Accepting 2005 Ethics in Action Awards (left to right):

• Pam Marchant, Island Savings Credit Union;
• Rob Reid, Frontrunners Footwear;
• Richard Kouwenhoven, Hemlock Printers
• Rick Nathorst, Elite Earth-Friendly Cleaners
• Lloyd Craig, Coast Capital Savings
• Brad Mills, Mills Basics Office Supplies and Printing
• Christie Eng, Shady Creek Ice Cream Co. (Individual Impact award recipient).

Island Savings Credit Union

Pam Marchant, President & CEO of Island Savings Credit Union, accepting the 2005 EIA Award for Community Care (Large Enterprise) on behalf of her company.

Throughout the year, Island Savings hosts events celebrating the diversity of Vancouver Island - from a Cowichan Capitals hockey game, where more than 500 credit union members received complimentary tickets to cheer on their home town team, to an evening at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria wherein more than 100 members enjoyed a quiet evening featuring local cuisine and artwork.

These are among the hundreds of arts, culture, education, and sporting organizations that Island Savings supports each year.

Island Savings' staff and Board are fully engage in good corporate citizenship, helping improve the quality of Island life. In addition to volunteering locally, they are seek other opportunities to show their participation and support for members and the community.

For example, Island's Community Value Account provides free banking services to qualifying organizations, and during the past 16 years, Island Savings has distributed more than $18 million in member patronage and dividend rebates.

This is in addition to the Legacy Fund and campaigns for local food banks, and other charitable works.

Established in 1951, Island Savings serves Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, providing a full range of services including banking, wealth management, insurance, commercial lending and business services.

Island Savings - truly a community credit union.

www.iscu.com

Frontrunners Footwear

Rob Reid, co-owner of Frontrunners Footwear, accepting the 2005 EIA Award for Community Care (Small-Medium Enterprise)

Frontrunners Footwear is a small business with a big heart.

Owner Rob Reid built the business on core values of excellence, teamwork and integrity that include promoting employee growth and performance, and supporting the community.

Established in 1988, Frontrunners Footwear sells athletic footwear and technical clothing from its Frontrunners and New Balance Victoria stores. Frontrunners employs 45 people in Victoria, but its influence extends beyond staff to the local community and to communities across the world.

A proud supporter of a number of not-for-profit programs and initiatives, it is the leadership role that Frontrunners has taken in creating a philanthropic culture within the running community that sets its efforts apart from typical charitable works.

As Director of the Royal Victoria Marathon, Rob Reid's vision was to leverage the event to inspire and engage the running community in support of charitable causes. The subsequent marathon-charity partnership was a success and out of it "Runners of Compassion" was born. Members participate as a group to raise awareness and funding support for social and charitable organizations.

Runners of Compassion currently supports 13 local and global projects including a food bank, a sexual assault centre, a monastery, a shoes for youth program, and a program providing sporting opportunities in disadvantaged communities throughout South Africa. "Running is a passion for many of us," says Rob.

"Uniting our energy and our collective will to help those in need can bring about a healthier world."

www.frontrunnersfootwear.com

Hemlock Printers Ltd.

Richard Kouwenhoven of Hemlock Printers Ltd. accepting the 2005 EIA Award for Environmental Excellence (Large Enterprise)

Hemlock is the first printer in the Pacific Northwest to obtain the stringent Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain-of-Custody certification, and it is working with Markets Initiatives to lobby paper companies to pursue FSC certification.

Hemlock also works to educate clients and consumers about environmental sustainability via their "Eco-Alternative" program, and their "Off Cuts for Charity" (OC4C) program. The OC4C program provides non-profit organizations with off-cuts of high-quality printed materials for a fraction of the cost. The result is reduction of waste, as well as a low cost way for not-for-profit organizations to access paper for promotional collaterals.

With a 37-year history of responsible operations, Hemlock operates a main plant, a small press division, Hemlock Express, and sales offices in Victoria and several US cities. Hemlock supports clients throughout North America, maintaining a commitment to producing the highest quality results with the lowest environmental impact.

Hemlock's Sustainability Committee focuses on improving the company's own environmental performance, as well as contributing to the introduction of sustainable business practices across this resource-dependent industry.

According to President and CEO, Dick Kouwenhoven, "Hemlock's Commitment to sustainability is not an idle statement. Our employees are actively involved in reducing our environmental footprint with meaningful improvements."

Hemlock's commitment to sustainability is not only rooted deeply in the organization, but its impact is growing in the community, and the company's leadership is contributing to the transformation of an industry.

Headquartered in Burnaby, BC, Hemlock Printers is Western Canada's premier sheet fed printer.

www.hemlock.com

Elite Earth-Friendly Cleaners

Rick Nathorst, owner/operator of Elite Earth-Friendly Cleaners, accepting the 2005 EIA Award for Environmental Excellence (Small-Medium Enterprise)

The mission of Elite Earth-Friendly Drycleaners is operate a environmentally responsible business and to transform a toxic industry.

Conventional dry-cleaning immerses clothing in perchlorethylene, a chlorinated solvent that is linked to several forms of cancer. In addition to the significant risks to worker health, studies show cancer risk to people living or working in the vicinity of dry-cleaning facilities. Disposal of this hazardous chemical is another environmental concern.

With a strong belief that 'If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem,' Rick and Laural Nathorst, sold their house and exhausted their credit to finance conversion of their Victoria based business into the first chemical-free drycleaner in BC.

