Canada Green Building Council honours green building innovators at 2012 Leadership Awards

#cagbcconf12  @CaGBC

Canada’s green building innovators were in the spotlight at the Fairmont Royal York, as the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) honoured the 2012 Leadership Awards recipients as a part of the 2012 CaGBC National Conference & Expo.


The CaGBC National Conference, taking place this year from June 11-13 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, is the largest green building event in Canada each year. It includes a large expo floor and over 30 accredited education sessions, as well as a number of expert speakers. This year’s theme Beyond Buildings: The Green City is exploring how to implement sustainable design, building and operations on a city scale, and based on a broad set of issues critical for a healthy environment and better quality of life for Canadians.

“Every year the Council recognizes individuals and organizations that show outstanding leadership in the industry, and who have made a significant contribution to the CaGBC’s mission and goals in advancing green building in Canada,” said Thomas Mueller, President and CEO, Canada Green Building Council. “While we honour these exceptional individuals, I’d also like to congratulate all the nominees – their collective contributions to the green building movement in Canada are laying the groundwork for significant positive environmental impacts in the years ahead.”

The winners of the 2012 Leadership Awards are:

• Andy Kesteloo Memorial Student Project AwardPresented by: Thomas Mueller, President and CEO of the Canada Green Building Council
  Winner: Simon VanGrootheest
  Simon VanGrootheest was instrumental in the development of The Urban Greenhouse, a project based in Vancouver that envisions an urban agricultural facility that could produce food sustainably at a neighbourhood scale.
  
• CaGBC Academic Leadership AwardPresented by: Thomas Mueller, President and CEO of the Canada Green Building Council
  Winner: Algonquin College
  Algonquin College developed a vision for the creation of an integrated learning and applied research environment at Algonquin College, which resulted in the Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence (ACCE), a 190,000 sq ft uniquely green and architecturally iconic learning centre, located at the Ottawa Campus.
  
• CaGBC Emerging Green Builder AwardPresented by: Thomas Mueller, President and CEO of the Canada Green Building Council
  Winner: Aaron Short
  Aaron is currently finishing his Master’s Thesis in City Planning at the University of Manitoba on Sustainable Campus Design, and shows a strong commitment to the green building industry. He founded the University of Manitoba’s Sustainable Campus Student Group, is the CaGBC Manitoba Chapter’s student representative, and has recently been inducted into the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s Sustainability Leaders Program.
  
• Government Leadership AwardPresented by: Lisa Bate, Chair, CaGBC Board of Directors
  Winner: Infrastructure Ontario
  Infrastructure Ontario (IO) is a Crown corporation dedicated to building and renewing public infrastructure in Ontario and has had a commitment to green building and LEED since 2007/08. IO is currently managing more than 15 million square feet in green building construction across the province.
  
• The CaGBC Volunteer Leadership AwardPresented by: Mark Lucuik, Vice-Chair, CaGBC Board of Directors
  Winner: Sue Clark
  Sue Clark has been extensively involved in green building in Canada since 2006, and has worked tirelessly to contribute to and improve the LEED brand in Canada. She has also volunteered for numerous CaGBC initiatives, including the Emerging Green Builders, the National Capital Green Building Association, and the LEED 2009 Submittals Taskforce, the GBCI Focus Group.
  
• The CaGBC Chapter Leadership AwardPresented by: Andrew McAllan, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Oxford Properties Group
  Winner: John Crace
  John Crace is a founding member and current chair of the Atlantic Chapter of the Canada Green Building Council, and has been committed to the CaGBC since 2003 when he became one of Canada’s first LEED Accredited Professionals. He has demonstrated outstanding success in advancing green building and sustainable community practices in Atlantic Canada; his “super green” Joggins Fossil Centre is a landmark of sustainable architecture in Atlantic Canada.
  
• The CaGBC Green Building Champion AwardPresented by: Bill Galloway, Senior Vice President, Holcim Canada
  Winner: Vivian Manasc
  Vivian Manasc is Senior Principal of Manasc Isaac Architects, and has been a tireless advocate for green buildings in her own practice and in her community for more than two decades. She was also a founding Board member of CaGBC in 2002. She was also recently appointed to the National Capital Commission Advisory Committee on Planning, Design and Realty.
  
• The CaGBC Industry Leadership AwardPresented by: Michael McSweeney, President and CEO, Cement Association
  Winner: Gord Hicks
  Under the leadership of Gord Hicks, BLJC has become a leading firm in sustainable approaches to property and workplace management. He is committed to supporting the real estate industry in operating at the highest environmental standards, which is evident through his terms as a member of the CaGBC Board of Directors from May 2007-2010. In April 2008, Gord became one of 275 Certified Canadian Presenters of Al Gore’s “The Climate Project”, and in 2009 also joined the Board of that project.
  
• The CaGBC Lifetime Achievement AwardPresented by: Thomas Mueller, President & CEO of the Canada Green Building Council
  Winner: Kevin Hydes
  Kevin Hydes is internationally recognized as a leader in sustainable design, and for his contributions to the building industry. As the former President and CEO of Keen Engineering, and Vice President of Stantec over the past decade he has gained a reputation as an innovator, pioneer, and green business leader. Kevin served as the Chair of the USGBC for 2005-2006, and was a founder and director of the Canada Green Building Council from 2003 to 2010. He also chaired the World Green Building Council 2007-2009