Environmental Defence Canada

Environmental Defence

File:Environmental Defence Canada Logo.jpg
Founded	1984
Focus	Environmentalism, Conservation, Ecology
Location	Toronto, Montréal
Area served	Canada
Method	Education, program delivery
Key people	Tim Gray
Website	environmentaldefence.ca

Environmental Defence Canada (formerly known as the Canadian Environmental Defence Fund) is a non-partisan environmental charity. Founded in 1984, it is known for its effectiveness and innovative work on preventing and reducing pollution of the environment and human health. Its areas of education and research include toxic chemicals, urban sprawl, oil sands, global warming, water quality and endangered species. It's often cited for its leadership on banning BPA in baby bottles. Canada was the first country to protect babies from BPA's harmful effects in this way.

Areas of Focus

Environmental Defence is a leader on several Canadian issues and spearheads a diverse range of ways to reduce pollution:

• Blue Flag Canada - Environmental Defence runs the Blue Flag program in Canada. This international certification program identifies beaches and marinas that meet strict criteria on water quality, environmental education, environmental management, and safety and services.
• Green Power - Environmental Defence helped educate Ontarians about ways to replace polluting coal power with renewable energy. Today, Ontario has a top-ranked program to use more renewable energy —the Green Energy and Economy Act (2009) —and Environmental Defence continues to educate Ontarians about the benefits of using more wind and solar power.
• Protecting Ontario's land and water - Environmental Defence works to prevent pollution of water by protecting land (forests, wetlands, green space). The Toronto area enjoys the world's largest Greenbelt and the public education of Environmental Defence played a large role in its creation in 2005. Better protection of green space is also key in promoting better land use planning, instead of urban sprawl.
• Toxic Nation - Environmental Defence is the leader on preventing body pollution of Canadians. Its landmark research has helped trigger government action, including the world’s first ban of BPA in baby bottles. In recognition of its work in this area, Environmental Defence participates in Health Canada’s Chemicals Management Plan.
• Just Beautiful - The Just Beautiful campaign educates consumers about the toxins found in everyday cosmetic and personal care products. By working with many companies, Environmental Defence raises awareness of the dangers of these toxics, how to avoid them and steps that can be taken to better protect all consumers.
• Exposing the tar sands - The tar sands are the fastest growing source of global warming pollution in Canada, which also pose risks to the water table and oil spills. Environmental Defence educates about these dangers, and ways to transition away from fossil fuels sooner.
• The Cornerstone Standards Council (formerly known as SERA) - Environmental Defence worked in close partnership with Holcim Canada to develop Socially and Environmentally Responsible Aggregates (SERA) It sets standards for certification of responsibly sourced aggregates (sometimes referred to as green gravel), which protects ecologically sensitive areas from gravel pits.
• Great Lakes and Lake Simcoe protection - Environmental Defence works to protect southern Ontario’s largest fresh water sources from pollution. These lakes are threatened by urban sprawl, but are enjoying more protection through landmark watershed protection like Lake Simcoe Protection Act and the Great Lakes Protection Act
• Blue Green Canada - Blue Green Canada began in 2008 as an alliance between Environmental Defence and the United Steelworkers union. It now includes the Communications, Energy and Paper Workers Union of Canada (CEP), the Columbia Institute, the Pembina Institute and Tides Canada. It works to reduce toxics in the workplace and educates about the environmental and job benefits of renewable energy manufacturing.
• Canada's Next Green Journalist - Environmental Defence is the Canadian subsidiary of the Foundation for Environmental Education(FEE), which also oversees the Blue Flag program. It runs an annual environmental journalism competition as part of Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE), which encourages people aged 11–21 to investigate environmental problems and solutions in their community.

Key accomplishments

In its earlier years, Environmental Defence (as the Canadian Environmental Defence Fund) worked mostly in the courts to prevent pollution. Key accomplishments include:

1987: Stopped herbicide sprayings of forests in British Columbia.

1988: Worked to stop development of a wildlife refuge on Prince Edward Island.

1991: Fought for future environmental assessments to be part of federally funded projects, in the Old Man River Dam debate in Alberta.

1998: Worked with the Innu Nation in Labrador to win a case at the Newfoundland Court of Appeal that ruled exploration work at the Voisey's Bay nickel mine must follow full environmental assessment rules.

2005: To prevent pollution of valued green space and farmland, Environmental Defence educated people around Toronto about the benefits of creating a Greenbelt. More than 1.8 million acres are now protected and play an important role in improving land, water and air quality in the area.

2007: Conducted research into species-at-risk, such as Redside Dace, and Jefferson Salamander, in Ontario, to raise public awareness about biodiversity and species at risk.

2008: Educated parents about a toxic chemical called bisphenol A (BPA), which was found in plastic baby bottles. BPA was banned from baby bottles in 2008 and has since been declared toxic in Canada, which was the first country to take action on this harmful substance.

2009: Slow Death by Rubber Duck: How the Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Life Affects Our Health, co-authored by Environmental Defence Executive Director Dr. Rick Smith, and Bruce Lourie, made the bestseller list for 16 weeks in Canada. It has since been published in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, Poland, Sweden, South Korea and China.

2009: Helped educate Ontarians about the benefits of using more wind and solar power. In response to concerns about pollution from coal power, Ontario passed the Green Energy and Economy Act, a top-ranked program to use more renewable energy.

2010: Launched its Just Beautiful campaign, to educate Canadians about toxic chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products. As part of this work, Environmental Defence has tested fragrances for secret chemicals, including allergens and hormone disruptors; tested Canadian women's makeup for toxic heavy metal contamination; and created a pledge to recognize manufacturers of products that are free of the most toxic ingredients.

2011: Raised awareness about phthalates, which disrupt hormones, and are found in plastic items, and personal care products. In response to concerns from parents about their effect on children, phthalates are now banned or restricted for use in Canadian toys.

2012: Tested Canadians for body pollution with triclosan, which is toxic to humans and the environment Educated Canadians on the additional dangers to human health, after Environment Canada’s decision to declare triclosan toxic to the environment.

2012: Worked with Ontario communities to protect and restore the ecological health of the Great Lakes which provides drinking water for 37 million people. The Great Lakes Protection Act aims to create opportunities for individuals and communities to become involved in the protection and restoration of the ecological health of the Great Lakes Basin.

2013: Oakville's Glenorchy Conservation Area is added to Ontario's Greenbelt under a new urban river valley designation, which allows municipalities to include rivers and streams in urban areas under the Greenbelt's protection.