Congratulations to Jim Quinn

Long time EH director Jim Quinn has won the Environmentalist of the Year Lifetime Achievement award. The honour recognizes both his volunteer and academic scientific efforts to protect and enhance the environment. Jim is known globally for his innovative research on the impacts of Hamilton air pollution on germ-line mutations in mammals and other ground-breaking biological and ornithological work at McMaster.

He’s also a highly regarded professor, but somehow finds time to be one of the most active environmental volunteers in the city. In addition to five years as an EH director, he was also treasurer of the Bay Area Restoration Council, and a member of the RGB’s science advisory committee.

He’s one of a too small group of academics who can be counted on to add his voice and energy to local environmental efforts, whether by letters, presentations to council, or more direct actions.

For example, Jim was the key organizer of the unprecedented joint letter of over 100 McMaster faculty that called for a full environmental assessment of the Red Hill Creek Expressway. He also did expert reviews of Red Hill consultant studies, joined campouts and protests, and was one of six individuals who volunteered with the ‘Doe family’ in the legal battle against the city’s injunction – braving lawsuit threats from the city that could have taken away his home.

At EH, among other volunteer activities, Jim has been the driving force behind the newly established Betty Blashill Environmental Prize that EH will be giving out annually.

Jim walks the walk in cutting his personal environmental footprint – or more precisely cycles nearly everywhere, all year round – weighing consciously the ecological impacts of each of his life decisions. He richly deserves to be recognized and emulated.

[Award winners from left: Back row: Alan Ernest, Warren Beacham, Audrey Gamble, Natasha Larocque, Alison Healing; Front row: Barb McKean, Jim Quinn, Christine Brown]