed to great beer, but they are also passionate about waste reduction. Over the past year, they have diverted over 260 tonnes of solid waste from Hartland landfill and almost 30,000 gallons of liquid waste from the sanitary sewer system. Using a 10,000 litre liquid waste tank, Lighthouse digests its liquid wastes using aerobic digestion. Suspended solids are then filtered and sent to a compost facility, which uses the solids to manufacture soil. Lighthouse’s solid waste is also recycled. Spent grains are used by local farmers and bakers; plastic wrap, waste wood, bottles and paper products are recycled. The Brewmaster for Lighthouse, Paul Hoyne, was recently asked to contribute to a best practices manual for businesses in the fermentation industry, in recognition of his efforts and achievements for the company. Lighthouse stands as a leader for sustainable business operation in the Capital Region, and as a 2005 EcoStar winner is continuing to push the envelope on new environment management practices

Waste Reduction Non-Profit

Downtown Victoria Business Association (Award sponsored by reFuse Resource Recovery)

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In 2010, the Downtown Victoria Business Association (DVBA) formed a partnership with reCYCLISTS to bring zero emission composting pick-up to downtown Victoria businesses. The program provides pedal-powered recycling and composting services. Capable of carrying close to 200 kilograms of compost and recycling per load the reCYCLISTS trike, operated by a member of the DVBA Clean Team, visits participating businesses on a once or twice weekly schedule. Collection by bike makes the program virtually emissions-free. Once collected, compost and recycling is delivered to the reFUSE facility for recycling or use as a soil amendment, thus supporting pesticide-free gardening, water conservation and greenhouse gas reduction. Since its launch, the reCYCLISTS have signed up a wide variety of businesses for the collection program, including banks, garden centres, retail shops, a post-secondary institution and 65 stores contained within Market Square. Perhaps most importantly, reCYCLISTS is providing an important link in the waste reduction process in the CRD's main urban centre.

Integrated Watershed Management

Jawl Investment Corporation (Award sponsored by Golder Associates)

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The Atrium building, located in Victoria’s at the 800 block of Yates Street, is an innovative example of rainwater management in an urban centre. With the redevelopment of this commercial space, Jawl Investment Corporation created a storm water management system that not only processes the development’s own stormwater, using an extensive green roof system, but also receives runoff volumes from adjacent street surfaces. Storm water collected from surrounding streets and the property itself is processed using large boulevard planters that contain trees and native species. These bio-retention gardens filter out sediments, oil and other pollutants, allowing clean water to percolate through and enter the storm drain system. The boulevard plantings manage pollution, slow and reduce runoff, create a green buffer between pedestrians and streets, reduce heat island effects, calm traffic and provide a rain water management educational opportunity. Jawl Investment Corporation, going above and beyond most stormwater bylaw requirements, has created a multi-facetted environment that enhances landscape and aesthetic value while also improving environmental conditions.

Water Stewardship

Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre (Award sponsored by The Ocean 98.5)

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The Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre is a registered charity that offers an unparalleled learning experience for visitors of all ages on the wonders of the Salish Sea and its inhabitants. The mission of the Centre is to create advocates for the ocean and ignite a zest for learning in a stimulating environment. Educated residents are passionate stewards, and thus the has Centre succeeded in inspiring visitors to understand and protect the planet’s oceans. At the Centre, massive aquarium habitats showcase hundreds of fishes, invertebrates and marine plants of the Salish Sea. Formal education programs and summer camps are offered for school-aged children. The Centre offers evening lectures on a wide variety of ocean-related topics, special programs for youth and high-quality enrichment programs for volunteers. 40-50,000 visitors were expected in the first year of operation; in the first 20 months of operation, the Centre attracted over 215,000 visitors. The Centre also practices waste and energy reduction, with heat recovery, low-energy lighting, composting, low flow fixtures and subsidized bus passes for their team members. The Centre has become a community supported model of conservation and stewardship in all aspects of its operations, as well as a true advocate for our oceans.

Climate Action

Clean Air Landscaping (Award sponsored by BC Transit)

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Clean Air Landscaping, owned by Barry McLean, is Canada’s first truly “green” landscaping business. Utilizing solar energy to power all of its yard care equipment and providing a zero-emission lawn care option for residents and businesses has made Clean Air truly innovative. All mowers, trimmers and blowers are powered by a mobile solar trailer, and the company’s greenhouse gas emissions measured in at an astonishing 2.9 tonnes annually, 100-400% lower than traditional gasoline powered landscaping companies. Clean Air also uses lithium batteries to store solar energy, pulls its equipment using a Hybrid truck and was nominated as a Clean Smart Business for 2011. Clean Air Landscaping is pioneering a new standard in ecologically friendly lawn and garden care, and stands as leader in the Capital Region for this industry.

