Vancouver Parks Board Volunteer Award, 2008
nominated by Vancouver Cheery Blossom Festival in May, 2008

Joseph Lin actively participated in the cherry scout program recording the cherry blooming updates and selected the Festival Favorites for the Festival's Cheery Blossom Viewing Map, not only in his Riley Park community, but also in every one of Vancouver's 23 communities, almost everyday in March and April for more than two years.
 
He provided photos to document the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival events, writing weekly articles in Chinese, helping to promoting this festival through his Green Culture Web (www.greenclub.bc.ca), emails and media interviews for Chinese and English speaking communities.

In addition tp dedicating volunteer time to the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, Joseph Lin also organized and guided more than 20 cherry walks and 50 street tree heritage walks all over City of Vancouver for the past seven years.

Joseph Lin is the founding President of Green Club on environmental education. He is an interpreter, organizer, writer and publisher on environment, heritage and eco-tourism, and a co-host of a weekly Chinese radio and TV programs. He is a liaison group member of Vancouver Riley Park Community, and board director of Greater Vancouver Regional Parks Forum. He was a former public advisory committee member of Environment Canada EcoAction, Board Director of Vancouver Natural History Society, and Board Director of Pacific Spirit Park Society.

Vancouver Natural History Society Conservation Award, 2008
for West Creek Wetlands in Langley

Joseph Lin was nominated for his participation as one of the key persons to persuade the land owner of West Creek Wetlands in Langley to preserve this land as a park for wildlife. The owner accepted the current offer 3.6 millions (with owner's donation of 1.1 millions) not only at a generous discount to market value, but also with terms which signalled the family's magnificent largess to the cause of conservation.  Details at "save West Creek Wetlands as wildlife sanctuary"

Canadian Federal Volunteer Recognition, 2001
for International Year of Volunteers at House of Commons in Ottawa on April 26, 2001

Joseph Lin, MD
President of Taiwanese Canadian Intercultural Green Club

Joseph founded Green Club in August, 1993. It is officially registerd as Green Club, a non-profit, self-founded community-acting organization, by a group of environment concerned Taiwanese and Asian Canadian families in January, 1999.

Joseph tries to promote cross-cultural understanding of the unique eco-systems and cultures among Taiwan, Asia, and Canada, and educate the public about the importance of conservation and bio-diversity by advancing a healthy way of living our daily life, providing guidance to appreciate the natural history, presenting opportunities to learn how to decrease human disturbances and impacts, and encouraging active participation in community environmental protection, in order to accomplish the ideal goal of a sustainable ecosystem and human society.

Because Environment Canada provides information for thinking globally, acting locally, he participated in the Millenium Eco-Community, Community Chat, Environmental Education Consultation, Environment Canada Website Consultation, provided information of the updated Community Educational Programs for Eco-Community, and cosponsor workshops on environmental issues.

As the President & CEO of Taiwanese Canadian Intercultural Green Club, he organizes 1~2 eco-tour, 8~10 healthy life seminars, 3~4 guided nature walks, and 20 adopt-a-park healthy walk every month. I am also the webmaster of Green Cultural Website, publisher of Green Cultural E-newsletter Daily, organizer & interpreter of eco-tours & nature walks. He works very hard. He spent ten hours a day, and 7 days a week in the past two years.

He also participates in the community as a Board Director of Greater Vancouver Regional Parks Forum, a Board Director & Cross-cultural Committee member of Pacific Spirit Park Society, a Board Director of Vancouver Natural History Society, a instructor of Adult Education of Vancouver School Board.

He has contributed articles on four major Chinese newspapers weekly since 1994, educating the general public about local environmental and conservation issues. [and has been interviewed by various public media including one airline magazine, Chinese Weekly, three Chinese Radio Stations, two TV channels, as well as BCTV and the Greater Vancouver TV].

He organizes and facilitates weekly presentations/forum that address local and regional conservation issues and encourages the appreciation of the nature beauty and health-conscientious life styles.  Furthermore, through monthly workshops and forums, he educates the public on minimizing environmental impacts by initiatives such as reducing packaging, reuse, recycle, Power Smart, and alternatives to hazardous household substances.

