Montreal, Quebec student wins Canada’s top environmental scholarship, Jessica Magonet

First Quebec student to be named national award winner of Toyota Earth Day Scholarship Program

Jessica Magonet of Montreal, Quebec, is the winner of the 2011 Toyota Earth Day Scholarship National Award. While 35 regional winners have hailed from Quebec over the nine years of the program, Jessica is the first national winner of Canada’s top environmental scholarship from the province. Jessica’s achievements were celebrated today at an awards ceremony during the Green Vehicle Rendez-Vous, presented by Toyota Canada, at the Parc Marie-Victorin in Kingsey Falls, Quebec. Jessica was presented with a Panasonic notebook computer and a custom-crafted glass sculpture in addition to the $5,000 award she received as a regional scholarship recipient.

Hundreds of students from across Canada applied for Canada’s top environmental scholarship, and a select group of just 20 regional winners were awarded Toyota Earth Day Scholarships by a prestigious panel of regional judges. From this select group, Jessica, a student at Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, was named the national winner for her outstanding achievements and contributions to environmental community service, academics and extracurricular participation.

Jessica co-developed a five-year action plan to reduce her school’s ecological footprint and founded the school’s environmental club. She led many successful projects including the installment of a student-managed composting system, a centre for recycling environmentally harmful objects and a two-day conference forQuebecandOntariostudents to discuss the link between environmental degradation and world poverty.

“Jessica is a shining example of environmental commitment and action,” said Jed Goldberg, president of Earth Day Canada. “She has taken an active role in improving the state of the environment and will no doubt continue to be an inspirational leader for positive environmental change.”

Jessica is currently the Chair of the Sierra Youth Coalition Executive Committee and participates actively in improving the environment and educating those around her about environmental stewardship.

“Jessica has demonstrated great dedication and leadership as environmental advocate and we commend her for all she has already achieved,” said Yoichi Tomihara, President & CEO Toyota Canada Inc. “We are very pleased to honour Jessica with the Toyota Earth Day Scholarship National Award, and are certain that she will continue to share her passion for environmental stewardship and help shape a more sustainable future.”

The Toyota Earth Day Scholarship Program was established by Earth Day Canada, with financial support from the Toyota Canada Foundation, to reward and encourage environmental commitment and action among students. This entrance scholarship is presented to graduating high school and CEGEP students entering their first year of post-secondary education. Recognizing that environmental issues are increasingly being tackled through multidisciplinary approaches, winners are selected regardless of their intended program of study. Now in its ninth year, $700,000 has been awarded to 140 exceptional young Canadians through the Toyota Earth Day Scholarship Program.

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2011 Toyota Earth Day Scholarship Winners

Regional recipients of the Toyota Earth Day Scholarship Award

Katherine Baba of Lincoln, New Brunswick
Katherine is a motivated, environmental leader who understands the value of education and action. As the Oromocto River Watershed Association’s first youth facilitator, Katherine garnered community support for the creation of 12 adventure trails to raise awareness and respect for the environment. Katherine also initiated her school’s electronic waste recycling program and is the captain of the Envirothon team.

Michael Gardiner of Torbay, Newfoundland
As an international climate champion, Michael travelled to Ottawa and California to discuss climate issues with fellow champions and government officials. He has presented to hundreds of students and teachers about climate change and continues to create awareness by organizing community cleanups and environmental film screenings. Michael combines his passion for the environment with his ability to connect with people to create awareness and inspire positive environmental action.

Christina Vietinghoff of New Maryland, New Brunswick
Christina co-chaired the Youth Accord Steering Committee and co-authored the Youth Accord on Biodiversity which was presented to world leaders at the 10th Conference of Parties in Nagoya, Japan. She also co-authored the New Brunswick Youth Accord on Biodiversity. In addition, Christina helped plant over 600 Bur Oak trees along theSaint John River Valley in an effort to re-establish the native tree species.

Étienne Dancosse of St-Joseph-du-lac, Quebec
Étienne works hard to raise the awareness of those around him about environmental issues. As a leader of his school’s Environmental Committee, Étienne trained and oversaw over 60 student volunteers to implement a recycling program and organize  school yard clean ups which have diverted over 600kg of hazardous material from landfills. Étienne also developed an environmental policy for his school that was accepted by the school’s administration committee.

Yang Guo of Longueuil, Quebec
As founder of her school’s environmental club, Yang implemented a number of activities including a recycling centre at school, a reusable mug campaign and a day to promote local produce. For Earth Day, Yang sold smoothies in biodegradable cups and organized an acoustic concert to raise funds to buy and plant trees in her schoolyard. Yang also worked on an organic farm in Nicaragua where she learned worm composting techniques and she hopes to implement a similar system at her Cégep.

Marie-Hélène Lagueux-Tremblay of Quebec, Quebec
Marie-Hélène is passionate about biology and the environment. She works with the Comité des boisés lorettains and is compiling a literature review on the different wooded areas of l’Ancienne-Lorette and theLoretteRiver to develop interpretive activities, information panels and awareness-raising pamphlets. Marie-Hélène also travelled to the Amazon rainforest to reflect on international environmental issues and presented what she learned at her Cégep to promote a sustainable lifestyle.

