This season has many different meanings to people. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, the winter solstice, or if you are happy to avoid celebrating altogether, pause for a moment to appreciate how fortunate we are to live and work in British Columbia. We are a diverse population who come from all corners of the globe, yet we share BC as our home. Many of us chose an environmental career to protect and enjoy the natural environment of the Pacific Northwest.
During the holiday season and in the coming year, I encourage you to express thanks to your friends, colleagues, and clients in the environmental field and take some time to give back to your community and to the environment, whether by donating money to a charity or volunteering your time.
It is this community spirit that sustains the EMA of BC. Our board members are all volunteers and few, if any, of our guest speakers receive financial compensation for their presentations. We all individually benefit from this mutual cooperation and our industry is better for it.
I would like to offer my personal thank you to our member companies, staff, board of directors, speakers, and sponsors for your support in 2012. The Board of Directors is looking forward to continuing to engage EMA of BC members in 2013 with valuable educational sessions and tours, a new format for the February workshop, an exciting awards ceremony in May, and other fun events.
All the best,
Derek Stewart, President, Environmental Managers Association of BC