News Release Archive
ENVIRONMENT--MINISTER PRESENTS 1997 ENVIRONMENTAL AWARDS
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Environment Minister Wayne Adams praised 30 individuals and
organizations for dedication to the environment by presenting
them with 1997 Nova Scotia Environment Awards.
The awards, in nine categories, were presented during a ceremony
today in Halifax to mark the end of Environment Week.
"You are here today because you are all heroes and leaders," Mr.
Adams told the award recipients from across the province. "You
all have shown the courage of your environmental convictions and
deserve to be honoured for your efforts that benefit all of us."
Members of the Nova Scotia Environmental Assessment Board
selected the award recipients from nominated candidates. The
chair of the board is William Charles; other members are Mark
Coffin, Doreen Crick, Steve Rankin and Ann Wilkie.
Following is a list of award winners:
BUSINESS/INDUSTRIAL CATEGORY
Thermo-Cell Industries Ltd., Debert
Thermo-Cell Industries Ltd. manufactures cellulose insulation and
hydro seeding mulch from recycled newspaper. Their Weathershield
Insulation was one of the first 10 products to be accepted into
Environment Canada's Environmental Choice program and proudly
bears the Eco Logo symbol.
Michael Kuryluk, Dartmouth
Mr. Kuryluk's patented KMS mineral separator was originally
developed in the 1980's for use in the gold-mining industry. The
KMS technology is able to treat contaminated material on site and
to recover metals without the use of chemicals. This was
successfully demonstrated at Canso Chemical's Abercrombie
chloralkai facility to cost-effectively treat mercury
contaminated soil.
Bowater Mersey Paper Co. Ltd., Liverpool
The Bowater Forest Recreation Program consists of four forest
recreation areas open to visitors year-round. The sites -- the
Old Annapolis Hiking Trail, the Mickey Hill Pocket Wilderness,
the Port l'Hebert Pocket Wilderness and Pine Grove -- provide an
opportunity for the public to observe and enjoy the flora and
fauna in that area. The sites include hiking trails, a
cross-country ski trail and a waterfowl sanctuary. Bowater
annually commits substantial funds for maintenance of the sites.
CITIZEN GROUP/ORGANIZATION CATEGORY
Clean Nova Scotia Foundation, Halifax
For the past five years, the Clean Nova Scotia Foundation has
worked to make Nova Scotia Waste Reduction Week the pre-eminent
3Rs related environmental education program in Canada. Originated
in 1992, the program has involved thousands of participants in a
wide variety of action-oriented educational projects focused on
the environment.
Ecology Action Centre, Halifax
The Ecology Action Centre is spearheading the School Ground
Naturalization Model Schools Project in Nova Scotia. The goal of
the project is to introduce the program to 25 schools in Halifax
area. The project will involve the planting of 1,000 native
plants. Developing green sites provides communities with tangible
examples of the benefits to human and animal populations.
Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture, Truro
The Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture, working with the
departments of the Environment and Agriculture and Marketing, has
developed an Environmental Farm Planning program for farmers.
The program will help individual farms analyse their operations
from an environmental perspective and devise realistic plans for
becoming environmentally compatible, creating a cleaner rural
environment for all Nova Scotians.
The Flower Cart, New Minas
The Green Valley Waste Recovery project, under the umbrella of
The Flower Cart, was conceived to provide vocational training and
employment for people with mental disabilities, and to find uses
for the many discarded, but still useful, items disposed of at
the Kings County landfill.
CREATIVE ARTS/CULTURAL SECTOR CATEGORY
Shunpiking Discovery Magazine, Halifax
Shunpiking's first edition, published in December 1995, set the
mandate for the magazine: a discovery of our community -- the
natural, social and cultural environment and the opening of new
windows on the mysteries and wonders of the universe. Published
10 times a year by New Media Publication, the magazine is
distributed free provincewide. Shunpiking feature articles
include "Aprofiling positive citizen action and involvement in
cleaning up and eradicating environmental problems."
Shirley Christmas, Sydney
Shirley Christmas, a Membertou poet and playwright, is best known
under her pen name of Shirley Kiju Kawi (Mother Quill). Her
writings, spiritual in nature, focus on our relationship with
Mother Earth, the environmental problems caused by our actions or
inactions, and the importance of treating the planet with
respect. Ms. Christmas represents her native community concerns
as a member of the Sydney Tar Ponds Joint Action Group.
