2010 MANITOBA EXCELLENCE IN SUSTAINABILITY AWARD WINNERS, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Winner of the Outstanding Achievement in Sustainability Award Marnie Feeleus

Sustainable Actions Recognized Across Province: Blaikie

The recipients of the 2010 Manitoba Excellence in Sustainability Awards and Sustainable Development Scholarships were announced today by Conservation Minister Bill Blaikie.

“These awards recognize true champions of sustainability, showcase homegrown success stories and, most importantly, inspire other individuals and groups to take action,” said Blaikie. “As we honour the recipients for their achievements, we need to reflect on how we can each reduce the size of the footprint we leave on this earth.”

The recipients were recognized at an awards reception last night at the Legislative Building. The 2010 Manitoba Excellence in Sustainability Award winners are:

Outstanding Achievement in Sustainability Award:
- Fresh Option Organic Delivery (FOOD) for working with local producers to strengthen Manitoba’s organic market and increase the sustainability of the food system. A successful organic retail and delivery business, FOOD has become the hub of Manitoba’s local and sustainable-food distribution system.

Action on Climate Change, Air Quality and Energy Efficiency Award:
- Building Urban Industries for Local Development, Inc. (BUILD) for implementing an innovative program which lowers greenhouse-gas emissions, reduces water and energy consumption, improves inner-city house infrastructure, reduces poverty and improves overall socio-economic well-being in 16 of Winnipeg’s poorest neighbourhoods by providing supportive training and employment opportunities for low-income individuals to perform energy and water retrofits on low-income housing.

- The Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation for making measurable improvements in reducing greenhouse gases and increasing energy efficiency through its Brandon Energy Efficiency Program (BEEP) and the Community Led Emission Reduction (CLER) pilot project. (Honourable mention)
Sustainability in Pollution Prevention and Product Stewardship Award:
- Open Mesh Screen Printing for being Winnipeg’s first environmentally friendly screen-printing shop, providing an alternative to traditional garment and paper-screen printing through the use of water-based inks, biodegradable cleaners, and organic and fair-trade cotton.

Education for Sustainability Award:
- Diversity Food Services at the University of Winnipeg for providing a new concept in campus dining with a mandate to train and employ inner-city residents while developing nutritious, affordable and ethnically diverse food options for students and the surrounding community with a commitment to locally sourced, organic and fair-trade ingredients.
- Bob Austman, Manitoba Model Forest’s Education Co-ordinator for engaging thousands of youth and more than 400 teachers in learning about the boreal forest and sustainable development. (Honourable mention)
Research and Innovation for Sustainability Award:
- Manitoba Hydro for its newly constructed head office, Manitoba Hydro Place, a world-class, energy-efficient building that is recognized as the first in the next generation of sustainable buildings.

Recipients of the 2010 Sustainable Development Scholarships are:
· Peter Tarleton, University of Manitoba (undergraduate); and
· Brett Legault, University of Manitoba (undergraduate).

The Manitoba Round Table for Sustainable Development is an advisory board that provides advice and support to the provincial government about responsible resource management, land use and environmental, social and economic development. The Manitoba Excellence in Sustainability Awards honour people, projects and ideas that successfully turn the province’s principles and guidelines of sustainable development into concrete and lasting achievements, the minister said.

“The actions we take as individuals in our homes, schools and workplaces can sometimes seem unimportant, but we know that collectively, we can cause meaningful change by taking one small step at a time,” said Blaikie.
Original Article from the Province of Manitoba

Luxury Wood Cabana!

Come stay at Wood Anchor's luxury estate slated grand opening December 1,2010! Yes this is a joke but the cabin part is not! Our guys needed to build a shelter to stay warm over the winter and this is what they came up with. Pretty high end. Not quite finished but it boasts gorgeous live-edged elm lumber as exterior panels! Enjoi'!

Check back for the completed cabin pics. I'll post them soon!

Rethink. Reclaim. Reuse - Ray

Warming Hut Art and Architecture Competition on Ice Winners Announced!

Wood Anchor Canopy Rendering by Karen Sturgeon

The winners of the Warming Hut Art and Architecture Competition on Ice made the headlines yesterday on TV as well as local paper media this morning showcasing this years design winners. The international competition garnered a modest amount of attention from all parts of the world with over 130 designers/artists entering. Local architect Peter Hargraves over saw the selection process which resulted in three winners along with two invitees.

