I would like to nominate Glenda Hunter.  Not only is she completing doctoral research on development of sustainability policy and practice at VIU, but she has worked with faculty on campus and at other institutions to develop green chemistry labs and micro scale techniques in the classroom.  I also understand she bike rides and composts almost everything at home, (though not at the same time).  She is supportive of Streamkeepers and forestry conservation in the Nanoose area, and can be found at local farmers markets, if you’re looking.   At work, she turns off lights and computers, carries her own water mug and uses a Propass to commute.  She has also conducted naturalist field trips with students at Piper’s Lagoon and other areas, and has taken Elder College classes on ecology tours of Rathtrevor Beach and the city beach in Parksville.  The sea life is healthier (and happier) for it!

I would like to nominate my coworker, Linda Hildebrand, to be VIU’s Green Giant.

Some of the things that Linda does:

- Walks to and from work every day (8 km total).
- Keeps the light in her office off.
- Turns the light off in the bathroom on the way out.
- Spearheaded the initiative to use 100% post-consumer paper for our marketing collateral.
- Recycles packing materials.
- Brings lunch in reusable containers.
- Rescues office plants.
- Likes to keep the office heat low.

Why should Isabela Seabra be nominated “green giant”?

Isabela Seabra has been involved in sustainability since she was a young adult and started buying her own food. She always tried to buy local, organic produce. She has also always chosen to use homeopathic/natural medicine. Once she bought her first house she started growing her own vegetables and fruits. She has also always had compost at home and made sure to recycle cans, glass, paper, cardboard, and plastic.

Another sustainable practice she adopted is making sure the lights are always off unless necessary, she never leaves a room without turning the lights off, she unplugs all electronic devices, and she does not even own a television, she also uses the fire place for heat and makes sure the windows are closed and the doors in the house are open to so the whole house heats up. Isabela Seabra also only wears real wool and buys her clothes from stores that sell organic fabric, her shoes are also sustainable, they are made from bamboo, or natural materials.

When it comes to her food, Isabela, when available, purchases a vegetable basket from a local organic farm in Duncan, and goes shopping at the garage farm store in Duncan as well. Everything she buys is local produce and organic, rice, flour, veggies, eggs, milk, paper towel, toilet paper, and natural cleaning products.

My mom has always taught me the importance of being sustainable and she always said “maybe you will spend more money when you buy organic, but you will also spend less money at the doctors”. She has also always taught me that I do not need electricity or technology to have fun and spend my time, all I need is paper, crayons, a book, and a lot of creativity.

Isabela tries to walk everywhere she goes as much as possible, even if the weather is not very welcoming, and when necessary to drive, she tries hard to car pool.

I have never met anyone as involved in sustainability as my mom, and I am proud of her and to be her daughter, she really worries about the environment and about my future. I am glad she passes her knowledge to the kids and adults she teaches during her weaving lessons and biography work.

I would like to nominate Natalie Drope for the Green Giant award. She recently organized a clean up of Westwood Lake where 10 people worked for 2 hours and each filled at least one garbage bag. She then went back the next weekend to see if the place was still looking clean. Also, she is so super cool!!!

Laura Timmermans

 I hope this doesn’t sound boastful or egotistical, but I walk in many green ways, and do it for the betterment of the planet, not for my own ego.

 On a daily basis, I am mindful of my impact on the planet. Recycling is almost my religion. I consistently use composting bins on campus, even if it means holding on to recycling until a recycling bin is reached. I have never owned a vehicle and do not plan on owning one until there are fully functioning and affordable electric cars on the road. Instead, I choose to bike, walk and bus. I turn off the lights when leaving a room. I organize sustainable events around campus, such as a composting system in Residence, yogurt making workshops, and rallying student awareness about environmental issues such as farmed salmon, recycling materials, and ways to save power. I turn off computer monitors at breaks and at the end of the day. I love to participate in volunteer efforts in sustainability. An up coming event that I am helping organize is transportation to a rally in Comox bringing awareness to the Enbridge pipeline.

Steve is hugely involved on campus with almost all things green. He is co-chair of the VIU Sustainability Committee, and has his fingers in many other pies to do with the environment and sustainability.

He teaches courses and does research on environmental issues. He was the guest speaker at “A Century of Climate Change in BC” in January, 2012. He is currently spear-heading an inter-disciplinary Environmental Minor. He has taught in the Renewable Energy Technology–On-line Credit Certificate Program. He has been involved in the Solutions group, which is involved with sustainability initiatives on campus, for many years. He was involved in BC’s climate change GoBeyond Teach-In Initiative in 2008.

In 2006 he spoke at the Living Life Sustainably day-long workshop, explaining his Lifestyles project, about how to protect the environment and live sustainably. There are many other sustainability-related activities that Steve has either spear-headed or been involved with over the years.

He also walks the talk. He is an avid bike rider and rides his bike to the campus in almost any weather and has been actively involved in “Bike to Work” week. He is a major role-model for students, and an inspiration to other faculty.

I’d like to nominate Jenny Horn.

Jenny has worked tirelessly for several years to get a program on agriculture instituted at the Cowichan campus, to serve the extensive agricultural community throughout the mid-Island region that currently has no official educational program available to it.

As much of the agricultural community in this region includes small, organic farmers, this kind of a program would be invaluable to the increased success of these farmers, who often struggle due to access to the markets and other facilities that the larger farming corporations can automatically access.

Furthermore, Jenny walks the talk as an organic farmer herself, doing all she can to support others who are attempting to add to mid-Island food security through farming.