At the Environmental Awards ceremony on Sunday, June 8, Pablo Vimos received a well-deserved Environmental Star Award for his volunteer work with Stoney Creek and the Burnaby Mountain Organic Garden.
Councilor Dan Johnston giving an environmental Star award to Pablo
Here is his acceptance speech:
Pablo’s acceptance speech
I would like to thank the City of Burnaby and the Environmental Committee for awarding me this Environmental Star for Community Stewardship. Anyone working on environmental issues will be able to tell you that your achievements will be limited as an individual, but when working together with other residents or various organizations, much more can be achieved. Volunteering with the SCEC, we have been able to link up successfully with the City of Burnaby, Burnaby Parks and Recreation, Simon Fraser University and many other organizations to tackle some of the conservation challenges Stoney Creek is facing. And thanks to the Great Salmon Send-Off that SCEC organizes each year, we are able to reach more Burnaby Residents. I live on top of Burnaby Mountain, at this award-winning development in terms of sustainable building and environmental management. While initially all environmental initiatives were directed by the SFU Community Trust, I have set up a residence association and residents started initiating their own environmental projects such as the school and community garden and environmental mural. Again, this has only been possible through the collaboration of residents with SFU Community Trust, the City of Burnaby, Burnaby Parks and Recreation, the Burnaby school district and SFU Facility Services. It is good to see that some of the other organizations I have worked with over the years such as Burnaby School district, Simon Fraser University Facilities Services are also being recognized for their environmental contributions today. I hope that in the years to come, we will be able to reinforce our collaborative efforts to further increase environmental initiatives in our community. Thank You.
Pablo and the other recipients.