Sadly, we here at Wood Anchor submitted but was not one of the finalists. We REALLY thought we had a strong and interesting design. I found the winners to be modest in design and concept pertaining to Winnipeg's climate and the rivers surroundings. In my opinion, I felt that the international winners lacked one major component to their design. That would be first hand knowledge of what it is like and what it takes to endure of Winnipeg's notoriously freezing winters!

Like all design competitions I'm sure each of the winners will draw respect and their share of criticisms alike.
Here are a couple of pages and an excerpt from our submission. Feel free to leave your comments and don't forget to share!

The canopy will be constructed by weaving elm. This construction method will allow for the ability to gather snow and add to the warming hut’s insulating properties. Wood’s natural properties also allow for the sun to warm the mass and become comfortable to touch and interact with. Open and detached from the form, some pieces will have the ability to move and mimic the experience of rustling branches. End grain flooring as well as a large timber bench will showcase the age and strength of elm. All material used is boulevard elm directed from a landfill.

To see Wood Anchor's entire submission click here Canopy

Below are the 2010 Warming Hut Art and Architecture Competition on Ice Winners. 

Name: WOODPILE
Architects: Noa Biran, Roy Talmon
Origin: Tel Aviv
A standard box design that features a metal outside frame and a firepit in the middle of the structure. The walls consist of stacked logs that can be used for the fire. As the weather warms, the walls disappear, signalling the end of winter.

Name: Ha(y)ven
Architects: Tri Nguyen, Jayne Chu, Ben Olschner, Jakob Seyboth
Origin: New York
Constructed with hay bales, the cylinder is designed to reach up 18 metres in the air and should provide a noticeable landmark for river-trail enthusiasts.

Name: Under the Covers
Architects: Robert B. Trempe Jr.
Origin: Philadelphia
Built with wood and lined with Astroturf, this hut is designed to look like a pinch of fabric on the flat snowy surface alongside the trail.

Name: Jellyfish
Architects: John and Patricia Patkau
Origin: Vancouver
The best way to detail this design: Wait and see.

Name: Cocoon
Architects: University of Manitoba architecture students
Origin: Winnipeg
A simple, lightweight frame covered by a flexible membrane. Once completed, river water will be sprayed onto the structure, creating a hard coating of ice that will illuminate the shell.

Although its only the second year of competition, the Warming Hut Art and Architecture Competition on Ice continues to evoke inspiration of man and mother nature within the art & design community. Congrats to the winners from Team Wood Anchor, we'll see you next year!

Rethink. Reclaim. Reuse. - Ray

The Worlds Greenest Cities

California Palm Springs Wind Farms

How does one city receive the intrepid distinction of being the "greenest city in the would" without being presumptuous to the obvious naysayers? I have scoured our world wide web for the obvious searches only to come up with survey upon survey. Who, what, and where is the governing body that sets the world standard? I've seen many cities that have made the top ten honors all different cities from year to year, site to site, article to article.

What makes the greenest city green? From what I have seen, many surveys have been based on notable achievements such as good transportation systems, quantity of parks, active recycling programs, organic food restaurants. Thats all fine and dandy from a surface point of view but doesn't one think that the reader would like to know what the greenest city is based on actual stats? Stats on carbon footprints, stats on how much "good transportation", quantity of parks, actually contribute in a quantitative evaluation.

Phoenix, AZ Dessert

I will go out on a limb here and say that there is probably no definitive way to calculate an exact statistical analysis on environmental offsets and impacts with in one city. Analysts can certainly collect and crunch data to calculate an estimate measured conversely with mother nature. I'm sure they've done so, and if so, shouldn't it be available to the public? This information could help alleviate the public backlash that global warming is not from human consumption and material possession.

Below is one of the current list that you will find of the top ten World's Greenest Cities. List courtesy of Tiny Green Bubble

#10 Copenhagen: Home to seemingly almost all of the world’s climate change conferences, this gems has massive public transportation options and gets ten percent of its energy from actual windmills. It also won the 2006 European Environmental Award.

#9 Portland: Ah, Portland. We love you! A city that put sod over its pavement, killing a six lane highway to replace it with a waterfront park. By 2050, Portland plans to have reduced eighty percent of greenhouse gas emissions over their 1990 levels. It’s also a hub for green jobs.

