Clean Air Day is Wednesday June 2, 2010

Langley MP Mark Warawa invites the public to visit the Home Depot Saturday, June 5th where he will join Langley Environmental Partners Society at 10am for their Annual Tree Give-Away.  Mark and LEPS will give away 1,000 trees, supplied by the MP. “Enhancing Langley by planting a tree in your yard is a great way to celebrate Clean Air Day and Environment Week.”
Warawa also encourages all Langley residents to VOTE for Langley’s 2010 Environmental Hero this week.  Please visit markwarawa.com to find view the list of nominees (which are attached to this release) and cast your vote. People who wish to help select this year’s environmental heroes can look at the nominees’ biographies and then send an e-mail to warawm3@parl.gc.ca. The deadline for votes to be received is June 6.
The award recipient will be named at a tree-planting ceremony at Fort Langley on Saturday, June 19th at 1pm. The public is welcome to attend. The winners will plant a heritage fruit tree to help restore the fort’s historic orchard.
“Langley’s Environmental Hero Award is sponsored by several Langley organizations who acknowledge the importance of recognizing those people who are making a difference to the environment,” says Warawa, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment. The Langley Times, Langley Environmental Partners, Cedar Rim Nursery and Fort Langley National Historic Park are all partnering with Warawa to sponsor the contest.
Clean Air Day is a focal point for information and action on clean air and climate change issues. Clean Air Day is held each year in early June on the Wednesday of Canadian Environment Week.
Across Canada, many non-government organizations and community groups promote Clean Air Day, and on their web site, www.cleanairday.com, you’ll find suggestions for activities, tips and tools to help reduce air pollutants and much more. Remember, Clean Air Day belongs to all of us – so join in, take action and celebrate – every bit counts!


The following people and organizations have been nominated as Environmental Heroes for 2010.

Votes from the public to select this year's winner are needed to determine the two winners. Members of the public can vote for their choice among two nominees in the individual category, and four in the business and organization category.

Individual category:

Doug McFee - Four separate nominators have nominated McFee, a founder and director of Salmon River Enhancement Society.
Here's what they have to say.
Doug has almost single-handedly promoted the objectives of the Salmon River Enhancement Society for 15 years and spends much of his free time as a local MD and a father of three very active children presenting his well-thought out positions on local environmental issues - Win Bromley
Words cannot describe what this citizen has done, and is doing, for the environment, not only for Langley but for the entire community. He works tirelessly on saving the farmland, rivers and air quality etc. He is director of the Salmon River Enhancement Society and sits on a great many other environmental committees. Dr.McFee's work for the environment, especially the rivers and water quality knows no equal. He is an outstanding environmental hero. - Bays Blackhall
Salmon River Enhancement Society works closely with other naturalist and environmental organizations in The Langleys and carries out a variety of important riparian reparation projects. They perform regular fish counts and monitor the quality of water in the river.
Doug is a "hands on" leader who participates in the above work projects. He has also initiated several public meetings to draw attention to the deteriorating condition of the Hopington and other aquifers — Langley Field Naturalists
Doug McFee was the founding director of the Salmon River Enhancement Society in 1995 and has been their key "mover and shaker" ever since. He has a sincere and abiding interest not only for the ecological and environmental health of the river itself, but for the many streams that lead into it and the surrounding lands. The Salmon River is recognized as the major source of coho salmon and cutthroat trout in the Lower Fraser Valley, but the quality and quantity of its water is constantly under threat. He is a true environmental steward who works tirelessly for the good health and quality of life in our community — Rhys Griffiths

Jada Harry — Jada Harry is the person I would like to be a nominee. She is a Kindergarten teacher at Douglas Park Elementary. She is helping educate the students on non-recyclables. Jada's household has reduced their garbage pick-up to one small shopping bag. It really shows a person how much is thrown away from straws, toothbrushes, plastic wrap, and Tim Horton cups, and much more. Because of Jada, I myself am teaching my husband and daughter, and friends. I going dumpster diving in our own home when the family forgets. Jada is my environmental hero, and I'm sure her students and co-workers at her school feel the same way. She has volunteered her time to organize the set-up with the company that comes from the Island to do pick-up. There are volunteers that help every third Saturday for three hours. They will need more volunteers as the recycling grows. — Janet Crockford


Businesses and organizations category:

Bruce Vangarderen, The Maples Discovery Gardens — I would like to nominate Bruce Vangarderen as environmental hero. He is my neighbour and works at Maples Discovery Gardens. Since moving into this neighborhood Bruce has given us gardening tips, composting tips and also gotten us involved in Maples Discovery Gardens. We are now in the process of starting an organic garden. All the soil used there is pesticide free. The manure is pesticide free. The garden grounds are all pesticide free. It is a great place to bring kids on field trips as they teach about the environment and how to keep it clean. I watched a teacher unload a van full of teenagers the other day. He was teaching them how to grow an organic garden. Check it out.. Bruce is there most days..Sunday you will find his smiling face at Christian Life Assembly where he is a door greeter. — Carol Marks

Telegraph Trail District, Girl Guides of Canada — Girl Guides of Canada provides environmental education to all of its members. Each branch has program work encouraging youth to become more aware of the world around them and the actions they can take to make a difference on our planet. The girls in the district have adopted two streets for regular litter walks, participated in and planted trees on Arbour Day, taken part in BC Rivers Day and have attended salmon fry releases. They are challenged to take action for a better world. Because the girls have appreciated and made use of the green spaces in our community, they will grow up knowing the importance of being a champion for the environment as adults. — Dianne Peacher
Verhulst

ASAP Meter Ink — All the deliveries are done using a hybrid vehicle. All the cartridges are recycled at Office Depot. ASAP tells their customers about the Office Depot recycling program for all types of cartridges. The boxes ASAP sells are made of recycled material. Recycled paper is used and both sides are printed on. A GPS unit plans the delivery route for the shortest and most direct route. An irrigation system was installed this year for plant watering and hanging baskets get a drip system on timers. This is to ensure that no excess water is wasted. W e also use 15 solar lights around the perimeter of the office. Statements and overdue invoices are emailed out and not mailed wasting paper, envelopes and fuel. Brochures are printed only when asked for by clients and on recycled paper. All internal paperwork is just stored on the computer and not printed at all. We are also a member of BC Hydro Power Smart. We always promote to customers to buy local by offering free delivery. We cut our grass using a push mower that doesn't require gas or electricity.

Custom Cooling Solutions — At Custom Cooling Solutions head office in Langley, the owner and staff have striven to create and maintain an Eco-Friendly workplace. From simple recycling of office paper and plastics, to refitting their fleet of vehicles to those that are more fuel efficient, Custom Cooling is a true advocate for making Langley a greener place to live. Custom Cooling leads the industry in showcasing Heat Pump technologies that are literally changing the landscape insofar as virtually eliminating the need to burn fossil fuels for heating people’s homes and hot water. Custom cooling takes pride in having eliminated the need for natural gas in its workplace by implementing heat pump technologies throughout its building. Additionally, Custom Cooling Solutions hosts regular Barbeques to educate the public to the benefits of Heat Pumps and other Eco-friendly products in hopes of reducing our carbon footprint. - Christine Trischuk