Environment was top of mind at Saturday’s Earth Day event in Maple Ridge.
Not only were dozens of nature-related booths set up in Memorial Peace Park, but the Maple Ridge Climate Hub also handed out the third annual Climate Champion Awards.
Climate Hub president Kirk Grayson took to the stage and explained that the awards are the group’s way of celebrating people who make major efforts to help sustain the local environment.
“We look for people who are really demonstrating leadership in efforts to reduce emissions and to live a more sustainable lifestyle,” said Grayson.
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The first of the awards was given to the Moreno family, which consists of Natalie Moreno, Christopher Moreno, and their two daughters Sage and Amber.
“The Moreno family is currently building a home in Whonnock, which when completed will be set aside as a passive house,” explained Grayson.
“Their family is passionate about building a home for the future and is very thoughtful about their design and construction choices. The Morenos have selected pre-fabricated panels that are manufactured off-site and this results in less construction waste and is a path to creating sustainability within the construction industry. The passive house standards also result in a home that uses very little energy for heating and cooling.”
“As these methods are relatively new, it takes leaders such as the Morenos, who are willing to take on additional costs and work with building codes not designed for this type of construction to make prefabrication a viable option for widespread adoption in the future.”
In her acceptance speech, Natalie said that her family was honoured to be recognized with the award.
“My husband and I have always dreamt of building a home and this year we’ve been super fortunate to be able to do that and combine that with our passion for protecting the planet,” said Moreno.
“We’re hoping to be done by the end of the summer and we’re happy to share the performance of the home and any of the strategies that we’ve used if anyone else is interested in learning about it.”
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The second batch of award winners were Dave Koehn and Julie Koehn, who Grayson explained have been heavily involved in local environmental efforts since the ’70s.
“Despite having full-time jobs as a teacher and an electrician, raising two children, and managing a small farm and forest, Julie and Dave gathered with other like-minded Maple Ridge residents to start the Ridge Meadows Recycling Society,” said Grayson.
Since then, the couple have started numerous movements, including the introduction of the Repair Cafe events to Maple Ridge.
“We love the community and we’ve done what we can to try and preserve the natural beauty of this place,” said Dave.
“The Earth needs our help and we’re the only ones who can give it,” added Julie.
The third and final award went to Maple Ridge New and Used, which Grayson explained is a local company that offers people a wide range of new and used building materials for various home projects.
“The goal of Maple Ridge New and Used is to give their customers the opportunity to keep useful and reusable building materials out of landfills,” said Grayson. “This is a great example of a local entrepreneur making a significant difference with their unique climate-friendly product offerings.”
“It’s important for not only individuals but also our businesses to demonstrate leadership in climate action.”
Stay tuned for a full photo gallery and additional coverage from the Earth Day celebration in Maple Ridge.