Elite Earth-Friendly Drycleaners uses citrus, banana and soy based cleaning products -all phosphate-free, biodegradable and environmentally safe. Elite's other 'earth-friendly' dry-cleaning practices include reducing water and electrical consumption by about 30 percent, and recycling hangers, paper, and plastics.

The company has also developed re-useable garment bags to replace plastic bags for frequent customers.

Elite's mission extends to helping other cleaners 'go green' as well. Last year, Elite helped Holland America learn techniques and processes for converting its onboard dry-cleaning services. As a result of this success, other cruise lines are planning similar 'earth-friendly' conversions on their fleets.

By embracing ecologically sustainable practices, Elite demonstrates its commitment to the well-being of its employees, the community, and the planet.

Elite Earth Friendly Cleaners, a BC company helping to clean up the dirty business of dry-cleaning around the world.

www.greendrycleaner.com

Coast Capital Savings

Lloyd Craig, President and CEO of Coast Capital Savings, accepting the 2005 EIA Award for Overall Leadership (Large Enterprise)

Coast Capital Savings (CCS) is Canada's second largest credit union. Operating across the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island, CCS strives to make a positive difference in its communities and be a responsible employer to its 1,900 employees.

To achieve its goal of being a top Canadian corporate leader, CCS aims to be a workplace innovator and employer of choice. Programs engage employees in corporate and community initiatives, provide career growth and continued learning, provide fair compensation, offer rewarding incentives and leading-edge benefits, and celebrate the diversity, abilities, and contributions of CCS employees.

With a goal of minimizing its environmental footprint, CSS embraces sustainable environmental practices. Its two new administration offices in Victoria and Surrey were designed with environmentally friendly materials and resources, and employees participate widely in programs such as the National Commuter Challenge Day.

CCS recognizes that being a leader also requires meaningful contributions to the larger communities in which it operates. It will donate more than $3.8 million and 20,000 hours of employee volunteer time to support social causes and community programs this year.

This includes staff involvement in the Choices Stay-in-School Program, and support for Big Brothers and Big Sisters, The Heart and Stroke Foundation, and local food banks.

Coast Capital strategically aligns its social, environmental and financial initiatives, to address ethical business practices, democratic governance, stakeholder involvement, environmental awareness, and support for communities. Coast Capital Savings - striving for overall excellence and leadership in ethical business.

www.coastcapitalsavings.com

Mills Basics Office Supplies and Printing

Brad Mills CEO of Mills Basics Office Supplies and Printing, accepting the 2005 EIA Award for Overall Leadership (Small-Medium Enterprise)

Established in 1949, Mills Basics Office Supplies and Printing, is a 60-employee business located in Vancouver's downtown eastside (DTE). Home to Canada's poorest neighbourhood, here the family-owned company has long engaged in socially responsible management practices.

Through involvement in the Fast Track to Employment (FTE) program, Mills provides training, employment and benefits to at-risk youth and hard-to-employ individuals from the DTE.

Mills was also among the first members of the Social Purchasing Portal (SPP), conducting business-to-business transactions that leverage community economic development, and promoting the SPP to their business colleagues. Mills also established a catalogue of "Environmentally Preferred Products" (EPP) in order to assist its customers in buying 'green.'

In addition to these capacity building initiatives, Mills employees support local charities through volunteer work and donations, and the E-PACT (Environment, Proactive, Awareness, Community, Teamwork) committee seeks other ways to integrate social and environmental responsibility into day-to-day business.

Mill's Clean Print BC Best Management Practices include use of linseed oil inks, recycling of waste ink and other print materials, and donation of paper scrap to local schools and charities. Packaging, delivery, billing, and other operations also address waste reduction and minimization of pollution.

While giant office supply and stationary business competitors penetrate the market, Mills stands out a leader in social and environmental responsibility. Its leadership garners customer loyalty, while making a positive impact on employees, suppliers, the environment, the downtown eastside, and beyond.

www.mills.ca

Christie Eng of Shady Creek Ice Cream Co.

Christie Eng, owner of Shady Creek Ice Cream Co., accepting the 2005 EIA Individual Impact Award.

Christie Eng founded Shady Creek Ice Cream Company in 1997 with the goal of having quality ingredients in her ice cream, as well as quality relationships within the company and with the community. She makes her product using natural and locally sourced ingredients, and she operates her company using triple bottom line principles of social, environmental, and financial performance.

Despite the challenges of incorporating ethics in action in a small and emerging company, Christie supports numerous environmental organizations and community events, and doggedly seeks ways to increase the social and environmental performance of Shady Creek Ice Cream Co. Initiatives include her efficient delivery route planning, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and collaboration with LifeCycles Project Society developing an ice cream using fruit from their tree fruit project.

Christie participates in the Quality of Life Challenge Employer Champion, promoting HR practices that can reduce poverty. She hires and trains people through a jobs program for the unemployed, as well as through the Vancouver Island Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society. The result is a deeply committed and loyal workforce at Shady Creek Ice Cream Co.

In addition to her personal commitment to sustainable operations, Christie supports the Victoria Values Based Business Network. Here she assists other local business in working towards sustainability.

"When I see people smile as they walk away with an ice cream, that makes me happy, but what makes me happier is knowing that my business is contributing to the larger community as well," Christie says.