Business leaders from across Vancouver Island celebrated significant environmental and social achievements as part of the ninth annual Ecostar Awards Gala, hosted by Synergy Foundation on November 14.
This year, 15 awards were presented to winners from various industries. As each winner was announced, they came on stage to accept awards made from recycled chopsticks and 3D printed recycled plastic, provided by ChopValue and Travtron 3D Printing.
Here are the winners.
Clean Oceans: Rugged Coast Research Society
Why: The society has removed over 160,000 kg of marine debris from 1,200
km of Vancouver Island’s coastline since 2017. Their work in Nootka Sound in 2023
extracted over 77,000 kg, of which 3% was repurposed and nearly 70% recycled in
partnership with Ocean Legacy Foundation’s ocean plastic depot.
Rugged Coast works closely with local Indigenous communities on their projects, creating jobs for individuals in coastal communities and supporting the protection of cultural and ecological values of traditional lands by community members.
Climate Action: 4VI Social Enterprise Group
Why: For ensuring that travel is a force for good on Vancouver Island. As the first destination in North America to perform a carbon audit, they are developing a
roadmap to decarbonize the Island’s tourism industry with a novel bottom-up approach that focuses on stewardship through social equity, community investment, and climate action.
By 2030, they aim to reduce emissions from 195 kgCO2e per visitor to less than 100 kgCO2e, establishing a new standard for responsible tourism.
Community Leadership: The Den Refillery
Why: The business is catalyzing the shift to sustainable living in the Pacific Rim region. In
addition to offering zero-waste hygiene and cleaning products through their retail stores,
their Sustainable and Circular Accommodation Program has transitioned over 14 hotels and
120 B&Bs away from using single-use plastics and harmful products, reducing over 3 million single-use plastics and preventing 700,000 gallons of toxic products from entering our oceans.
This ripple effect is compounded through direct community engagement, from
hosting beach clean-ups and sustainability workshops to educating youth on environmental
stewardship in partnership with Surfrider Foundation.
Design and Construction: Wescon Cedar Products Ltd
Why: They are the only Passive House certified door and window manufacturer
in North America. A family owned and operated business, they create around 25,000 doors
and 5,000 windows per year using locally-sourced wood and materials whenever possible.
The company is also committed to waste diversion – sawdust waste is repurposed into fire
briquettes, keeping over 520 tonnes of dry sawdust from ending up in landfill, and all offcuts are used for side projects, including building unique doors with “less than perfect” materials which they sell at a discount.
Ecological Stewardship Winner: QENTOL, YEN/ W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians Program
Why: This program, established in 2021, is developing a Marine Conservation Program with a goal of ensuring W̱SÁNEĆ involvement in protecting and monitoring the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales and other marine mammals in W̱SÁNEĆ traditional territory.
By tracking vessel speeds, noise pollution, and whale movement, the program is designed to restore the balance between the W̱SÁNEĆ people and the KELȽOLEMEĆEN (Killer Whales).
Ecopreneur of the Year: Sadie Fox of The Sustainable Fox
Why: the entrepreneur offers waste reduction consultation with an intersectional lens for households, workplaces, and events through her business The Sustainable Fox. Through waste auditing, Fox helps people understand their waste and create strategies to change it at a systemic level.
Events using TSF’s consultation and waste diversion services average a 97.3% diversion
rate, and Fox has also recently launched The Sustainable Box, a sliding-scale subscription
waste removal service for recycling materials excluded from curbside or commercial
programs.
Experiential Tourism: Malahat SkyWalk
Why: The attraction provides a unique, accessible, and educational experience that connects visitors with the natural beauty and cultural heritage of Vancouver Island.
In partnership with Malahat Nation, they honour traditional lands and share cultural heritage and traditional ecological knowledge throughout the park, which fosters a deeper understanding of the land’s significance among visitors.
Malahat SkyWalk also works to remove barriers to accessing nature by providing electric scooters for those with mobility challenges, launching a free shuttle service from downtown Victoria, and providing discounted tickets for school groups.
Greenest Retailer: Grove Outdoors
Why: As Victoria’s only consignment outdoor gear store, the company offers easily accessible, high quality, and affordable gear while ensuring products are being used for their entire lifespan.
