SOCIETY PROMOTING ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

healthy cities are our future

About SPEC

Founded in 1969, The Society Promoting Environmental Conservation (SPEC) is a non-profit charitable organization that addresses environmental issues in British Columbia, with a particular focus on urban communities in Lower Mainland and the Georgia Basin. Through our public education programs and advocacy work, SPEC works hard to raise public awareness on environmental issues and encourage policies and practices that lead to urban sustainability. We believe that by working together with citizens, government and industry we can reach our goal of creating a truly healthy, livable environment. SPEC is a member-based society with an elected Board of Directors and a dedicated team of staff and volunteers. The Directors, members, staff and volunteers actively participate in SPEC’s on-going environmental projects.

Research, Education and Outreach

SPEC’s mission is to educate, activate and empower citizens in the Lower Mainland and Georgia Basin to reduce their ecological footprint and build healthy, sustainable cities. SPEC works tirelessly to promote social and economic policies that protect and improve air and water quality, and promote energy conservation and sustainable land-use in the Lower Mainland. As part of these initiatives SPEC is currently working on the following projects:

• Air & Water Quality
• Solid and Liquid Waste Reduction
• Pesticides and Toxics
• Protecting Marine Habitats
• Recycling
• Drinking Water Protection
• Energy Conservation & Renewable Energy
• Transportation

Fostering urban sustainability since 1969

SPEC is one of the oldest environmental organizations in Canada. For 40 years SPEC has brought a range of environmental concerns to the attention of policy makers, industry and the public. SPEC was founded in 1969 in Coquitlam, BC. In 1981, SPEC partnered with the City of Vancouver, the Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada in creating the Vancouver Energy Information Centre in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood. The building now includes the Vancouver Environmental Information Centre and the City of Vancouver Compost Demonstration Gardens managed by City Farmer.

40 years of environmental successes

Through its public education and advocacy work, SPEC has built a lasting legacy of environmental protection. Some of our most important achievements are:

• opposing the use of oil tankers off BC coast
• rejecting the “Third Crossing" between Vancouver and North Shore
• advocating a moratorium on offshore oil exploration
• advocating rapid transit such as the Sea-Bus across Burrard Inlet
• founding the Recycle Council of BC (RCBC)
• reducing the use of hazardous pesticides
• lobbying for a provincial Land Commission Act to preserve BC farmland
• pushing for the Berger Inquiry into the Mackenzie Valley natural gas pipeline
• being a founding member of Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility
• opposing BC Hydro's Site C dam in Northern BC
• helping found the West Coast Environmental Law Association (WCELA)
• helping stop the proposed Vancouver Island nuclear power plants
• helping eliminate the use of DDT
• establishing the first recycling depots in BC
• playing a key role in preventing the privatization of the GVRD's water filtration plant
• working to stop the SE2 power plant
• promoting municipal by-laws to limit non-essential pesticide use

SPEC's 40th anniversary

The Harvest Festival and SPEC's 40th Birthday Party, in Oct 2009, was a great success with the whole community involved in the celebration. The sun came out to shine on the event for a while and the canopies were a great help in protecting the delicious assortment of food and our musicians when it did rain. A big thank you to all our wonderful volunteers who helped with the event, as well as speakers and organizations and businesses who made donations. And of course a big thank you to all who attended. It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces celebrating SPEC's 40 years.
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