We recently celebrated the fifth year of the Green Leader Awards! This event recognizes environmental leaders in London and the surrounding area, featuring impactful stories of sustainability, networking with like minded individuals, and delicious food. Congratulations to our 2025 Green Leader Award winners! Learn more about their stories below, discover the Green Economy London Award winners here, and find out more about all finalists here.
London Environmental Network Member Award Categories:
Outstanding LEN Member - Recognizes a member of the London Environmental Network who has had a significant impact on the local environment.
Thames Talbot Land Trust, or TTLT, is an established and highly capable land protection organization. Over the last 25 years, TTLT has built a strong community presence through a variety of educational and hands-on volunteer opportunities. They have been building and growing relationships with local Indigenous communities to collaborate on nature-based projects and to inform their work. They also collaborate with commu
nity partners to reduce barriers for access to nature and to engage a wider diversity of participants in environmental projects.
Specific projects that demonstrate this, is the community-led Land Protection for a Sustainable Future, which empowers local landholders to protect natural and agricultural lands using Conservation Easement Agreements (CEAs). This collaborative project includes 11 community partners, and has protected 40 hectares (100 acres) of land with more projects in the works. In addition, TTLT worked with Long Point Basin Land Trust to protect an additional 30 hectares of Hawk Cliff Woods, increasing the protected area by 30%. Grasslands are some of the most endangered habitats in Canada. In 2024, TTLT created 25 hectares of grassland habitat to support rare species. Lastly, TTLT hosted their first Happy Habitats Festival which saw nearly 300 participants. This event saw presentations with live turtles and snakes, did habitat clean-ups, and explored nature stories. Presentations were done with translation (4 languages!) to ensure inclusivity for newcomers to Canada.
TTLT demonstrates their core values in all that they do: Integrity, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Passion & Commitment, and Intention. TTLT is always looking to incorporate different world views to better protect nature.
Community Impact/Environmental Action Incubator - Recognizes an organization or community group who has implemented a project through the Environmental Action Incubator program exceptionally.
ALUS Middlesex created a Wildlife Monitoring Program, and purchased a nest box and trail camera to passively document on-site wildlife activity. Photos will be used for community outreach and education, data analysis, and uploaded to iNaturalist to facilitate better protection of local wildlife species. Typically, wildlife monitoring uses methods that are inaccessible to the general population. This community based monitoring program aims to create opportunities for individuals to engage in environmental monitoring. Photos will be used as a tool to spark community engagement in local wildlife and shared with local researchers and community groups. Data will be made publicly available for the benefit of anyone in the London community. This project promotes community leadership, increases individual connection to the land, and encourages ongoing knowledge sharing, ultimately fostering individual environmental stewardship throughout London.
Thank you to London Hydro for sponsoring this award!
Community Choice - Given to a community member who demonstrates outstanding environmental leadership in their personal lives or community.
Shely Kagan launched a campus wide lab coat recycling program to divert landfill waste. By collecting, professionally cleaning, and redistributing gently used lab coats, Shely promotes a culture of reuse and environmental responsibility among students while improving accessibility to costly lab gear. To ensure long term success, Shely took the initiative to formalize it through a partnership between university students council and EnviroUSC, to institutionalize the program and guarantee its continuation and expansion for future students. This is more than just a recycling initiative, this program promotes a circular economy mindset within Western’s scientific community, encouraging students to rethink their consumption habits and embrace sustainable alternatives.
Thank you to Western Sustainability for sponsoring this award!
Many thanks to our sponsors for making the Green Leader Awards possible!
