This year's Ecology Ottawa Eco Gala was a smashing success! Five hundred and fifty local leaders came to the St. Elias Banquet Hall near Mooney's Bay on October 9th to celebrate the harvest, the achievements of the local environmental movement and Ecology Ottawa.
In his Gala speech, Graham Saul, Executive Director of Ecology Ottawa, thanked everyone who has volunteered for Ecology Ottawa throughout the year for all their work, from participating in clean-ups through boothing to writing letters. It is the leadership demonstrated by Ecology Ottawa volunteers that makes Ecology Ottawa the effective force for greening Ottawa that it is.You all are Ecology Ottawa.
You have a lot to celebrate this year, first with successful efforts working with the City of Ottawa to entrench the Complete Streets design philosophy as policy into the Transportation Master Plan and to get it to commit to renewing its climate change action plan. The Ottawa River Action Plan petition now has over 10 000 signatures saying that it it time to stop dumping sewage into the Ottawa River. During the past year, Ecology Ottawa also mounted a campaign against the Energy East pipeline that has coalesced the regional opposition to the pipeline.
Some special people who helped us give everyone a great evening: Chef Michael Blackie who designed and prepared an excellent vegetarian dinner; Sarah Harmer, who generously gave her time to entertain the guests at the Gala with her music; and Diana Beresford-Kroeger whose keynote speech gave the dinner guests a new insight into the capital importance of trees in our ecosystems and for human health.
The Gala had many generous sponsors this year:
Protector and Platinum sponsors
terra20, iSolara, Windmill Developments
Contributing Local Farmers
Rainbow Heritage Garden, Aubin Farm, Roots and Shoots Farm, Luxy Farm, The Veggie Underground, Acorn Creek Garden Farm, Bryson Farms, Stony Brae Farm, Herbivor Farm, Riverglen Biodynamics
Sponsors
VRTUCAR, HydroOttawa, EnviroCentre, Kulture Foods, Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company, Kitchesipi Beer Co., Bullfrog Power, Bridgehead, Heart and Crown, Italfoods, Stratos, Wessman Photography, Maya Hum Illustration and Fine Art, a Company of Fools, Hewitt's Dairy, Saugeen Country Yogurt, Heavenly Honey, Fairway Trading Company, The Third World Bazaar, Yarns, etc…., fraser café, Maitland Massage Therapy, cube gallery, La Siembra, David's Tea, Lunapads, The Diva Cup, Foot in the Door Consulting, rama lotus yoga centre, Sleeptek, Yuk Yuk's, Life Without Plastic, ThimbleCakes, Rockliffe Flying Club, Za Za Za Pizza, EcoParent Magazine, Random House Canada, Ten Thousand Villlages, Astanga Yoga, Fairmont Chateau Laurier, The Table Vegetarian Restaurant, Boushey's Bake Shop, Workshop Studio and Boutique
Ecology Ottawa would like to thank you all for your generosity, your time, your support, and, most of all, for your great company at the Gala. Until next year!
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