EDUCATION CATEGORY
Jill Grandy and the Pond Committee, Bedford
The Pond Project is a commitment made by Jill Grandy and the Pond
Committee to restore a pond on the property of the Harry R.
Hamilton Elementary School in Middle Sackville. They are also
working to create a Butterfly Garden to serve as an outdoor
botany lab, recreate a meadow and revitalize an old apple
orchard.
Dr. Arthur Hines Elementary School, Summerville
The school's Environmental Club, formed with the S.E.E.D.S.
Foundation, is involved in a School Yard Naturalization Project.
The main focus has been the planting of trees around the school
property. Each student is responsible for the upkeep of the tree
they have planted.
St. Stephen's School, Halifax
The school's Cranberry Bog Reclamation Project involves the
participation of 323 students. The bog, first identified through
the Evergreen School Naturalization Project, has become a source
of pride in the community, which has come through with donations
of time and money. Along with its value as an instant biology
field trip, the bog has become a focus for the curriculum.
Ann Hulford and Lorraine Dunn, Chester
The goal of the School Naturalization Project, begun in the fall
of 1996, is to provide outdoor classroom settings which promote
and provide students with daily opportunities to experience the
natural world.
GOVERNMENT CATEGORY
Town of New Glasgow
The Town of New Glasgow was nominated for a long list of
accomplishments. All of the projects initiated by an active
Environmental committee have focused on improving or protecting
the environment. Projects include a water conservation program,
the adoption of a policy to eliminate all on-site sewage systems
within the town boundaries, the development of a watershed
management plan, and the opening of an urban walking trail and
park.
Town of Stewiacke
Stewiacke residents had ongoing problems with their drinking
water source for years. The town selected M.G. Environmental
Equipment Ltd. to install the Right Water Treatment System. The
entire plant was built using local equipment, material, and
labour. The project's success has not only resulted in good
drinking-water quality but has also given value to the
advancement of environmental technology.
Municipality of Colchester
In 1994, the Municipality of Colchester embarked on a waste
management plan aimed at recycling and composting most of the
36,000 tonnes of waste generated per year, with land filling of
residue in a state of the art balefill facility. The nominator
states: "The approach taken by Colchester County was to negotiate
a siting agreement with the host community. The concept is to
develop a waste management park which will bring employment and
stimulate the local economy."
Municipality of the County of Annapolis
The municipality's There's No Time to Waste Backyard Composting
Program was a response to the rapidly changing face of solid
waste management in Nova Scotia. The municipality's unique
approach included, "composting coaches" who visited more that
4,500 homes in Annapolis County.
INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY
Maxine David, Arichat
Maxine David, community program co-ordinator for TELILE, was
nominated for her video production of Stop and Smell the Roses on
Isle Madame. Ms. David developed and initiated the video to
stress the importance of the biodiversity on the island. A
co-operative project, funding was provided by the Clean Nova
Scotia Foundation, the Department of the Environment's Youth
Environmental Challenge, TELILE Video Productions, as well as
local businesses.
James A. Doane, Great Village
James A. Doane's efforts to combat soil erosion along part of the
Cobequid Bay coastline is an example of an individual's
commitment to improving the environment. Mr. Doane's empirical
observations and efforts over the past 12 years have led to the
conclusion that erosive soil loss, caused not only by tidal
action but by many contributing factors, can be mitigated by
identifying and acting upon the prime erosive factor in that
particular part of the coastline.
Alonzo Ferguson, Mount William
Alonzo Ferguson, manager of the Pictou County Waste Management
System since 1983, is described as a dedicated professional with
a commitment to the province's 50 per cent waste reduction
target. Mr. Ferguson has developed a new surface water treatment
system, a leachate management plan, presented a number of waste
management educational programs to the schools and community at
large, and established a recycling program in Pictou County.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CATEGORY
Canadian Association of Prawn Producers, Bedford
The Canadian Association of Prawn Producers is committed to the
reduction of bycatch in the northern shrimp fishery. Association
members agreed to use new equipment, the Nordmore Grate, to
reduce the bycatch of cod, turbot, redfish and American plaice,
and in so doing have contributed to the recovery and
sustainability of the species.