Olivia Toussaint-Martin of Quebec, Quebec
Olivia is passionate about climate change, sustainable development and human rights. She was president of the logistics committee and a member of the executive committee for the Forum sur les changements climatiques en Arctique which educated over 200 participants about climate change through expert-led discussions and workshops. Olivia was also a member of the Canadian Youth Delegation to the 16th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico.

Ming Yi Bian of Mississauga, Ontario
As co-president of her high school’s environmental club, Ming Yi coordinated multiple activities including environmental awareness days, school garden plantings and the development of a hands-on lesson plan about phantom power. Ming Yi’s is a strong advocate for the environment and her work has increased awareness of environmental issues.

Sarah Hennekens of Fergus, Ontario
Sarah revitalized her school’s environmental group and led a multitude of initiatives. She spearheaded petitions calling for a ban on plastic bags and for the inclusion of her town in the Green Belt. She also organized her school’s EcoExpo, Environmental Awareness Week, Aware Fair and an inspiring community presentation about her journey to the Arctic. All of these events left participants motivated to make positive environmental changes in their own lives.

Lexi Salt of Scarborough, Ontario
Lexi is a student leader who has inspired sustainable change throughout her school and community.  She organized an array of projects to engage students and teachers in environmental issues including park clean-ups, a water-themed Earth Week, the installation of a water bottle refill station, the reduction of paper use in the school, the initiation of a compost program and the completion of an outdoor classroom.

Megan Schlorff of Hanover, Ontario
Megan is passionate about health and the environment, and has conducted a study of waste water treatment plants and found they do not always eliminate the presence of triclosan and triclocarban, antimicrobial compounds found in everyday personal care products which prevent people’s immune systems from being challenged and as a result may increase the frequency of allergies, eczema and asthma. Motivated to take action, Megan created a public service announcement and brochures encouraging hand washing without the use of antibacterial soap. She also created a glycerin-based tea tree oil soap which has natural antibacterial properties.

Laura Stemp of Kinburn, Ontario
Laura founded her school’s environmental club, Go Green, and led several initiatives including the sale of shade grown coffee, litterless lunch days, lights-off initiatives and eco-literacy through two successful Earth Week events. Through the club’s efforts, the school decreased waste by 25% and increased recycling by 20%. Laura has proven herself as a positive force for environmental change in her school and community.

Christine Durocher of Gimli, Manitoba
Christine has managed numerous projects to achieve a sustainable future. Christine is an active member in her school’s environmental club. She led the recycling program, raised awareness about pollution in water systems and helped organize the Youth for Lake Winnipeg conference. She also led the “Eating Lower on the Food Chain” dinner in which community members enjoyed vegetarian dishes and learned about the environmental impact of their food choices.

Matthew Forbes of Birch River, Manitoba
As a member of his school’s Envirothon team, Matthew competed and placed provincially and nationally in numerous environmental education competitions. In his community, Matthew is part of the Moose for Tomorrow Campaign to raise awareness on the low moose populations in Swan Valley and to advocate for sustainable hunting practices. Matthew also led the Swan River Ecological Stabilization Project in which he designed an interpretation centre to promote environmental appreciation and conservation.

Alec Forest of Calgary, Alberta
Alec is the program coordinator of the Youth Earth Ambassadors, a network that connects student-led environmental clubs across Calgary to discuss ideas, increase the effectiveness of their projects and share best practices. Alec’s work has engaged youth of all ages to take positive environmental action through outdoor-themed environmental workshops, a GreenLife Challenge and a Bike-In campaign to promote sustainable transportation.

Charles Nokes of Lacombe, Alberta
As president of his school’s environmental club, Charles was instrumental in the fundraising efforts and the resulting installation of a six kilowatt solar panel system at his school, the largest institutional solar array in central Alberta. Charles also implemented a recycling program and gained approval to install a composting program and green house at his school. His work has sparked student and community interest in renewable energy and environmental action.

Michael Darnel of Richmond, British Columbia
Michael is a youth representative for North America to the United Nations Environment Program. He created award winning digital video projects to engage youth and world leaders to take action against climate change and led numerous workshops to inspire environmental leadership in his community.

Jonathan Harrison of West Vancouver, British Columbia
Jonathan was instrumental in his school’s award-winning waste reduction pilot program in which over 600 pounds of organic material was diverted from the waste stream leading to an impressive 45% waste reduction. In addition to this action-oriented campaign, he educated elementary and high school students on the nitrogen cycle, recycling and the impact of plastic.

Olivia Mansveld of Nelson, British Columbia
Olivia combined her love of fashion and passion for the environment to establish The Children of the Seams art collective to promote recycling in the fashion industry and beyond. Under Olivia’s leadership, the group harnessed their creative skills to organize an inspiring, standing room only fashion show which featured re-purposed materials and up-cycled art (www.childrenoftheseams.com). Olivia also organized a town-wide rally, march, and photo shoot to raise awareness about climate change.

About Earth Day Canada
Simple actions, BIG impact – Earth Day Canada (EDC), a national environmental charity founded in 1990, provides Canadians with the practical knowledge and tools they need to lessen their impact on the environment. In 2004, it was recognized as the top environmental education organization in North America for its innovative year-round programs and educational resources, by the Washington-based North American Association for Environmental Education, the world's largest association of environmental educators. In 2008, it was chosen as Canada’s “Outstanding Non-profit Organization” by the Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication. EDC regularly partners with thousands of organizations in all parts of Canada. www.earthday.ca

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