Vancouver Foundation wraps up
Generation Green project
October 31, 2011—Nineteen winners of Vancouver Foundation’s Generation Green Awards showcased their completed projects to a crowd of 500 local philanthropists and dignitaries at a recent community celebration.
Projects ranged from a new, pedal-powered delivery service for small packages, to plant boxes for growing vegetables on boulevards; to a computer app that finds green restaurants in your neighbourhood.
Vancouver Foundation hosted the wrap-up event in what may be North America’s greenest building — the new Visitor Centre at VanDusen Botanical Garden. Designated a “Living Building”, it is designed to create more energy than it uses.
Mayor Robertson launched the Generation Green program in May, when 19 environmental projects — created by young people aged 6 to 24 — were awarded up to $12,500 to green their neighbourhood. The program was designed to encourage new green ideas from youth. It was also a chance to do something special for the environment and, at the same time, help celebrate Vancouver’s 125th anniversary.
With a representative of London Drugs, Mayor Robertson gave prizes of high-end cameras to the winners of the Generation Green photo contest Isaac MacAllister (age 6-12 category), Bianca Lau (age 12-17 category) and Alexandra Fowler (age 18-24 category).
As part of the project, Vancouver Foundation also conducted a “Green Vote” in which Vancouver residents could vote for the environmental theme they wanted to see more of in their neighbourhood. The winning theme was “Sustainable Food” and will become a priority for the Generation Green project in 2012.
Vancouver Foundation president and CEO Faye Wightman announced the Foundation will seek other partners to continue with the Generation Green project in 2012.
Details are on Vancouver Foundation’s Generation Green website at www.vancouverfoundation.ca/awards
With more than 1,400 funds, and assets of almost $750 million Vancouver Foundation is Canada’s largest community foundation. Since it was founded in 1943, Vancouver Foundation, in partnership with its donors, has distributed more than $830 million to thousands of community projects and programs.
For more information:
Christine Faron Chan, Vancouver Foundation Communications
604-688-2204
Vancouver Foundation helps build more vibrant and resilient communities in BC. We do this by harnessing the gifts of energy, ideas, time, and money of caring citizens to make meaningful and lasting impacts. We are Canada’s largest community foundation and we’ve been investing in communities since 1943.
