This year we celebrated a new award at ECO Impact: The Lifetime Impact Award. This award is designed to celebrate those who have made significant contributions to the environmental sector in terms of growth and promotion throughout their entire career.
In honour of this new award, we are proud to announce the recipient of this year’s Lifetime Impact Award is Paul Werbiski.
Paul who’s been retired for some time now spent 35 years as a leader in the energy sector and continues to be an active voice within it. During the early days of his career, Paul became aware of the damaging effects of climate change. At the time this was only a theory, yet Paul recognized that it could lead to upheaval in more than just the oil and gas industry.
Later, he took on an occupational health and safety role which also included environmental work. When Suncor moved its corporate office to Calgary, he chose to stay with his family in Toronto and saw it as the perfect time to transition to a more environmentally focused role. It was then he took on a contract position with CIBC Wood Gundy which led to Ontario Power-Generation and Direct Energy.
Paul was one of the first individuals to gain an Environmental Professional (EP) certification and has served as a key member of the Canadian Environmental Accreditation Commission (CEAC). This makes him an invaluable member of the environmental sector and helps others access his vast knowledge and expertise.
Paul also believes that even though you may not think you work in the environmental field, you do.
He noted, “we all have a part to play, and every profession has environmental components to it”. It could be as simple as taking part in the office recycling program
Since retiring, Paul has devoted most of his time to his family including his four granddaughters. He still squeezes in some time to go fishing and enjoy the outdoors. In between his homes in Thornhill, Ontario and the Eastern Township of Quebec, Paul has continued working on projects that match with his passion for the outdoors. An example of one of his latest projects was editing a guidebook about fly fishing in the province of Quebec and the state of Vermont in the U.S.
Retirement has allowed Paul to continue to advocate for environmental issues which include his long-term involvement with various lake associations.
ECO Canada is proud to award our Lifetime Impact Award to Paul Werbiski for his lifelong commitment to the environmental sector and his continued engagement in it! Congratulations Paul!