Climate Action Non-Profit

Recreation Oak Bay (Award sponsored by BC Transit)

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Through funding from the BC Hydro Power Smart, Recreation Oak Bay set about conducting a comprehensive energy study at three of their recreation centres, as well as the Oak Bay Municipal Hall. Using the results of the study, Recreation Oak Bay decided to implement half a million dollars of upgrades and improvements in order to lower their overall energy consumption. New boilers were installed, an electric Zamboni is now being used, a UV filtration system and insulation was added and lighting was retrofitted to reduce the energy footprint of their facilities. The expected results: more than a 25% reduction in annual energy use. To date, Oak Bay Recreation has seen a 13% reduction in hydro consumption and a 25% reduction in gas costs, a significant drop for such a large operation. Oak Bay hopes to set an example to other public sector agencies in the region on how to change attitudes and encourage energy consumption.

Land Stewardship

Adrena LINE Zipline Adventure Tours (Award sponsored by Jack FM)

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Adrena LINE offers adventure tours and zip lining on more than 100 acres of coastal rainforest in Sooke, BC. Working with the CRD GreenStart program and The Land Conservancy of BC (TLC), Adrena LINE pride themselves on providing an opportunity for visitors to immerse themselves in the wild, using education, environmental knowledge, conservation and proven sustainability principles to protect their land and further land stewardship. Adrena LINE has worked with TLC to purchase carbon offsets and to reduce their carbon footprint onsite; the company also practices recycling and waste reduction, has undertaken energy savings upgrades and provides shuttle transportation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. All forest activities are conducted in a way that creates minimal impact on rare and delicate ecosystems through use of trail networks and consultation with arborists and engineers to ensure forest health. Adrena LINE’s nature-based tours inspire good stewardship habits in visitors from around the globe.

Land Stewardship Non-Profit

Friends Uniting for Nature Society (FUN Camps Victoria) (Award sponsored by Jack FM)”

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Working under the guiding philosophy that to save the world’s species and natural environments we must develop an empathic bond between ourselves and nature, Friends Uniting for Nature (FUN) has been creating a new generation of land stewards in children and youth since 2008. Their summer camps and after school programs instill a sense of stewardship, encourage children and their parents to commit to environmentally sustainable behaviours, teach leadership and action skills to inspire communities and make environmental learning fun. Thanks to the dedication of FUN, camp enrolment has quadrupled since 2008 to 260 participants, and the FUN Society continues to work with organizations such as the Sierra Club of BC, Environmental Youth Alliance, UBC Farm and the Pembina Institute. In 2010, one 11 year old scholarship recipient at a FUN Camp developed a plan to plant trees at his school and concluded by helping to create an outdoor classroom. His mother told FUN that his experience at the camp has “given him wings.” FUN Society is truly creating a new generation of environmentally concerned citizens.

Youth Leader

Kati Walters (Award sponsored by The Capital Regional District)

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When Kati Walter’s joined the Environment Club at Belmont Secondary School she hadn’t dreamed it would change her entire view on recycling. Katie started by volunteering for a Pacific Mobile Depot recycling initiative in the region. From there, she joined her school’s Environment Club and participated in the creation of recycling stations around Belmont.  She taught classes on recycling and held lunchtime events to encourage sustainable behaviours. Kati is also a volunteer at Belmont’s Earth Day celebrations, the Off-the-Grid festival, an Environmental Youth Summit with YESBC and Climate Action West Shore. Her environmental efforts have made a significant difference to waste reduction and recycling at Belmont Secondary and have earned her praise from across the region.

Community Environmental Leader

Mark F. Salter (Award sponsored by The Capital Regional District)

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Mark F. Salter knows the importance of linking communities to the land they live on. He also has a sense of how vital a local food source is for residents. With these ideas in mind, Mark was instrumental in creating the first community garden for the Township of Esquimalt. The new community garden, located on Colville, near Esquimalt Secondary, now contains 14 raised beds which are gardened by students from two schools, as well as members of the community. The gardens are used as an educational resource for LifeCycles, the Greater Victoria Compost Education Centre and the Harbourside-Esquimalt Boys and Girls Club. Mark's efforts do not stop with the existing community garden. His understanding of the complexity of socioeconomic interconnectivity and his vision for a sustainable community continuously motivates his efforts to move forward on environmental initiatives. Mark's extensive involvement with the community and local, sustainable activities truly makes him praiseworthy and valuable not only to the Township of Esquimalt but to the greater community as well.