YWCA Women of Distinction Awards

On Thursday May 24th, the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards were held at the Westin Bayshore to recognize outstanding women who have contributed to a variety of professional fields and communities throughout Metro Vancouver.

The Metro Vancouver Regional Parks had two proud representatives in attendance that night:

Jude Grass, a long time volunteer in the Metro Vancouver Regional Parks system who was nominated for a Women of Distinction award in the new category - Environmental Sustainability and Denise Coutts, the Executive Director of Pacific Parklands Foundation. Denise was nominated for a Women of Distinction award in the Non-profit and Public Service category.

Though they did not win their categories, both Jude and Denise enjoyed a fantastic evening and we are incredibly proud of their accomplishments.

A special thank you to all of you that voted for Denise prior to the event!

Recommended Read: Time for Cities

Looking for an interesting read this summer?

Manager of Metropolitan Planning, Regional Parks & Environment at Metro Vancouver, Gaetan Royer, is author of Time for Cities.

Royer's well-researched book calls for the critical resources and powers needed by Canadian towns and cities in the form of a Clarity Act. The Clarity Act would give cities what Royer believes is long overdue recognition as a level of government.

Not sure this book is right for your next beach day?

Fear not, Royer's voice can be heard with every page due to his unique writing style. The thorough research that evidently went into his book encourages readers to take it seriously and offer strong support for Royer's argument. His breezy, to the point and conversational tone simultaneously engages readers. By the end, whether you agree or disagree, you will feel as though you have engaged in a higher level of discussion and emerge with a greater appreciation for what Royer believes is a "blueprint for Canada to build a just society".

Curious? Check it out further at http://www.timeforcities.ca/index.html

Happy reading!

The EPIC Experience

On Friday afternoon, I headed over to the Vancouver Convention Centre to check out EPIC, the sustainable living expo, for the Pacific Parklands Foundation.

With over 300 exhibitors offering various contests, prizes, promotional products, special pricing and delicious food samples - it proved to be a fabulous afternoon that quickly turned to evening as I stayed until closing.

The EPIC Expo was a fabulous way to meet and speak to some of the Pacific Parklands Foundation's wonderful donors and supporters including Greenster Vancouver, Obasan Premium Organic Mattresses (remember those dreamy pillows at Parksfest 2011?), TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (avid supporter of not only PPF but also the Catching the Spirit Youth Environmental Stewardship Program and the Lower Mainland Green Team) and, of course, Metro Vancouver!

It also gave me the opportunity to speak to and connect with representatives of the BC Scrap-It Program, a fellow Shell FuellingChange competitor.

Lastly, it was an excellent means of getting acquainted with organizations and companies I had not heard as much about. For instance, the Haiku Media Group who I will be speaking to further in the days ahead!

After a positive, informative, successful and fun experience at the EPIC Expo, I sincerely hope everyone took time out of the sunny weekend to check it out. If not - make sure you get there next year!

Vancouver Welcomes EPIC Expo

EPIC 2012 "promises to inform, inspire, engage and entertain" and according to the dedicated team of organizers, the event and its volunteers promise to be awesome.

Epic 2012 offers a multitude of experiences including the opportunity to sit and listen to visionaries, thought-leaders, musicians, artists and comedians. Rumor has it that Friday evening will even open up the floor to dancing! Additionally, attendees can eat and drink their way through 90,000 square feet of local and organic goodies, shop for hours, test drive the latest green vehicle technologies from Toyota, Lexus and more, and learn about energy solutions for the home and garden.

The event stretches over 3 days from May 11-13, 2012 featuring over 300 exhibitors in areas of fashion, food and beverage, leisure, home, transport, business, technology, health and beauty, and moms and babies.

Celebrate World Fair Trade Day by attending the event May 12th and make sure you bring your mom on Sunday!

Event hours:

Friday, May 11: 1pm-8pm
Saturday, May 12: 11am-7pm
Sunday, May 13 (Mother's Day): 11am-5pm

I will be attending the event on behalf of the Pacific Parklands Foundation on Friday afternoon so watch our Twitter feed for live tweets about the event!

For more information - check out the website.

 

ASLA Releases Study on the Economic Benefits of Green Infrastructure

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) along with American Rivers, the Water Environment Federation (WEF), and ECONorthwest have released a report entitled Banking on Green: How Green Infrastructure Saves Municipalities Money and Provides Economic Benefits Community-wide.

This report is a response to the need to more clearly quantify the economic benefits of green infrastructure. It examines the most cost-effective options for managing polluted runoff and protecting clean water. In summary, the report finds that green infrastructure solutions save taxpayer money while offering community benefits.

The report’s top findings are as follows:

• Green infrastructure costs less and can further reduce costs of treating large amounts of polluted runoff.
• Green infrastructure can help municipalities reduce energy expenses.
• Green infrastructure can reduce flooding and related flood damage.
• Green infrastructure improves public health by reducing bacteria and pollution in rivers and streams, which prevents gastrointestinal illnesses in swimmers and boaters.

To download the report, visit www.asla.org/stormwater

The Final Stretch

As many of you know, we have spent the last few months competing in the second cycle of Shell FuellingChange for a $100,000 grant.

For quite a while we managed to hold a place in the top two. However, as the competition got tougher, we unfortunately dropped into third place and more recently fourth place.

Despite this drop, we are proud of the efforts of our small organization and incredibly thankful for the efforts of all of our supporters. Many of the organizations we compete against in FuellingChange are much larger and more well-known within their provinces and the nation. Remaining at the top for as long as we have in both cycles is an accomplishment.

As typical of Shell Canada, they are offering one last bonus code in recognition of Earth Day. Until Sunday, April 29, 2012 enter the following bonus code to receive 50 Bonus Votes to cast in favour of our project: Gbh-7m79z2

The more you share this code, the more you encourage your friends, family and co-workers to vote for the Pacific Parklands Foundation - the greater chance we have of pulling back into the top two and staying there to the end of the competition.

Finishing in the top two means earning $100,000 to put towards a project that will greatly benefit Metro Vancouver's Boundary Bay Regional Park.

To do this, we need your help. Vote and do your part to spread the word. The more people we have voting for our organization, the greater chance we have at winning. In cycle one, it was organizations that pulled ahead at the last minute that knocked us out of the top four. Perhaps this time, with your support, we can be the ones to pull ahead just in time to win!

Happy (late) Earth Day!

An Elder's Decision

Here at the Pacific Parklands Foundation, we proudly work with a diverse group of volunteers, park partners, staff, government organizations, community groups and other non-profit organizations.

Specifically, this has included collaboration with the David Suzuki Foundation.

The David Suzuki Foundation works with government, business and individuals to conserve the environment. They have a reputation for providing science-based education in addition to their advocacy and policy work. As an organization, their top goals are to protect our climate, transform the economy, protect nature, reconnect with nature and build community. In other words, they have goals aligned with many other environmental non-profits, which is why we at PPF have previously been able to collaborate with the organization.

Recently, however, you may have heard on the news or via the various social media outlets that David Suzuki has made a big decision. He will be stepping down from the board of directors of the David Suzuki Foundation.

I could detail the reasons why here, but I think this decision is better explained to the public by David Suzuki himself. So instead, I will share a link that I encourage all our readers to check out. Whether you agree or disagree with his decision and the issues surrounding it, it never hurts to be informed.

An open letter from David Suzuki: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/blogs/panther-lounge/2012/04/an-open-letter-from-david-suzuki/