Non-profit Organization/Individual
Chris Adam, Earthvalues Institute
Carignon, Quebec

The twenty years of dedication, work and visioning that Chris Adam, founder and Director of the Earthvalues Institute, has accomplished is impressive – the nomination focused on the spiritual and the emotional, and on someone truly “living the life” of an environmentalist and educator. Through his leadership training courses, development workshops, educational retreats and extensive work with over 100,000 students, Chris has made a huge impact in the world of EE. His impact has extended well beyond the Institute, to Destination Conservation, for which he is the facilitator for Quebec, and the Evergreen Foundation, for which he delivers the Learning Grounds programs in Quebec.

Chris Adam has lived his life encouraging and facilitating stewardship of the environment, and is a very worthy recipient of the EECOM Award for a non-profit organization or individual.

Government Agency or Individual
The Halifax Regional Adventure Earth Centre
Halifax Regional Municipality, Halifax, NS

The Halifax Regional Municipal Adventure Earth Centre was initiated in 1982 as a unique sub-unit of the city’s recreation department, and is run out of a one-room historic church building. With only one full-time and two part-time staff people, the centre has made an enormous contribution to the region through an impressive, wide range of programs and initiatives. These include five major EE programs, residential summer camps, experiential outdoor field trips, leadership programs for elementary school students led by high school students, and a unique book of self-guided nature trail adventures for kids, families and youth groups. Programs are supported through a wide range of volunteers, supporters, families, teachers and service clubs. The breadth and impact of the Centre's varied programs is inspiring and wonderful, and the passion, excitement and commitment the programs have sparked are evident in the letters received in support of the nomination. It is very deserving of an EECOM Award.

Post-Secondary Institution or Individual
Dr. Milt McClaren, Professor Emeritus
Simon Fraser University

Over the course of his long and distinguished career, Milt McClaren has focused his considerable energies into working with teachers and students on issues of importance and relevance. He has made significant contributions to environmental education in Canada, in the USA, and in Indonesia; he has advised Ministry of Education task forces, and given hundreds of keynote presentations, teacher conferences, and workshops. His publications, including teachers’ guides, childrens’ environmental readers, scholarly reviews in the Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, and articles in Green Teacher magazine, represent a considerable legacy of printed material. More than that, however, Milt McClaren has been a building and networker. His involvement with the Aspen Global Change Institute facilitated many Canadian teachers to attend the Institute’s summer workshops. He was an early developer and proselytizer for Project WILD, and has been a board member of the Vancouver Aquarium, the Sage Foundation, the Aspen Global Change Institute and more. Milton was also an early adopter of computer technology and the Internet as a tool for environmental education and communication, a tool that is fundamental to EECOM’s success.

Milt McClaren has immersed himself in the world of working teachers, helping them better understand what they do, and helping them do what they do better. In the process, he has come to be described as “the grand old man” of environmental education in B.C., and has provided Canada’s educators with a career’s worth of service dedicated to excellence.

EECOM proudly names Milton McClaren as the recipient of the EECOM Award for Excellence in Post-Secondary Environmental Education.

Private Company
Newfoundland Power, St. John's,
Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland Power has demonstrated a strong commitment to environmental education and conservation through its innovative, employee-driven Environmental Community Program. The company plans and hosts an annual Enviro-Fest family event in each of eight regions throughout the province. Held at various schools during Environment Week, the company collaborates with local environmental groups to offer presentations, demonstrations, salmon fry releases, tree planting, and community cleanups. The company also sponsors Christmas tree mulching, leaf composting, recycling and community-based environmental projects. Newfoundland Power’s partnerships with over fourteen environmental and community groups enables them to carry out environmental projects and activities. The company is a main supporter of the Atlantic Salmon Federation’s Fish Friends Program, enabling schools across the province to raise and release salmon fry to local streams. Newfoundland Power’s efforts in environmental conservation, education, and public awareness activities goes beyond that of most corporations, and has impacts that benefit present and future generations.

K-12 School or Teacher
Rene Scrutton, Springvale Elementary School
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Rene Scrutton is a brilliant teacher who is an inspiration to her students and colleagues, as well as a positive and effective influence on her community. She effectively integrates all the creative arts, literacy and numeracy with physical and life science in a way that touches the heart and the mind, honours learning styles and intelligences, and ensures that all children will relate to the unique experiences and celebration of nature she provides for them.

Ms. Scrutton has developed lovely, unique and creative teaching ideas in her nature-based curriculum, and has engaged her colleagues in the concept of the garden as a context for all learning, not just content for the life sciences. She is an outstanding teacher of environmental science, a successful, respected and much loved community activist, a consummate communicator, and a facilitator of creative expression in her students. EECOM is proud to recognize her as an outstanding environmental educator.

Contribution to EECOM
Tim Grant, Green Teacher Magazine

Tim Grant is one of the rocks upon which EECOM was built. He was involved in its creation, and has been an active member since its inception. Tim has always served on the Steering Committee, for the past several years as Vice-Chair. Tim’s energy seems boundless, and is certainly infectious; it is fuelled by his passion for and commitment to environmental education. He truly has a vision for developing and promoting EE, and making it accessible to all levels of educators, in Canada and internationally.

Tim’s contributions to EECOM are too numerous to list, but include important work in making EECOM more truly bilingual, contributing regularly to EECOM News, motivating and encouraging others to become as involved as he is (although that is a target that is very hard to match!), instituting the EECOM Awards program, facilitating our networking with other EE organizations, and helping develop the EECOM web site. Beyond that, his sage advice and extensive knowledge of Canadian Environmental Education have been relied upon by all of us as we have worked to help EECOM grow and flourish. His contributions have always been valuable, and always been welcome. Tim Grant is a pillar of energy, sincerity, enthusiasm and optimism for environmental education. Throughout EECOM’s nine years, he has devoted much of his time, energy and talent to help build and promote the organization. He is a most deserving recipient of the EECOM Award for Excellence in Environmental Education.