Finalists Announced for 2015 Nature Inspiration Awards from Canadian Museum of Nature: Ceremony on November 4, 2015

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Sept. 14, 2015) - The Canadian Museum of Nature, Canada's national museum of natural history and natural sciences, is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2015 Nature Inspiration Awards. The awards recognize individuals, groups and organizations whose leadership and innovation connect Canadians with nature and the natural world.

Some of the finalists use blogs, books, or films to tell stories. Some create links with governments to enact change. Others create sustainable business practices and support community outreach, or deliver educational programs that empower schoolchildren and adults to learn more about biodiversity, nature and the environment.

The shortlist for the program's second year comprises 23 finalists from across Canada in five categories: Youth (aged 17 and younger), Adults (aged 18 and up), Not-for-Profits (small to medium), Not-for-Profits (large) and Corporations. They range from a nine-year-old author and advocate for turtle conservation, to a 94-year-old leader and mentor in landscape architecture.

"The achievements of the finalists are inspiring examples of what it means to understand nature, promote its value and find solutions to living sustainably," says Meg Beckel, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of Nature and Chair of the selection jury. "All should be proud of what they do, and we are grateful for the opportunity to recognize their achievements."

The finalists in each category, and the announcement of winners, will be celebrated at a gala on November 4, 2015, at the museum in downtown Ottawa. Presenting sponsor for the 2015 awards is Enbridge Inc., while TD Bank Group is supporting the Youth award and Scotts Miracle-Gro Canada the Adult award. Media partners are The Walrus and The Globe and Mail.

"We are pleased to support the 2015 Nature Inspiration Awards and we congratulate all nominees for the diverse activities and projects they are undertaking to promote sustainability across our country," says D'Arcy Levesque, Vice President, Enterprise Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility, Enbridge Inc. "At Enbridge we are committed to environmental responsibility and stewardship, and we believe that through the nominees' efforts to connect us to nature we will work together for the betterment of our environmental future."

A call for submissions in spring 2015 resulted in 73 nominations/applications, which the selection jury whittled down to a shortlist. In addition to Meg Beckel, the jury included Shelley Ambrose, Executive Director/Co-Publisher, The Walrus; Jack Cockwell, Chairman/CEO, Partners Limited; Philip Crawley, Publisher, The Globe and Mail; John Geiger, CEO, Royal Canadian Geographic Society; Geoff Green, Executive Director, Students on Ice; Becky Mearns, researcher with the Inuit Tapariit Kanatami, and Kristine Webber, Vice-Chair, Bateman Foundation.

New this year is a lifetime achievement award, presented to landscape architect Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, Officer of the Order of Canada. Winners for each category receive $5,000 that they can designate to a beneficial program of their choice. The Nature Inspiration Awards are produced by the Canadian Museum of Nature.

Here is the complete list of finalists:

Youth category (aged 17 and under)

• Hannah Alper, eco-blogger/motivational speaker, Richmond Hill, Ontario
• Miranda Andersen, environmental filmmaker, Belcarra, British Columbia
• Guillaume DeBlois, author/advocate for turtle conservation, Quebec City, Quebec
• Ontario Nature Youth Council, environmental education, Toronto, Ontario

Individual category (aged 18 and up)

• Meredith Brown, Ottawa Riverkeeper, Ottawa, Ontario
• Alan DeSousa, administrator/governance, Saint-Laurent, Quebec
• Andrea Koehle Jones, author/founder of Love Trees, Bowen Island, British Columbia
• Art Sterritt, governance/Executive Director of Coastal First Nations, Prince Rupert, British Columbia

Not-For-Profit category (small/medium organization)

• Ecologos Institute, water conservation, Toronto, Ontario
• FLAP Canada (Fatal Light Awareness Program), bird conservation, Uxbridge, Ontario
• Groupe d'éducation et d'écosurveillance de l'eau, water conservation/education, Quebec City, Quebec
• Humber Arm Environmental Associations Inc., environmental stewardship,

Corner Brook, Newfoundland

• Nature Canada, nature conservation, Ottawa, Ontario
• Take Me Outside, outdoor education, Banff, Alberta

Not-For-Profit category (large organization)

• Toronto Zoo, Adopt-A-Pond
• David Suzuki Foundation's Homegrown National Park, Toronto
• Ducks Unlimited Canada, Stonewall, Manitoba
• Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver, British Columbia

Corporation

• Adventure Canada, adventure travel company, Mississauga, Ontario
• Hydro Ottawa, corporate sustainability, Ottawa, Ontario
• Baka Communications Inc., wireless retail/sustainable business, Etobicoke, Ontario
• Sitka, outdoor gear/wear, Victoria, British Columbia
• Windmill Development Group, real estate developer, Ottawa, Ontario

About the Canadian Museum of Nature

The Canadian Museum of Nature is Canada's national museum of natural history and natural sciences. The museum provides evidence-based insights, inspiring experiences and meaningful engagement with nature's past, present and future. It achieves this through scientific research, a 10.5 million specimen collection, education programs, signature and travelling exhibitions, and a dynamic web site, www.nature.ca.