RCBC’s Awards are presented annually for:

Innovation – An organization that achieves an outstanding technical accomplishment in design or development of a product or process that improves its sustainability or advances zero waste practices.

Non-Profit Sector – An organization or individual that demonstrates excellence and leadership in environmental protection and stewardship.

Private Sector – A business with outstanding initiatives to preserve and protect our environment.

Public Sector – A government official or publicly funded organization that demonstrates excellence and leadership in environmental protection and stewardship.

Youth – A young person who demonstrates outstanding commitment and leadership in environmental stewardship.

The Brock Macdonald Award for Excellence is awarded periodically to recognize outstanding contributions in the areas of environmental education, communication, and outreach.

2024 Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 RCBC Environmental Awards! We are proud to recognize their contributions towards the protection and preservation of BC’s environment.

Susgrainable

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Private Sector

2024

Susgrainable is a Vancouver-based circular economy food company that produces barley flour and packaged baking mixes by upcycling spent grain from craft breweries. Susgrainable’s mission revolves around reducing food waste and creating the most value out of the 450,000 kgs of spent grain produced by Canadian craft brewers annually – a substance that, even after the brewing process, is still high in fibre and protein-rich. By upcycling beer production “waste” into tasty, easy-to-make baking mixes, and barley flour, Susgrainable truly demonstrates that there is a market for circular economy business, and that they can be sustainable and successful.

Thompson River’s University

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Public Sector

2024

Thompson River’s University (TRU) has integrated sustainable practices into campus operations for decades with a goal of achieving zero waste (95% waste diversion from landfill) by 2035. TRU has voluntarily piloted and lead initiatives that more recently are either becoming common practice or are mandated by government. Initiatives include implementing used cooking oil collection in since 2002, transitioning campus food services to biodegradable, recyclable, and/or made from recycled content packaging since 2007, and an on-campus recycling system that it consistent with the City of Kamloops recycling program that staff and students use at home.

Food Stash Foundation

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Innovation

2024

Food Stash Foundation rescues 130,000+ pounds of wasted food per month (1.5 million pounds in 2023 alone) and redistributes it in dignified ways – via home grocery delivery program for folks who self-identify as low-income and disabled; with a market open to the public (no ID or means testing); with food delivery to local nonprofits who don’t have capacity to pick up and/or pay for food on their own but need if for their programs, and in doing so saved these organizations over $1 million dollars in 2023. Food Stash reduces more emissions than it produces (115+ metric tonnes of CO2 emissions avoided annually), sends a portion of its compost to Regenerative Waste Labs to support local testing and research, and hosts zero waste events and workshops.

Clear Sky Meditation & Retreat Centre

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Non-Profit Sector

2024

Clear Sky Meditation and Retreat Centre has been operating in the East Kootenays since 2005, and has been employing sustainability initiatives since day one. This began with ecological restoration projects and waste diversion systems, and has expanded to include goals of becoming a zero waste facility and creating a healthy soil/food web. Over 90% of all Clear Sky waste is diverted, with only a single garbage bag going to landfill every two weeks. All food waste is recycled using a hot compost system and a microbial bokashi system for turning animal products into compost tea and fertile soil. Clear Sky operates with a quadruple bottom line: environmental, social, financial & spiritual, to move beyond sustainability and become truly generative, fostering wellness for centuries to come.

Ben Parfitt

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Brock Macdonald Award

2024

Ben Parfitt has been a fixture in environmental journalism in BC for decades. His body of work has focused on water, energy, forestry and climate issues across BC. He has co-authored two books and authored Forest Follies: Adventures and Misadventures in the Great Canadian Forest, as well as being published in numerous BC newspapers, magazines, and online publications (including 2022 Brock Macdonald Award winning organization, The Narwhal!).

Past Winners

Click through to learn about the winners of RCBC Environmental Awards from past years.

Past Winners

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