3.14.2008 - 09:19am ET

(CSRwire) VANCOUVER, B.C – March 14, 2008 - The GLOBE Foundation of Canada is proud to announce the winners of the 2008 GLOBE Awards for Environmental Excellence. The awards were presented Thursday, March 13th during GLOBE 2008 to celebrate Canadian companies that take a proactive approach to sustainable business strategies and have made significant strides towards developing progressive technologies and services.

Awards were presented in six categories: Corporate Environmental Excellence, ecoFREIGHT Transportation Award, Technology Innovation and Application, Industry Award for Export Performance, Sustainable Investment & Banking and Urban Sustainability.

The Corporate Award for Environmental Excellence was presented to EnCana Corporation. Being recognized for their unconventional approach to running their natural gas and integrated oil sands company, EnCana produces 4.4 billion cubic feet of gas equivalent per day. A large portfolio of operations that are long-life assets -- production properties enables EnCana to create long-term commitments to the many regions and hundreds of communities where they operate. Among the reasons behind being selected is EnCana's continual strive to ensure their business is conducted in an ethical and socially responsible manner, where safe work practices and their unique approach to the environment are priorities. Finalists in this category included G.A.P. Adventures, General Motors of Canada, and Hudson's Bay Company.

Novex Delivery Solutions walked away with the ecoFREIGHT Transportation Award. Knowing that their business was a major contributor to the growing environmental problem, Novex Delivery Solutions has lead the way in accepting that responsibility and making a commitment to do the right thing and consistently focus on creating a sustainable company. B.C. owned and operated, Novex has laid out a strategic plan that ensures the company is a truly sustainable organization. It is through that strategic planning that Novex Delivery Solutions has decided to focus on creating a triple bottom line that includes a social, economic and environmental focus. Novex is the first courier of its kind to take their commitment to the earth, to their people and to their communities to this level. APPS Transport Group, Purolator Courier, and Azure Dynamics were recognized as finalists for this special award.

Winning in the category of Technology Innovation and Application is Nexterra Energy Corporation. Vancouver-based Nexterra Energy Corp. has emerged as a leading developer and supplier of advanced gasification systems that convert waste biomass into clean-burning "syngas" to displace fossil fuels in the production of heat, steam and/or power. Nexterra's technology has demonstrated to customers that they can reduce costs and become more energy self-efficient, while significantly lowering greenhouse gas emissions and harmful air contaminants from some of the largest point source industries and institutions in our communities. Nexterra is finding new market applications through powerful alliances with industry leaders, including Johnson Controls Inc., Domtar, Tolko Industries, Vancity Capital, Terasen Energy Services and Corix. This category's finalists included Ford Motors (Canada), Paradigm Environmental Technologies, and Trojan Technologies.

In the category of Export Performance, BioteQ Environmental Technologies Inc. walked away a winner. BioteQ Environmental Technologies Inc. was chosen by the panel of esteemed GLOBE Award Judges for the work that they have done with the world's leading mining companies and utility operators to reduce their environmental liabilities while generating revenue from waste. BioteQ builds, owns and operates water treatment plants that produce saleable metal products that can pay for water treatment costs, and clean water that can be discharged to the environment. Export Performance finalists included JER Envirotech and Tantalus Systems.

The Award for Sustainable Investment and Banking was presented to Ethical Funds. Remaining at the forefront of the socially responsible investing (SRI) industry for over 20 years, since the launch of the Ethical Growth Fund in 1986. With the largest team of sustainability analysts in the country, Ethical Funds evaluates all investments according to their financial as well as social and environmental performance and outlook for inclusion in their investment portfolios. Then, they focus on promoting corporate accountability and making good companies better through engaging in shareholder action strategies and giving investors a voice in encouraging sustainable business practices. Also named finalists were Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital, and Toronto Atmospheric Fund.

Dockside Green took home the award recognizing Excellence in Urban Sustainability. A showpiece of sustainable design and technology, Dockside Green is a multi-million dollar project that includes residential, live/work, retail, office, light industrial uses and extensive public amenities. It will include 26 buildings (all aiming for LEED Platinum certification) totaling 1.3 million square feet, and is being built over the next six to eight years. 
Superior building practices and extensive community planning are transforming the 15-acre waterfront site from a contaminated industrial wasteland into an award winning, healthy and lively community that 2,200 residents will call home. This category's finalists included Beasley and Associates, Planning Inc., Busby Perkings+Will, CIVITAS (for the Plan Abu Dhabi 2030), and Millennium Water (for Vancouver’s 2010 Olympic Village).

Submissions for the 2008 GLOBE Awards are judged on both their business expertise and environmental ingenuity by a panel of professionals well known in the Canadian corporate community. Robert A. Fung, Advisor, Macquarrie Capital Markets Canada; Robert J.D Page, TransAlta Professor of Environmental Management & Sustainability, Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment & Economy, University of Calgary; Nicholas Sonntag, Executive Vice President, Corporate Development for Westport Innovations and President, Westport Asia; P. Wayne Soper, President, Smart Living Media Inc.

The 2008 GLOBE awards are sponsored by The Globe and Mail and the GLOBE Foundation of Canada. For more information on finalists, winners and future applications visit: www.theglobeawards.ca

For more information please contact: