Islanders who devote their time to protecting and enhancing Prince Edward Island’s environment were recognized today when Environment, Energy and Forestry Minister George Webster presented the 2008 recipients of the Prince Edward Island Environmental Awards. The recipients were honoured during a ceremony at Government House, hosted by Lieutenant Governor Barbara A. Hagerman.
“I’m especially happy to see that there are two school-related groups among the people honoured today, including the first-ever winner of the St. Teresa’s Environmental School Challenge. In many ways the long-term protection of the environment depends on our passing environmental values on to the younger generation,” said Minister Webster.
“Those of us in government are called upon to lead the public on some issues and to establish laws and regulations that set minimum standards for environmental protection. But it is people like those being recognized today who are the real environmental leaders.”
Recipients for the 2008 awards are:
Honourable Gilbert Clements, for his longtime environmental and wildlife activities, including a number of nation-leading initiatives as Prince Edward Island’s Minister Responsible for the Environment.
Diane Griffin, for her role as a civil servant in environmental policy and legislative development, and as a participant in non-governmental organizations dedicated to the protection of significant ecological areas throughout Canada.
Harvey Livingstone, for his pioneering environmental procedures and best practices when establishing an auto salvage business in Prince Edward Island.
Morell Adventurers, a group of approximately 35 students from Morell Consolidated School which meets after school on a biweekly basis and has been, within its school setting, instrumental in promoting public awareness, understanding and active concern for the enhancement and protection of the environment.
The Town of Stratford, for its efforts to become a sustainable community and limit its environmental footprint by considering the economic, environmental, social and cultural impact of decisions and actions.
Greenfield Elementary School, has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the St. Teresa’s Environmental School Challenge. The school has established a Green Team comprised of hundreds of children who are dedicated to protecting the environment and enhancing the school grounds.
Nominations for the annual awards were from across Prince Edward Island, and a selection committee from the Minister’s Environmental Advisory Council had the difficult task of reviewing the nominations and recommending the recipients.
Minister Webster thanked the selection committee and all Islanders who took the time to nominate someone for an award.
BACKGROUNDER
The Honourable Gilbert R. Clements
The Honourable Gilbert R. Clements was elected to the P.E.I. legislature in 1970 as Member for the 4th Kings District and was named Minister of Municipal Affairs, Environment & Tourism, Parks & Conservation in 1974 serving until 1978. This made him the first environment minister to serve in any Canadian province or territory.
After serving in other portfolios as Minister and as Opposition Critic, Gilbert Clements served a second term in environment, acting as Minister of Finance & Minister of the Environment from 1989 to 1993.
Under his watch as Environment Minister, Gilbert Clements worked with Ducks Unlimited in order to open up many dams for fish passage. He fought and stopped a gravel-washing operations that had dumped silt into ten miles of the Valleyfield Stream.
Minister Clements was not opposed to using the budget to promote worthwhile environmental projects. Under his leadership, a pilot was created to improve fish habitat in the Montague Watershed. He established the Morell River Conservation Zone and created Wildlife Management Areas at Rollo Bay, Montague and New Glasgow.
Minister Clements was responsible for the approval of the Natural Areas Protection Act in the 1980s and, in his role as Minister of Finance, he helped create tax relief that allowed the Island Nature Trust to be exempted from paying property taxes on the lands it protected.
Gilbert Clements’ terms as Environment Minister saw many important measures taken that would protect the Island environment from hazards.
He began the effort with a program to remove abandoned and derelict car bodies from Island fields, brought in efforts to remove or replace underground fuel tanks, enacted used oil regulations, lead acid battery regulations and an environmental tax that would pay for proper disposal of used tires.
Gilbert Clements has attended environment conferences around the world and was part of the Canadian delegation to the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janiero.
From 1995 to 2001, Gilbert Clements was Prince Edward Island’s Lieutenant Governor and continued to make the environment and conservation key components of his work. It was during that period that he was named the “Official Patron” of the Prince Edward Wildlife Federation.
Another accomplishment of the Honourable Gilbert Clements’ career was the creation in 1987 of the Prince Edward Island Environmental Awards to honour people who have contributed to the protection of the Island’s environment.
Dianne Griffin
Dianne Griffin has worked for the environment as a civil servant, a researcher and a volunteer with several non-governmental organizations working for the protection of ecologically important areas throughout Canada.
From her early work as resource planner with Prince Edward Island’s provincial Parks in the 1970s and her nine years as natural areas coordinator for the province of Alberta through her work as executive director of the Island Nature Trust and her service as the Island’s Deputy Minister of Environment, Dianne Griffin has worked for the recognition and preservation of vital natural areas.
Dianne has worked as a volunteer, director and leader with a wide range of groups including the Canadian Nature Federation, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Bird Studies Canada and the Natural History Society of Prince Edward Island.
A highlight of Dianne Griffin’s work was her success in getting the Greenwich Dunes territory added to the holdings of Prince Edward Island National Park. As head of the Island Nature Trust, she intervened with provincial officials to stop a developer’s proposal to convert the Greenwich area into a time-share development and later lobbied the provincial and federal governments in order to arrange a land-swap that saw the developer gain some provincially-owned land while the Greenwich property became part of Prince Edward Island National Park.
