The University’s commitment to environmental responsibility has won recognition from the Essex Region Conservation Authority. The authority conferred its 2012 Conservation Award for Environmental Achievement on the University at an awards ceremony held Thursday in Essex.

“We are very honoured to receive this award from ERCA, an organization that day in and day out, works to protect our environment and vital natural resources,” said UWindsor president Alan Wildeman. “The University has long held matters of the environment as a priority and will continue to provide education, research and community engagement to help our region be a leader in protecting our environment.”

In making the award, the authority cited:

• the University’s commitment to be a responsible steward of the environment as one of its core values;
• water quality research conducted at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research;
• the green roof and other environmental initiatives addressed in the construction of the Ed Lumley Centre for Engineering Innovation;
• the University’s longstanding research partnerships with ERCA.

First-year student Lina Chaker received the Youth Conservation Award for her work to start a community composting program her South Windsor neighbourhood. Greening Kenilworth collects compostable materials from a network of neighbours and donates the compost to the community garden on Drouillard Road.

Chaker also heads the outreach subcommittee of the Windsor Islamic Association and has organized clean-up days at the mosque, and belongs to ERCA’s Youth Engagement Strategy (YES) Team.

Other honourees Thursday included Farm Award recipient John Fittler, Homestead Award recipient Essex County Carriage Club, Education Award recipient Bob Pettit, and the Town of Tecumseh for Municipal Environmental Achievement.