GLOBE Foundation Presents Canadian Environmental Leaders With Prestigious GLOBE Awards
(3BL Media) Vancouver, BC - March 16,2012 - Following two exciting days of environmental and corporate innovation and networking, the GLOBE Foundation has announced the winners of the 10th annual GLOBE Awards for Environmental Excellence at the Closing Luncheon for GLOBE 2012. The awards are presented annually to Canadian companies that excel in sustainable business practices and progressive development in technology and services.
This year saw winners in seven award categories: Corporate Environmental Excellence, Excellence in Emerging Technology, Technology Innovation & Application, Excellence in Urban Sustainability, Sustainability in Finance, Best Green Retailing Practices, and the Next Gen Entrepreneur Award.
The Award for Corporate Environmental Excellence was presented to Unilever Canada, one of the world’s leading suppliers of consumer goods. With an environmental impact that extends to nearly 200 countries and products that are used around the world over two billion times per day, Unilever strives to incorporate sustainable innovation in the day to day activities of its brand management and research and development teams. Through its unique Brand Imprint planning process and Vitality Framework, the company operates under the belief that business can and should be a positive force for good in the world and a commitment to sustainability is in everyone’s best interest. Finalists in this category included Cascades Inc. and PepsiCo Foods Canada.
Montreal based engineering firm, Terragon Environmental Technologies Inc. took home the coveted Award for Excellence in Emerging Technology for its ingenuity in practical waste management technologies and sustainable living. Terragon develops and commercializes revolutionary small-scale appliances that enable any habitat to treat its own solid and liquid waste on-site and independently with no environmental damage. Along with achieving significant benefits from the recovery of resources contained within the waste, Terragon’s practical tools have the ability to avoid the export of waste to others and prompt the universal adoption of Zero-Waste Discharge habits. CIMCO Refrigeration and InTech Environmental Canada Corp. were also finalists in this category.
The winner of this year’s Award for Technology Innovation and Application was Pulse Energy, whose Energy Management Information Software (EMIS) solution was praised for its unparalleled accuracy and ease-of-use. Pulse’s goal of leveraging technology and energy intelligence to reduce waste and improve operational efficiency in the world’s commercial and institutional buildings has led to the creation of an entire software platform, specifically designed around the needs of utility efficiency program managers, energy managers and executives for unrivaled performance. Finalists for this award included, Recyclage ÉcoSolutions Inc., the University of British Columbia, Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Project and Westport Innovations Inc.
With over 60 years of combined experience in providing sustainable design strategies, Waterfront Toronto and Halsall Associates received the Award for Excellence in Urban Sustainability for their commitment toward transforming Toronto’s waterfront into a livable, vibrant, sustainable, urban community. Waterfront Toronto was created by the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, and the City of Toronto in 2001 to oversee and lead the revitalization of Toronto's waterfront. Its 25-year mandate to transform Toronto's waterfront into beautiful, accessible, sustainable mixed-use communities and dynamic public spaces was funded by seed capital from these government bodies. Halsall Associates, an engineering services company with over 50 years' experience in building design, evaluation and renewal is one of Canada's largest and most experienced teams dedicated to providing green strategies for facility and community design. Other finalists were: The City of Vancouver and (CIRS) Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (University of British Columbia) / Perkins+Will Canada Architect Co.
RBC Royal Bank of Canada was honoured with the Award for Sustainability in Finance. RBC’s commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability has been a key initiative for the company since it introduced its first formal environmental policy in 1990. Through the RBC Environmental Blueprint, an environmental platform launched in 2007 which addresses the company’s three priority issues – climate change, biodiversity, and water – RBC has tailored its approach to new and emerging environmental issues in its operations, business activities and products and services. NEI Investments and Sustainalytics were also finalists for this award.
The Award for Best Green Retailing Practices was accepted by Canadian Tire Corp. Founded in 1922, Canadian Tire remains one of Canada’s most recognized and trusted brands, providing consumers with innovative products and services and sustainable packaging solutions that aim to reduce the company’s environmental impact, conserve resources and help customers and employees reduce their carbon footprint. Canadian Tire’s emphasis on environmentally preferable products and services promotes water conservation, waste reduction, energy conservation, and healthy homes and gardens. Other finalists in this category included London Drugs and Sears Canada Inc.
Rounding out the awards ceremony was the presentation of the Next Gen Entrepreneur Award to winner Eden Full, the founder of Roseicollis Technologies, a social enterprise based in Calgary, Alberta and San Francisco, California. The company is currently focused on deploying the SunSaluter, a low-cost, non-electrical solar panel rotating tracker that optimizes the output of individual solar panels by up to 40%, ultimately generating more electricity per dollar spent. Mike Morris, Sustainable Waterloo Region and Claudia Li, Shark Tooth were finalists in this category.
The GLOBE Awards are judged by a panel of experts, well known in the Canadian business and environment community: Mike Harcourt, Former Vancouver Mayor, Former Vancouver Mayor, Chairman, QUEST; Denis Leclerc, President & CEO, Ecotech Quebec; Melanie Nadeau, Senior Manager, Sustainability, Emera; Mark Rudolph, President, justenvironment; and Laura Selanders, Senior Group Manager, Environmental Compliance & Sustainability, Target Canada.
About the GLOBE Foundation
The GLOBE Foundation is an international consultancy organization in the business of the environment. GLOBE’s expertise lies in project management, event development, and management and consulting in the fields of environment and energy, urban development, and corporate responsibility.
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Reference:
Rebecca Peters Jeremy Dunn
Laura Ballance Media Group Laura Ballance Media Group
604.762.2098 (mobile) 604.726.8350 (mobile)
Rebecca@LBMG.ca Jeremy@LBMG.ca