#8 Montreal: Oui. Since the signing of the 1987 Montreal Protocol to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, it’s been all green friendly in this lovely city. From open-air markets that offer local and organic food options to a bike sharing program that makes cars unnecessary – until the snow hits in the Great White North.

#7 London: We’d give it to them based only on the chewing gum recycling program. However, London is also cutting CO2 emissions by sixty percent in the next twenty years, incentivizing energy efficient homes and rewarding eco friendly cars. Or autos as the Brits would say.

#6 Curitiba, Brazil: Eighty-five percent of this city’s residents take the bus on a regular basis. Seventy percent of its trash is recycled, and there are fifty-two meters of green space per citizen. We will be moving.

#5 Reykjavik, Iceland: The sparsely populated capital in this northern region plans to be entirely fossil-fuel free by 2050 and currently derives its heat (of which it needs a lot) from hot water and electricity that are sourced from renewable hydropower and geothermal sources. The city even uses hydrogen-run busses.

#4 Vienna: More than half of this city is dedicated green space and it boasts one of Europe’s best public transportation systems.

#3 Tokyo: Despite its massive population, Tokyo is a remarkably green city. It’s currently involved in a Clinton Global Initiative project to increase the energy efficiency of city-owned buildings and is also adding 200 hectares of green space and over 200,000 road side trees.

#2 Vancouver: Vancouver plans to be the world’s greenest city, but for now it will have to settle for second place. Solar-powered trash compactors, great public transportation and recently reduced reliance on fossil fuels by ten percent. Plus over two hundred parks!

#1 Malmo: Malmo is Sweden’s largest city. It plans to use entirely renewable fuels by 2020 through a combination of solar power, wind power, hydro power, and biofuels generated by organic waste. And a third of the city’s population primarily use bicycles as transport.

So which city truly is the greenest city in the world? If you care to share your analysis please do so!

Rethink. Reclaim. Reuse - Ray

Inspired by Nature

I came across these cool looking coat racks while scouring the web for cool design ideas relating to wood/trees. Clean, simple and functional! Read on...

Tree is a stable, freestanding rack that can accommodate up to 20 coats. The Tree is in white, green or a warm gray color and fun center, office or at home.

Nature Series

The new Tree coat stand is part of the new Nature series of designer Robert Bronwasser.

Besides the coat is a wardrobe from Nature series, wall coat rack, side table and a brochure holder and whiteboard. Organic Design that well to combine and give each room a cheerful accent. For more info click here Cascando

Rethink. Reclaim. Reuse. - Ray

Winnipeg's Future of Trash Expo!

KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

Brady Landfill needs your input! Our fair city is opening its arms for your thoughts and suggestions about waste and recycling management. Most of you know where our garbage goes and it is not a pretty site! While the amount of blue bins you see that get emptied on a weekly basis there is still room for improvement.

Personally, I would say we're only at 5%. I think the majority of people still need educating in this respect. And this is what the Expo is all about. It's still astounding to see the amount of people that STILL LITTER!!

How does the city drive environmental awareness? How difficult is it for someone to wait to throw their trash in the garbage, keeping it off our streets? How do you sway consumers to think before they buy? Opting for products with less packaging or more than single use items. Its the ultimate challenge for any city or town as there is much speculation with global warming. Read below for information on how to participate.

And though it's far from the heart of the city, the Brady Road Landfill is central to a planned overhaul on how Winnipeg deals with its trash.

The city is gearing up for a public trash expo Nov. 13 at the Winnipeg Convention Centre that will let Winnipeggers weigh in on a waste management strategy, set to go before council roughly a year from now.

"Part of the plan is looking at Brady, what it should become," said city solid waste manager Darryl Drohomerski, on a recent tour of the sprawling site.

The expo, which includes round table discussions and presentations on composting and recycling, will kick off six months of consultation on the waste plan. It's aimed in part at boosting Winnipeg's rate of trash diversion through recycling or organic waste collection, currently one of Canada's lowest at 17 per cent. Participants can register by calling 311 or visiting speakupwinnipeg.com.

To read the Winnipeg Free Press article on the Public Trash Expo, click here..."It's a trash repository covering an area bigger than Linden Woods."

Rethink. Reclaim. Reuse. - Ray