Congrats to Pivot Legal Society, which raised a whopping $18,000 during its fifth annual silent and live auction last month. The 350-person, sold-out event was—thanks to comic burlesque team Screaming Chickens—the sexiest party this town has seen all year. Pivot Legal is a local non-profit that advocates on the behalf of marginalized persons on the Downtown Eastside. pivotlegal.org
Friends and colleagues of Carol Newell, new Member of the Order of Canada, gathered last month at Vancouver’s Brix Restaurant & Wine Bar to honour the millionaire’s appointment for her leadership in championing environmental sustainability. In true form, Newell credited others with helping her direct $60 million—the bulk of her inherited wealth—to “heal the Earth and one another.”
Vancity has awarded $265,000 to 10 non-profits through its annual enviroFund program. The grants range from $6,000 to $40,000 and go to groups who are creating imaginative solutions for environmental issues in their communities. The largest grant goes to the Stanley Park Ecology Society, which will receive $40,000 to help repair the damage inflicted on the park by windstorms last year. vancity.com
In other Vancity news, the credit union was recently named as the company with the highest number of female and non-white executives in Canada. Toronto’s Corporate Knights (Magazine) Leadership Diversity Index, which identifies the top 10 Canadian companies that have achieved the greatest visible minority and female representation in both the boardroom and the CEO’s suite, ranked Vancity at No. 1 with nearly 72 per cent.
Gregor Robertson, MLA for Vancouver-Fairview, is demanding more stringent legislation to regulate toxins in B.C. Robertson introduced two Private Member’s Bills Nov. 14 that would ban toxic substances already prohibited in other provinces and countries, and mandate that suppliers and producers warn consumers if their products contain toxic chemicals or genetically engineered food. Cross your fingers. gregorbc.ca
Victoria’s Dr. Abram Hoffer has been co-awarded the Dr. Rogers Prize for his groundbreaking work in orthomolecular medicine, the practice of preventing and treating disease by providing the body with optimal amounts of various natural chemical substances. Hoffer, 89, shares the $250,000 prize with Dr. Alastair Cunningham of Toronto. drrogersprize.org
Vancouver Opera has set the wheels in motion to encourage opera-goers to use public transportation to get to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Patrons who present their transit tickets or monthly pass at the theatre will receive a voucher that gets them 10 per cent off their next full-priced ticket to a Vancouver Opera production. See vancouveropera.ca for details.
Urbanthinkers, a Vancouver-based sustainable transportation group, wants you to save a tree this holiday season and opt for using fallen boughs and branches instead to spruce up your living room. “For over 10 years we’ve been able to find great ‘trees’ after an autumn storm or heavy rainfall,” says Arthur Orsini, Urbanthinkers’ project coordinator. “Last year’s windstorms offered a bonanza of choices.” urbanthinkers.ca
B.C.-based Earthcycle Packaging and the Oppenheimer Group took home a sustainability prize for their fully home-compostable four-pack of organic kiwifruit. The companies received the honour at the Produce Marketing Association 2007 Fresh Summit International Convention and Exposition in Houston, Tex. The four-pack will be distributed to retail outlets throughout the U.S. earthcycle.com; oppyproduce.com
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