Burnaby recognizes 2026 Environment Award champions

The City of Burnaby is proud to recognize the recipients of Burnaby’s 2026 Environmental Awards. This year, we are presenting Environmental Awards to people and projects demonstrating leadership, innovation and impact in advancing environmental sustainability and resilience. We’re also recognizing Environmental Stars whose initiatives inspire broader awareness, education and action.

Thank you to everyone for their contributions toward a greener Burnaby!

2026 Environmental Awards

Community stewardship: Utta Gagel

Utta is a founding member of the Cariboo Heights Forest Preservation Society and a long-time member of the Stoney Creek Environment Committee. She supports stewardship through grant funding, restoration work, public education and community events. Her decade of advocacy helped secure the designation of the Cariboo Heights Forest as “Park, open spaces and natural areas” in the Burnaby 2050 Official Community Plan. Through her work with the Stoney Creek Environment Committee, Utta has contributed to salmon monitoring, and created the “Stream Scientists” curriculum to help students learn about watershed ecosystems. She has also shared local stewardship knowledge through a published article in Discovery magazine featuring people who have played a part in environmental stewardship in the Central Valley area and featuring many of Utta’s photographs.

Planning and development: BCIT Tall Timber Student Housing Project

This innovative student housing project demonstrates how sustainable design can reduce environmental impact while improving quality of life. Building techniques include mass timber construction, modular construction and prefabricated elements that are innovative and sustainable. The completed building meets the BC Energy Step Code 4 and uses zero carbon technologies for heating, cooling and hot water. The building design considered thermal comfort, access to natural daylight, a connection to the outside world and the use of healthy materials, while offering many opportunities for students to socialize throughout the building. It has received the Rick Hansen Gold certification for accessibility and now provides affordable, sustainable housing for 469 BCIT students.

Planning and development: Deconstruction of the Saputo Dairy Manufacturing Plant

Peterson, Etro Construction, Stephane Laroye Architect Inc and VEMA Deconstruction, have implemented the deconstruction and material recovery for the former Saputo facility as part of the future Blake Village redevelopment in Burnaby. The project implemented a deconstruction-first approach focused on recovering and reusing structural materials. This project represents the largest building deconstruction project in British Columbia, demonstrating how early collaboration between developers, contractors, engineers and deconstruction specialists can unlock circular construction solutions at scale. To date, approximately 170,000 pounds of glulam beams, tongue-and-groove boards and Douglas Fir heavy timber have been reclaimed from the Saputo warehouses and office ceilings. An additional 100 rigid EPS foam insulation panels were also recovered and salvaged for reuse. A majority of recovered materials are planned to be used within Burnaby to construct Metro Vancouver’s new Waste-to-Energy District Energy Centre.

Youth: Jade Lai

Jade was inspired by participating in Ocean Wise’s Mountains to Ocean program to apply for a $3,000 grant from Ocean Wise and launch a book titled “Mr. Mountain Meets Ms. Ocean.” After almost a year of research on environmental systems, developing the storyline and designing the book, Jade published the book and started offering free environmental storytelling workshops at elementary schools and community centres throughout Burnaby. She also donated copies of the book to local public and school libraries and provided free copies directly to children in her community. Her commitment demonstrates not only creativity but also perseverance and a genuine desire to make complex environmental concepts accessible to younger audiences.

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2026 Environmental Stars

Business stewardship: Craftsman Collision (Burnaby locations)

The collision repair industry contributes to plastic waste, with ICBC reporting over 80,000 bumper covers being replaced annually. As the largest chain of auto body shops in western Canada, Craftsman Collision recognized that it produces a substantial amount of automotive scrap plastics resulting from parts replacement. In 2019, Craftsman Collision partnered with Reclaim Plastics on a pilot program to collect and recycle plastic bumpers and other parts from 20 of Craftsman’s Lower Mainland locations, including its three Burnaby locations. This pilot has grown into a province-wide recycling program spanning Vancouver Island, the Interior and Northern BC, with expansion into Alberta underway. Craftsman Collision is the first auto body chain in British Columbia to adopt such a program on a large scale.