Scotia Nursing Homes, Beaverbank
Scotia Nursing Homes chose the Solar Aquatics Wastewater
Treatment Plant as part of an upgrading plan whose intent is to
ensure continued viability as a business without adversely
affecting the local ecology. The Beaverbank plant is the first
Solar Aquatics plant to treat a large volume of wastewater at an
institutional/residential setting. The success of the project has
attracted interest from municipalities across the province, in
addition to providing superior wastewater treatment the
greenhouse facility provides a natural environment free of
chemicals and odours.
Terry Watters and Barry Wilkins. Wolfville and Armdale
The Nova Scotia Enviro Home project, co-ordinated by Terry
Watters, helps builders promote new homes that make use of a wide
range of commercially available, environmentally preferred
technologies, products and materials. Barry Wilkins was the
builder of the first Enviro Home in Nova Scotia. The concept of
an Enviro Home recognizes the importance of building homes that
are not only healthy for the occupants and the surrounding
community but also affordable to the average home buyer.
YOUTH CATEGORY
Canada World Youth (Atlantic), Halifax
The Environmental Leadership Program, begun in 1993, is a joint
venture between Canada World Youth, the Nova Scotia Youth
Conservation Corps, Conservation Corps Newfoundland and Labrador
and APID, a non-profit organization in Costa Rica. The program
annually provides eight young people, ages 21-24, from Nova
Scotia and six from Newfoundland and Labrador with a four-month
environmental leadership training program. In 1996 an exchange
component was added which included the participation of eight
young Costa Ricans.
John Danson, Michelle Doucette, Neal Lade and Anne Reyner, Upper
Tantallon
As part of the Youth Environmental Challenge Program, John
Danson, Michelle Doucette, Neal Lade and Anne Reyner, as the
Wooden's River Environmental Action Team, furthered the work of
the Wooden's River Watershed Environmental Organization. The four
undertook the 1996 summer project out of concern for the area's
historical, botanical and recreational preservation, as well as a
means of increasing awareness of the area's potential for
enhancement and enjoyment.
REGIONAL SCIENCE FAIRS
Natasha Garnett, Kentville
Natasha Garnett's project, entered in the Annapolis Valley
Regional Science Fair, has a highway safety theme and is called
The Eliminator. The purpose of the project is to design and build
something that will detect icy conditions on a bridge when the
roads are still clear. The system is designed not only to warn
the motorists of the hazardous conditions but to automatically
salt and sand the bridge deck. The warning system includes a
voice-recorded message and a visual strobe-light warning. The
project was dedicated to two people who lost their lives due to
icy bridge conditions.
Jonathan Kay, Trenton
Jonathan Kay's project, entered in the Pictou County Regional
Science Fair, is entitled the Impact of Ash Disposal Sites on
groundwater. The project research, focused primarily on the local
ash disposal site, also included the criteria for the selection
of a site, the importance of coal selection to the layout of a
particular disposal site, and the growing number of Ash Disposal
Sites worldwide with the accompanying operations and procedures
used to address environmental concerns.
Marc Wallis, Milford Station
Marc Wallis's project, entered in the Colchester County Regional
Science Fair, has a highway safety theme and is called On Thin
Ice. The purpose of the project was to produce and demonstrate a
method of preventing the formation of ice on a concrete highway
bridge/overpass road surface. The project's system shows that "by
employing an arrangement of heating tubes containing a liquid;
this will bring a travelled surface to a temperature that will
prevent ice formation."
Sarah Ann Cook, Dominion
Sarah Ann Cook's project, entered in the Cape Breton Regional
Science Fair, is entitled Lead Contamination. The project
examines the cause and consequences of lead contamination in the
environment and details how lead is used in items like glass,
pottery and paint.
Melissa Christie-Fougere, Dartmouth
Melissa Christie-Fougere's project, entered in the Halifax,
Dartmouth and County Regional Science Fair, is called L'Air Qui
Nous Entour (The Air Around Us). The objective of the project was
to determine which area in Dartmouth had the most air pollution.
Ms. Christie-Fougere also researched the global sources of
pollution and its effect on our lives.
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Contact: Paul McEachern
Department of the Environment
902-424-2575
sab June 6, 1997 - 11:50 a.m.
