Evening of Recognition

On September 28, 2023, Green Economy New Brunswick hosted its first Annual Evening of Recognition centered around the theme of “A New Path Forward: Building the Low-Carbon Economy in New Brunswick.” The Evening of Recognition is a special event dedicated to celebrating collective progress on business climate action, recognizing the Green Economy Leaders across our province who are taking steps to build a dynamic and inclusive net zero future.

The event was held at the Crowne Plaza Downtown Moncton, and it drew business, government, and community leaders together for a vibrant and inspiring night of connection and conversation.

Thanks to Hemant Kumar (Director of Strategic Priorities at Opportunities New Brunswick), Jane Burchill (Decarbonization and Sustainability Specialist at Port Saint John), Alex Lissandro (Vice-President of TruSun Solar Energy) and moderator Emma Murphy (Director of Sustainability & Innovation for Green Economy Canada) for an electrifying panel discussion highlighting the change that’s already happening in the province, and painting a vision for what a sustainable transition could look and feel like in New Brunswick in the next decade.

Green Economy New Brunswick Inaugural Awards

Awards were provided to five deserving Green Economy Leaders during the celebration.

The Rookie of the Year Award recognizes a new member of Green Economy New Brunswick who has displayed an inspiring amount of enthusiasm and demonstrated a significant amount of progress since joining in the last year.

Congratulations to The Greater Moncton International Airport for winning the award this year.

The Moncton Airport joined Green Economy New Brunswick in January and has been highly engaged in the program from the get-go. They collected data about their operations and completed their GHG inventory in record time. This inventory provides them with a baseline emissions measurement from which they can set reduction targets and track reduction progress.

They moved swiftly into identifying actions they could begin taking to reduce their emissions and are working now to create a strong emissions reduction plan. As part of helping to build a culture of sustainability at the airport, gain buy-in from staff, and source innovative ideas for actions they could take, they involved staff from a diverse cross-section of their operations in an action planning session facilitated by Green Economy New Brunswick.

From left to right: Emma Murphy (Green Economy Canada), Courtney Burns (Greater Moncton International Airport) and John Wishart (Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce)

The Embedding Sustainability Award celebrates an organization that fosters and champions a culture of sustainability across their organization and with their suppliers and customers.

Congratulations to Port Saint John for the holistic and forward-looking approach that they have taken to their sustainability work so far.

Port Saint John joined Green Economy New Brunswick in 2022, and has strong leadership support to not only walk the talk when it comes to climate action, but engage their suppliers and partners in the process. They have a project team with executive oversight and sponsorship that is moving their sustainability work forward, and looking at how to expand that to include more employees from across the Port. Their action planning target-setting work includes not just initiatives that will reduce Port Saint John direct operational impacts, but sustainable procurement standards and initiatives that will positively impact the habitats and ecosystems they are connected to.

From left to right: Emma Murphy (Green Economy Canada), Jane Burchill (Port Saint John) and John Wishart (Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce)

The Community Leader of the Year Award recognizes a Green Economy Leader that has advanced climate action in the wider community, beyond their direct operations.

Congratulations to TruSun Solar Energy for their amazing work to facilitate renewable energy access to municipalities and communities.

TruSun Solar Energy is a strong proponent of engaging as many people as possible in building a renewable future for New Brunswick. They are being recognized specifically for their partnership with Imagineons la Péninsule Acadienne Autrement and EOS Eco-energy to offer rebates for the purchase of solar panels to individuals for their homes and for commercial properties. This partnership has helped the community, especially community members living in rural communities, to access renewables at a lower cost, reduce 159 tonnes of greenhouse gasses per year, and increase their energy independence.

From left to right: Emma Murphy (Green Economy Canada), Alexandre Lissandro (TruSun Solar Energy) and Annika Chiasson (New Brunswick Environmental Network)

The Green Ambassador Award recognizes an organization that acts as a strong ambassador for sustainability, taking steps to educate and inspire others to get involved in climate action.

Our inaugural Green Ambassador Award is shared by two founding members of Green Economy New Brunswick: D.A.S. Concrete Countertops and Manulife Securities.

Despite being incredibly busy small business owners, Emma Theriault of D.A.S. and Greg MacPherson of Manulife Securities have made it a priority to build sustainability into their operations. Beyond taking steps to reduce their own environmental impacts, both these organizations make an on-going effort to help bring other businesses on-board and influence broader change within New Brunswick. From taking time to speak at conferences, community events, and attending meetings with government officials to looking for opportunities to advise their clients and customers on sustainable choices, D.A.S. and Manulife Securities are great ambassadors for the green transition and show that no business is too small to make a difference.

From left to right: Emma Murphy (Green Economy Canada), Greg Macpherson (Manulife Securities), Emma Thériault (D.A.S. Concrete Countertops) and Charles Léger (City of Moncton)

Thanks to all the attendees who gathered together to make this event a success.
We look forward to reconnecting, gaining inspiration and celebrating with you next year!

Thanks also to our funders for making our work possible to engage organizations from all sectors and sizes
in New Brunswick to take climate action.