Winner of the 2002 Environmental Health People's Choice Gold Award
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Winner of the 2002 Environmental Health People's Choice Gold Award
Date:
Sun, 29 Sep 2002 08:06:36 -0400
From:
Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization: Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)
To: Paul Helliker <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov>
Director, State of California, Department of Pesticide
Regulation
cc: Christine Whitman whitman.christine@epa.gov
Winner of the 2002 Environmental Health People's Choice Gold Award
Dr. Nicole Bruinsma " I can do a lot. So I should do a lot"
Instrumental in Pesticide Ban in Chelsea Quebec
On a winter's day in 1999, Nicole Bruinsma stood in front of a community gathering in Chelsea, Quebec. Bruinsma addressed the audience of 200 not only as a mother and a breast-cancer survivor but as the family physician of many in attendance. She hadn't sought the spotlight. In fact, Bruinsma didn't particularly enjoy occupying centre stage.
But the personal had become political. A year earlier, at the age of 38, Bruinsma had been diagnosed with breast cancer. That diagnosis, which coincided with no known risk factors, had triggered a fact-finding mission about environmental causes of human illness. The scientific literature on pesticides, in particular, was full of alarming information: evidence of potent neurological effects; an absence of carcinogen testing for the 7,000 products regulated in Canada; and the presence of ingredients that had been approved in the 1950s, long before their effects were known.
These discoveries inspired Bruinsma to speak out that night against the cosmetic use of pesticides, and it was a speech that galvanized the community of 6,000. Within a year, in response to a groundswell of support led by Action Chelsea for Respect of the Environment, Chelsea had passed a bylaw banning the use of pesticides to achieve flawless urban landscapes.
Nicole Bruinsma died in February 2002 of metastatic disease, but her legacy of the Chelsea ban has paved the way for dozens of other Canadian cities.
http://www.cangeo.ca/cea/english/results/results.html#health
OTTAWA, September 24, 2002 - Canadian Geographic today announced the peoples' choice recipients for the Canadian Environment Awards 2002: A Celebration of Community Achievement.
The River Lobby at the Museum of Civilization in Hull, Quebec, was the site of a gala awards dinner last night to recognize the nominees for the inaugural Canadian Environment Awards. This new national program celebrates extraordinary Canadians who are acting locally to help protect, preserve and restore the country's environment. The Canadian Environment Awards was inspired by the community-action objectives of the Government of Canada's Environment Week. Nominees were selected by a panel of environmental leaders. In the first year, gold and silver recipients were chosen by members of the Canadian public who were asked to vote for one candidate in each of the eight categories of environmental achievement. The People's Choice gold and silver recipients in each category were announced
It's been a year of "firsts" for the Canadian Environment Awards.
This new national program has captured the imagination of thousands of Canadians who wanted to take action and get involved with environment issues. Last night, People's Choice Gold and Silver Awards were announced at the Museum of Civilization in Hull, Quebec. Nominees and dignitaries from across the country gathered together for the awards gala that was hosted by Gillian Deacon of the Discovery Channel. It was true celebration of community environmental achievement, highlighted by a keynote address from The Honourable David Anderson, Minister of the Environment. The evening's gold recipients were also awarded a $5,000 prize from Tim Faithfull, Shell Canada president, which will be donated to each winner's environmental cause of choice.
http://www.cangeo.ca/cea/english/results/default.asp
For more information, contact:
Diane Chaperon-Lor
Public Relations Manager
Canadian Environment Awards
Tel:(416) 653-0849
Cellphone: (416) 871-8882
E-mail: chaperonlor@sympatico.ca
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