We are pleased to announce the 2011 recognition recipients in the "Community" category.
- Hamilton Conservation Authority and others
- City of Thunder Bay and EcoSuperior Environmental Program
- Batawa Development Corporation and others
- City of Guelph and others
Hamilton Conservation Authority and others
Several Hamilton-area organisations have been working together to develop and implement innovative and collaborative stewardship action plans for the fifteen sub-watersheds of Spencer Creek. These organisations are: Hamilton Conservation Authority, the Hamilton-Halton Watershed Stewardship Program, Bay Area Restoration Council, City of Hamilton, Green Venture, Hamilton-Wentworth Stewardship Council and Royal Botanical Gardens.
The partners encouraged landowners and the agricultural community to protect and restore forests, meadows, wetlands and watercourses: and to adopt beneficial management practices to protect streams and enhance wildlife habitat.
This initiative is being expanded into all watersheds within the area.
City of Thunder Bay and EcoSuperior Environmental Program
In partnership with the EcoSuperior Environmental Program, a non-profit organization, the City of Thunder Bay has been delivering with excellent results, a comprehensive water conservation program since 1996.
For 2010, the partnership's successful outreach initiatives and programs included: low flow toilet rebates, home visits to distribute water conservation devices, selling rain barrels, education on water-wise gardening and presentations to schools. The program also delivered a speaker series on protecting shorelines, the effect of pharmaceuticals on water and choosing personal care products that are safer for water and people.
Batawa Development Corporation and others
The Batawa Development Corporation, in collaboration with the City of Quinte West and engineering firm AECOM Canada, is developing an environmentally sustainable community within the small town of Batawa. A new wastewater treatment system and the development itself conforms to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard which will reduce wastewater generated at the source, reduce the overall carbon footprint and improve the long term sustainability of the community, collection system and treatment plant.
The wastewater treatment plant was upgraded to improve treatment and reduce toxic ammonia and chlorine residual discharges and to eliminate sewage by-pass overflows which were impacting water quality in the Trent River. Sustainable design features used in the plant include using recycled materials for concrete and reinforcing steel, locally sourced aggregate materials, leaving naturalized areas undisturbed within the site, and installing new, more energy efficient pumps and blowers.
Sustainable development measures in the community include water conservation in buildings and for landscape irrigation, conserving wetlands and waterbodies, natural stormwater management, managing wastewater through low flow fixtures, gray water recovery and encouraging water reuse.
City of Guelph and others
The City of Guelph collaborated with the University of Guelph and three local home builders to implement an innovative pilot to evaluate the viability of reusing residential greywater.
Greywater – waste from baths and showers – normally goes down the drain to the sanitary sewer. A greywater reuse system collects this wastewater and filters, purifies, and then reuses the greywater to flush toilets. This can save an average family 30 percent on their water bills and conserve up to 69,000 litres of water per year.
The City of Guelph educated homeowners about the importance of water conservation and provided a $1500 rebate to those who installed a greywater system. The result was significant: in the 28 homes that installed the system, water use decreased by 35 percent in new homes and by 49 percent in older homes.
