Trees Ontario Helps Halton Youth Dig In this Spring

April 23, 2009 - The winners of the Regional Chair’s Environmental Awards were announced at a special event this morning that inspired those in attendance to make a difference. The Halton Regional Chair’s Breakfast on the Environment was held at the Burlington Convention Centre and featured renowned science broadcaster and writer Jay Ingram as the keynote speaker. Nine students received Scholarship Awards and 16 young people and student clubs received Environmental Excellence Awards.

“We’re here today to celebrate our young people who, through their schools and on their own, have taken steps towards making Halton a greener place,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “I would like to congratulate all the award winners – your efforts today will leave a lasting impression on Halton and also inspire all of us to do a little more each day to help the environment.”

The Halton Environmental Scholarship Awards were open to youth who are, or will be, pursuing post-secondary studies with an emphasis on the environment. Each Scholarship Award in this category is for $1,000. The Scholarship winners are:

• Tessa Bermarija (Burlington), sponsored by King City Group
• Sandra Dedesko (Oakville), sponsored by Watson & Associates
• Kimberlee Falkenstein (Oakville), sponsored by Dufferin Aggregates
• Lauren Ann Harrison (Milton), sponsored by Wastewise
• Michelle Johnston (Burlington), sponsored by Petro Canada
• Meagan Julia McKeen (Oakville), sponsored by Nelson Aggregates
• Zofia Smeja (Burlington), sponsored by King City Group
• Erinn Todd (Burlington), sponsored by TD Friends of the Environment Foundation
• Adam Vaiya (Oakville), sponsored by Aird & Berlis

The Halton Youth Awards for Environmental Excellence were open to all Halton elementary and secondary students, as well as grass roots organizations, and provided an opportunity to win $500 for their school or organization. This year’s winners are:

• Bateman Environmentalist Activist Team (B.E.A.T.), Robert Bateman High School (Burlington), sponsored by TD Friends of the Environment Foundation
• Eco Ninjas, Gladys Speers Public School (Oakville), sponsored by Dufferin Aggregates
• Eco Team, St. Luke School (Oakville), sponsored by Conservation Halton
• The Ecosaders, Assumption Catholic Secondary School (Burlington), sponsored by Anthrafilter
• The Environmental Council, Abbey Park High School (Oakville), sponsored by London Excavators and Trucking
• The Environmental Rangers, The Evergreens and the E.C.O.S, Alexanders Public School (Burlington), sponsored by the Halton District School Board
• Equipe Verte, Pine Grove Public School (Oakville), sponsored by Genivar
• The Futures Program, White Oaks Secondary School, North Campus (Oakville), sponsored by Dillon Consulting
• Green Team, Guardian Angels School (Milton), sponsored by the Halton Catholic District School Board
• Green Team, St. Marguerite D’Youville School (Oakville), sponsored by Cogeco
• The Green Thumbs: Joshua Creek School’s Garden Team, Joshua Creek Public School (Oakville), sponsored by Metrolinx
• Kid’s Earth Club, Robert Little Public School (Acton), sponsored by Wastewise
• Cheryl Lee-Yow, St. Andrew Catholic School (Oakville), sponsored by Miller Waste
• Nicole Richardson, 27th Burlington Scouts (Burlington), sponsored by Bell
• Alexis Westwater, Jayme Doherty and Ali Hopkins, Brookville Public School (Campbellville), sponsored by Newalta
• Claire Yao, Amy Hasselman and l’Equipe Verte, Ecole Forest Trail (Oakville), sponsored by Cogeco

This year’s Breakfast on the Environment featured keynote speaker Jay Ingram. Mr. Ingram’s presentation focused on reminding everyone that they can make a difference to the environment by doing small, every day actions. To help make Halton even greener, winning students were given tree seedlings, donated by Trees Ontario.

The Halton Environmental Awards Program helps to foster an appreciation for the environment in Halton’s youth and to raise awareness of local environmental initiatives. For more information on the awards, visit www.halton.ca.

The Regional Municipality of Halton serves more than 450,000 residents in the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton, and the Town of Oakville. Halton Region is committed to meeting the needs of its residents through the delivery of cost-effective, quality programs and services, including water and wastewater; Regional roads and planning; emergency medical services; waste management; public health; Ontario Works (formerly social assistance); children’s and seniors’ services; social/non-profit housing; heritage programs; emergency management and business development. For more information, dial 311 or visit Halton Region’s website at www.halton.ca.