Publishing giants achieve Gold Standard for Forest Protection and Conservation Advocacy

November 3, 2011, Vancouver: Nonprofit environmental organization Canopy is pleased to announce the winners of the inaugural Ancient Forest Friendly™ Awards. Recipients are recognized for meaningful action to protect the world’s forests and climate by improving the eco-performance of their paper purchasing, and advancing landmark conservation initiatives on the ground.

“Whether it’s magazine stand favourite Cottage Life or media-print titan, Transcontinental, this year’s Ancient Forest Friendly™ Award winners are showing their competitors, customers, and advertisers what real leadership looks like,” says Nicole Rycroft, Executive Director, Canopy. “Everyone can make an important contribution to the health of our planet and we hope those who didn’t make this year’s list will be inspired to strengthen their performance in time for next year’s awards.”

At a time when stamps of approval are often awarded for meager efforts or unsubstantiated environmental gain, Ancient Forest Friendly™ Award recipients have engaged in a rigorous process to quantify their environmental performance. This year’s winners stand out among the hundreds of leading North American brands striving to improve their environmental performance by taking concrete action to reduce paper purchasing impacts.

In the category Ancient Forest Friendly™ Gold, awarded to companies and publications for use of Ancient Forest Friendly™ paper, the 2011 winners are: 1984 Printing; Cottage Life Magazine; ecojot; Éditions de Villers; iGiveCards Inc.; Mountain Equipment Co-op Catalogues; MultiMondes; Saul Good Gift Co.; Quill & Quire; and Watershed Sentinel.  

In the category Conservation Supporters, awarded for advancing the protection of the world’s remaining intact and endangered forests through landmark conservation initiatives such as the Boreal Forest Agreement and Great Bear Rainforest Agreement, the 2011 winners are: Scholastic Canada and Transcontinental Inc.

This year’s recipients will be honoured at an awards reception in Toronto on November 17. To attend the awards ceremony or for more information on the Ancient Forest Friendly™ Awards and this year’s recipients please contact: neva@canopyplanet.org

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Canopy is an environmental nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the world’s forests, species and climate. Canopy works collaboratively with 700+ of the forest industry’s biggest North American consumers to protect forests by influencing purchasing habits and developing support for large-scale conservation initiatives such as the Boreal Forest Agreement. http://canopyplanet.org/business/ancient-forest-friendly/aff-awards/