Grove has created a culture of sustainability through innovative initiatives including by offering repairs in partnership with Basecamp Repairs, donating unsold clothing to those in need via Our Place Society and Big Brothers, Big Sisters, supplying repair products in-store, and sourcing used fixtures, hangers, and tags to outfit the store.
Innovation Winner: Clean Air Yard Care
Why: The business has been shaking up the landscaping industry since 2010 with their green edge.
Designed with carbon neutrality in mind, they were early adopters of battery-powered equipment and have recently added fully electric trucks, electric bikes, and solar trailers to their fleet in addition to using eco-friendly vegetable-based lubricants and other products for equipment maintenance.
The results? Lower emissions, reduced noise pollution, and plenty of engaged, eco-conscious customers.
Inspirational New Venture: Wireless PnC Inc.
Why: The Victoria-based woman-led cleantech startup has a vision of inspiring a generation where “charging” is no longer seen as synonymous with “plugs”.
Their high-efficiency universal wireless charging system works with e-bikes and e-scooters
regardless of brand or battery type, offering a practical and affordable solution that significantly reduces electricity requirements and costs for EV charging.
Leadership in Hospitality: Pendray Inn and Tea House
Why: the 128-year-old Pendray Inn and Tea House is constantly seeking ways to elevate their environmental and social initiatives. In the past two years alone, they became the first Canadian restaurant to achieve The PLEDGE on Food Waste certification, finding ways to reduce food waste by 50%, and became the first business in Victoria to convert private land into community spaces with the creation of their community garden.
Other initiatives include achieving Biosphere certification and contributing to the Indigenous
Tourism Destination Fund, which promotes Indigenous-led growth in the tourism sector.
Local Food: Victoria Community Food Hub Society
Why: The society supports farmers and food producers in Greater
Victoria through their two initiatives – South Island FarmHub, an online farmers’ market, and Kitchen Connect, a commissary processing kitchen.
Over the past two years, they have provided a sales avenue for over 85 farm and producers, supported over 20 local food makers with space and equipment to create their products, subsidized $207,000 of local food for Greater Victoria charities and schools, and completed a Net Zero Food Hub report, which includes a plan to cut waste and emissions by 2030.
Social Impact: Reciprocity Trusts Society
Why: The organization fills the space between Indigenous land acknowledgements and ‘land back’, creating an opportunity for individuals, homes, and businesses to more meaningfully recognize the Indigenous lands we live and work on. In partnership with Indigenous Nations, Reciprocity collects reciprocity payments from homes and businesses and distributes them to local First Nations.
Through the South Island Indigenous Reciprocity Trust, funds are distributed equally to the ten First Nations who have core territory within the CRD and can be used to fund any Nation-identified priorities.
Since its launch in June 2023, more than $100,000 has been mobilized from over 250 homes and businesses, used for projects including the establishment of a new bighouse in the Tsawout Nation, a youth-elder mentorship program in the Songhees Nation, a cultural canoe journey paddle for youth in the Sci’anew Nation, and a community feast
in the Pacheedaht Nation.
Sustainable Workplace: Prince of Whales – Whale and Marine Wildlife Adventures
Why: The business is dedicated to sustainability on and off the water. In their office, they apply a green lens to their operations through their Sustainability Policy and Sustainable Purchasing Policy that addresses diverse aspects ranging from water- and energy-saving equipment to retail purchases and low-emission staff commuting. On the water, they offer Zero Waste catamaran tours that feature compostable and recycling options and unpackaged foods, and are in the process of installing toroidal propellors that enhance fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.
Waste to Resource: I Used To Be A Pallet
Why: The organization upcycles pallets into over 700 products, some of which are offered at a discount to community members, from furniture for classrooms to stability platforms for seniors. IUTBAP also creates Little Free Libraries that are replicas of owners’ homes, promoting reading throughout the community. In the past eight years, IUTBAP has diverted 12-15 tons of wood from landfill – beyond creating new products, end cuts are used for heat, sawdust is used as a garden amendment, and unusable nails are recycled.
Other unique sustainability and social highlights from the event include:
• Lanyards borrowed through Lanyard Lending Library
• Low-carbon menu provided by Inn at Laurel Point
• Locally-made beverages provided by Spinnakers
• $5 per ticket purchased donated to the South Island Indigenous Reciprocity Trust
through Reciprocity Trusts.
Douglas magazine was pleased to be a sponsor.
