Jasper celebrated the environment on June 11 at the Enviro Fair, the cap on a week of clean-ups and other activities. 

Many deserving community members were honoured at the Environmental Stewardship Awards held during the fair. The three winners were the Jasper Local Food Society (JLFS) and Ursula Winkler for Environmental Awareness and Helmut Kreiner for waste reduction.

The not-for-profit JLFS is a grassroots society that aims to promote sustainable food and make it available to the people of Jasper. Last year they built 24 beds for a community garden that were placed behind the library, co-ordinated school gardens and a garden share program that helped link up residents with gardens and people willing to use them. The JLFS uses organic gardening practices including composting, rain collection and soil building. 

The weekly Farmer’s Market the JLFS started, and which Jasper whole-heartedly welcomed in 2010, enabled the Robson Valley Growers Association to form. 

The JLFS raises the public’s awareness of sustainable food practices and permaculture. They organized educational evenings such as Locavore Week earlier this year, and co-hosted a community dinner on March 6. They were given the award  because they are true leaders in the community. 

Winkler is one of the major players in the JLFS, and helped get the organization off the ground. She was singled out and given her own Environmental Stewardship Award on June 11. Besides the JLFS, Winkler has been a major supporter of environmental initiatives in the community and has been a constant figure promoting sustainability. 

Winkler, who has taught classes at École Desrochers on knitting and felting using locally produced wool, contributed environmental magazines to the school and organized the painting of endangered caribou art to decorate the many construction projects around town. These are some, but not all, of Winkler’s contributions to the community; she willingly donates her time to many more. 

Kreiner spearheaded the paper recycling program at the post office, keeping the many sheets of used paper that are left behind from the mail process from entering a landfill. He used his membership at the Lions Club to get a bin for waste paper outside the post office. Kreiner takes the bins over to the recycling station regularly, and is working on a more permanent solution with the environmental stewardship co-ordinator to have the bins included in the regular pick up of recyclable items. Kreiner also helps to keep the Lions Park clean by removing waste and recycling. 

Also awarded at the Enviro Fair were the recipients of the Bike Town bicycles. Adrian Torres, a father and tireless volunteer along with his wife Adriana, was nominated by Jake Derksen.

Lindsay Ross took home the second bike to help her streamline her day and allow her to hop between appointments without impacting the environment. Both Torres and Ross were given a new Kona Africabike to use for the summer.