Communications: Down Syndrome Resource Foundation

The Down Syndrome Resource Foundation is making climate communication more inclusive by ensuring people with developmental disabilities are part of the conversation. Since 2024, Glen Hoos and Nika Zondag have created resources on climate change and Down syndrome through articles, a podcast feature and a webinar. They are planning a second webinar for Earth Day 2026 on climate resilience for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The foundation also launched a community club that gives adults with Down syndrome opportunities to volunteer in environmental and social causes, including park cleanups and planting projects.

Communications: Justin Judge

Justin Judge is a professional marine biologist who volunteers to give environmental presentations to schools and community groups. His engaging sessions help children build a stronger understanding of ecosystems and wildlife, while inspiring curiosity about the natural world. By sharing animal artifacts, fossils and skulls from his collection, he creates memorable hands-on learning experiences for students and teachers. Through these free presentations, Justin is helping more young people connect with nature and learn why protecting it matters.

Community stewardship: Ryan Konesky

Ryan Konesky’s volunteer efforts with the City of Burnaby supports cleaner and healthier neighbourhoods. Ryan regularly notifies the City of illegal dump sites and is also an active volunteer with the City's Adopt-a-Street program, and is now a Litter Leader, helping lead groups of volunteers at litter cleanup events.

Community stewardship: Riley Williams

Riley Williams is an SFU student studying sustainable business and sustainable development. Through writing, research and hands-on projects, Riley is helping strengthen environmental stewardship at SFU and in the wider community. Riley’s work includes contributing to academic and student publications, leading environmental cleanups across the Lower Mainland, supporting a sustainable learning garden on the SFU Burnaby campus and assisting research related to Indigenous resources and governance at SFU. Together, these efforts help build awareness and promote sustainable practices.

Green choices: BCIT Bike Committee

BCIT’s Bike Committee promotes cycling at the Burnaby campus. Made up of employees who are passionate about cycling, these dedicated volunteers create information resources, organize events and advocate for better cycling for the BCIT community. Activities include supporting GoByBike Week events, offering one-to-one Bike Buddy support for commuters, e-bike test rides on campus and lunchtime presentations. Through this work, the committee helps build a stronger cycling culture on campus, supports healthier transportation choices and advances BCIT’s sustainability goals.

Green choices: Rosalind Sadowski

Rosalind is the teacher-sponsor of the Cariboo Hill Green Team, a student group that meets twice a week to organize school-wide environmental initiatives and maintain a school garden growing food for students. By offering her personal time and expertise to support the Green Team with their projects, Rosalind helps shape a new generation of environmentally conscious individuals.

Planning and development: Maverick Deconstruction Project (205 Hythe Avenue)

In 2025, VEMA Deconstruction carefully dismantled a single-family home at 205 Hythe Avenue in Burnaby to recover valuable materials for reuse in the new home being built on the site. Reclaimed materials from the original house (old-growth lumber, flooring and structural components) were combined with salvaged materials from Burnaby’s former Saputo facility (beams, glulam, roofing panels and lumber). The result is Canada’s first home built with 70% reclaimed materials integrated into prefabricated panels, showing how material reuse can reduce emissions and support more sustainable construction.

Youth: Burnaby Central Secondary School Access Program 1

This student-driven initiative supports students with diverse learning needs, including neurological diversity, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other learning challenges by involving them in a school-wide recycling program. Students in the program collect empty cans and bottles from classrooms and common areas, then sort, empty, clean and deliver the containers to a local recycling depot. The program provides students with valuable life skills, teamwork opportunities and a sense of responsibility and pride in contributing to their community while supporting environmental sustainability by diverting recyclable materials from waste. For over five years, the Access Program 1 team has demonstrated that environmental action can also be inclusive, educational and community-building.

Youth: Vincent Feng Lui

A Grade 4 student, Vincent used artificial intelligence technology to create a program that could assess if the European chafer beetle has impacted a lawn. Vincent calls this program the “AI Lawn Grub Detector.” The program can analyze photos of lawns and detect signs of grub damage with 92% accuracy. It can also make recommendations for lawn care to treat an infested lawn and maintain a healthy lawn free of chafer beetle larvae.

Learn more about the winners: Environmental Awards