Environmental Achievement Awards

The 2026 Environmental Achievement Award winners were announced on Saturday, June 13, 2026 at a celebration event in Coquitlam's Spirit Square.  Congratulations to the following winners, and thank you for your commitment to our community and natural environment. 

  • Individual (Ages 13-18) - Emma Ma participates in weekly litter clean-ups with the Centennial Secondary Trash Club, and she has assisted in launching EcoLink, an initiative that brings environmental workshops to elementary schools to raise awareness on waste reduction.
  • Individual (19 and Over) - Carl Ronka has spearheaded Web of Life as a volunteer-driven initiative to clean litter from forested areas and trails by coordinating a diverse group of volunteers who have removed over 100,000 pounds of litter across the Lower Mainland including the Coquitlam River watershed.
  • Teacher or Educator - Tessa Voykin is an environmental science teacher at Gleneagle Secondary School who encourages her students to participate in invasive plant removals and tree planting events through the City's Bad Seed program helping build an awareness of our ecosystems.
  • Youth Group, School or Club - Centennial Secondary School Trash Club is a student-driven initiative dedicated to promoting environmental stewardship. Students clean up school grounds and the surrounding neighbourhood, and they've developed displays on how to recycle more effectively, and developed bilingual interactive workshops for younger students.
  • Adult Group, Organization, Service Club - Food Link Society has spent a decade preventing waste and strengthening community food security by rescuing high-quality food surplus from grocery stores and redistributing it to those in need through a network that includes 15 local schools, Metro Vancouver Housing communities and non-profit partners.
  • Adult Group, Organization, Service Club - Hoy/Scott Watershed Society is a non-profit organization has been promoting salmon conservation and enhancement within the Hoy/Scott Creek and Coquitlam watersheds for 24 years. Their volunteers run the Hoy Creek Fish Hatchery, monitor stream health, restore riparian habitat and raise and release over 40,000 young salmon annually.
  • Lifetime Achievement Individual Award - Ginny Wilson has dedicated three decades of service with the Coquitlam River Community Garden providing institutional knowledge, mentorship and leadership to garden volunteers.
  • Lifetime Achievement Individual Award - Kerry Lockwood has been running the Salmonids in the Classroom Program since 1990, and has been Coquitlam School District’s Salmon Enhancement Coordinator since 1996 educating and empowering students to become informed, caring and responsible citizens dedicated to sustainable ecosystems. 

The City’s Environmental Achievement Awards recognize individuals, organizations and educators who who volunteer to make Coquitlam greener, cleaner or more sustainable.

Criteria 

Nominations can be made for work that supports any of the following:

  • Environmental stewardship, such as invasive species removal, watershed/stream enhancement, wildlife conservation, habitat improvements and environmental restoration
  • Environmental education/public awareness, such as delivering educational programs, public outreach, public or school-based green clubs
  • Environmental sustainability, such as waste reduction and recycling, climate action, water conservation, food security/gardening and sustainable transportation
  • Environmental responsibility, such as street, park or stream clean up and storm drain marking

Evaluation of the nominations will consider the scope of the project or commitment, initiative and leadership, how far the actions reach, and ongoing commitment and impact into the future.

  1. Eligible Projects and Activities
  2. Recognition
  • Individual Green Sprout – ages 3-12
  • Individual – ages 13-18
  • Individual – 19 and over
  • Teacher or Educator
  • Youth Group – School or Club
  • Adult Group – Organization, Service Club, etc.
  • Lifetime Achievement - 20 years or more of volunteer experience
  • Nominees do not need to be residents of Coquitlam, but the activities for which they are being nominated should occur in Coquitlam or should be of benefit to our community.

History

Since 2004, the Environmental Achievement Awards have recognized the contributions of more than 75 groups and hundreds of volunteers who have taken on initiatives year-round that support environmental sustainability. Some of the volunteer actions and projects recognized in previous years include: shoreline and litter cleanups, salmon habitat restoration, storm drain marking, nest box maintenance, guided public hikes, pollinator gardens, educational events, invasive plant removal and stewardship activities.