For the last several years, Dianne Griffin has been a partner in the IRIS Group, a consulting firm specializing in environmental and heritage issues.
Harvey Livingstone
For 41 years, Harvey Livingstone has operated Island Auto Salvage and Island Auto Supply on Brackley Point Road in Charlottetown.
His business is taking cars and trucks that have outlived their usefulness then reselling the parts that are still in demand and selling what he can of the rest as scrap steel. It’s not a business that immediately summons up images of clean air and soil, but Harvey Livingstone has consistently taken steps to make certain his business was operated to the highest environmental standards.
On the property of Island Auto Salvage, Livingstone and his employees take measures to contain gasoline, oils, antifreeze, battery acids and air conditioning products that can leak from a wrecked automobile.
At the same time, he’s made certain that steel, aluminum and plastics were sent on for recycling and reuse.
Harvey Livingstone isn’t somebody who was waiting to be recognized for his environmental work, but he’s attracted praise as someone who worked to do a clean job in an industry that some people would dismiss as a scrap dealership or a wrecking yard.
As the nomination for Harvey Livingstone says, “In his pursuit of a successful business he has protected P.E.I. soil and water from the impact of derelict vehicles. He is a fine example of a person who has identified a problem, reduced the impact and recycled manufactured product and avoided a potential environmental problem.”
Morell Adventurers
The Morell Adventurers is the creation of Kim Bailey, a school counselor at Morell Consolidated School. As part of her position, Kim Bailey is asked to work with her students in collaboration with outside agencies. But outside her regular duties, Ms. Bailey continues to help the school by organizing extra-curricular activities that connect students with the natural world.
One part of her work has been the Adventurers Club which brings together 35 students from all grade levels for biweekly after-school activities. Students in the Adventurers Club put on backpacks and leave school property for excursions that encourage them to connect with the natural world around them.
In April, the Adventurers Club took the lead during National Wildlife Week by having club members deliver daily messages to the student body telling them about simple steps they could take to protect the environment in their daily lives.
Right now Kim Baily and the Morell Adventurers are partnering with the Macphail Woodlot on a plan to naturalize the school property in order to create a habitat for songbirds and other wildlife. At the same time, the Adventurers are assisting a local environmentalist with wetland management in the Morell area.
Kim Bailey believes that early exposure leads to future interest and appreciation of the natural world.
With a very strong attendance rate and growing interest among other students at Morell Consolidated, the Adventurers Group is a living example of the way that environmental leadership can turn young minds toward protection of the natural world.
Town of Stratford
The Town of Stratford is Prince Edward Island’s fastest growing community with a constantly increasing population and a resulting high demand for land use, water resources, wastewater management, community services and recreation.
In this demanding environment, the Town has committed itself to work towards becoming a sustainable community.
The community’s town hall is an example of Stratford’s commitment to environmental sustainability. The new building is heated with geo-thermal energy, and it has energy-efficient lighting, low-flow plumbing fixtures and other features to reduce the amount of water and energy used. The town of Stratford does not allow cosmetic pesticide on its properties – including the Town Centre, parks and utility sites. The town has adopted an aggressive strategy of eliminating potential sources of drinking water contamination and has committed itself to sustainable land use planning in the new Town Core area plan.
Other efforts include a sustainability planning and decision-making framework aimed at guiding the town towards sustainability in its actions and delivery of an annual report on progress to sustainability.
A sustainable Economic Development Officer has been hired to start work in Stratford this month and the community has set aside money to begin a public transit system this August.
The town’s ambitions don’t end there. Stratford is exploring the use of wind turbines to power its town centre and the operations of its sewage treatment lagoon.
As the nominator says, “Stratford is embracing sustainability because it cares about future generations and wants to tread more lightly on the earth.”
Greenfield Elementary - winner of the St. Teresa’s Environmental School Challenge
The St. Teresa’s Environmental School Challenge was established by the Environmental Advisory Committee as a way of encouraging school classes across the province to take on the role of environmental leaders in their schools and communities.
There are classes in the province who are rising to the challenge and making the environment part of the learning experience.
This year’s winner of the St. Teresa’s challenge is the Green Team at Greenfield Elementary School in Summerside.
Hundreds of interested students have become part of this team and for five years have worked toward enhancing their school grounds and protecting the environment. Some are part of the school’s garden club, some help out by picking up garbage, but the green team as a whole is committed to making a difference in its community.
The Green Team has attracted financial support from the Canadian Wildlife Federation and gets ample help from staff, parents and the school community. For two years running, the Green Team has been part of the environmental big leagues – working with the Sierra Club on efforts that saw school children promoting environmental awareness and action.
Students have planted seedlings around the school, have created and maintained a Peace Garden on school grounds and have shown that great improvements can be achieved if enough people each do a small part.
Under the leadership of teachers like Donna Dunsmore, Huguette Hartman and Jennifer Brant, Greenfield Elementary School’s Green Team is planting seeds today that will grow into lifelong environmental commitments.