He organizes and facilitates over 25 adopt-a-park initiatives that feature monthly guided health walks in local natural areas/parks such as Iona Beach, Sturgeon Bank, and Nature Park in Richmond; Mundy Lake, Rocky Point and Colony Farm in Coquitlam; North-Delta Nature Reserve and Boundary Bay park in Delta; Bear Creek and Tynehead Park in Surrey; Burnaby Lake, Central Park and Deer Lake in Burnaby; Pacific Spirit Park, Stanley Park, Jericho Beach, Queen Elizabeth Park, Everett Crowley Park, and Musqueam Park in Vancouver every month.

Joseph organizes and leads weekly nature walks in local parks and nature reserves in the Greater Vancouver area. In addition, Joseph organizes and guides eco-tour trips monthly that introduce the natural histories (geology, climate, plants, animals), aboriginal life, histories of early settlements, human impacts and conservation and rehabilitation efforts all over British Columbia and Washington State.

Joseph maintains a Green Club website (http://www.greenclub.bc.ca) and distributes daily E-Newsletter that reach 662 members and interested individuals, announcing upcoming local environmental and conservation events, and providing information on regional and global environmental and conservation issues.

Through his guided nature walks, eco-tours, website and regular email announcements, Joseph encouraged Taiwanese and Chinese Canadians to get involved in the following festivals promoting public awareness and education on local conservation initiatives, including Brackendale Eagle Festival, Courtenay Trumpeter Swan Festival, Parksville & Qualicum Beach Brant Wildlife Festival, Maple Ridge Goodbye Chums, South Okanagan Meadowlark Festival, North Vancouver Return of the Osprey Festival, Maple Ridge Sex on the Rocks, Chase Salute to the Sockeye, Victoria Goldstream Salmon Festival, Delta Snow Goose Festival, Harrison-Chehalis Eagle Festival, Earth Day, Song Bird Project, Bike Week, Fraser River Festival, Coho Walk, BC Rivers Day, Farm Open Day.

Joseph spearheaded and led 30 families to participate in organic farming at UBC Farm in collaboration with Farm Folks City Folks this year. He held a number of compost garden workshops in Vancouver, Burnaby, North Shore, Delta, and Richmond.

Achievements to-date
Joseph's articles featuring environment and conservation issues published weekly in local Chinese newspapers regularly reach over 200,000 readers.

During the past 10 years, more than 35,000 people participated in his environmental education programs/events.  He organized 18 eco-tours, 91 nature walks, 90 cultural programs, 278 walks with 6,198 people in 2002. In year 2002, his 180 programs have drawn 6,200 participants. The impacts of Joseph*s programs probably exceeded these figures, as most of the participants also brought their children along.

Hundreds of Taiwanese Canadians attended other community-based environmental programs/events, thanks to Joseph's public outreach and announcements through his newspaper articles, website, and email newsletters. Many Taiwanese Canadians become interested in and get involved in community and local conservation issues thanks to Joseph's public outreach and education. A number of Taiwanese Canadians have participated in environmental events/programs such as Pinecone Lake and Burke Mountain Study Area, Naturescape, Private Property Tree Bylaw, Songbird Project, Salmonid Enhancement Program, Colony Farm, forest management in watersheds, wild bird surveys, GVRD Parks Survey, Richmond Parks and Recreation Survey.

Joseph is the winner of Richmond Mayor*s Environmental Achievement Award in 1999, and The Kay Beamish Award for Nature Education of VNHS in 2000.

Environment Canada Volunteer Award, 2001
for UN International Year of Volunteers

Joseph Lin is one of the three volunteers selected by Environment Canada with which he volunteers in the Millenium Eco-Community, Community Chat, Environment Education Consultation, Environment Canada Website Consultation, providing information of the updated Community Educational Programs for Eco-Community, and cosponsoring workshops on environmental issues. He is one of the 60 volunteers represents approximately 150,000 federal volunteers in Canada.

A letter from Gary Lindfield, Chairperson of Coordinating Committee Federal Volunteers Congratulations on being selected by Environment Canada, the federal department or agency with which you volunteer to be honoured in Ottawa. You will be representing approximately 150,000 federal volunteers at two events with an International Year of Volunteers (IYV) 2001 focus in Ottawa in April. 

Joseph Lin,
Environment Canada (Vancouver, BC)
Volunteering in the field of encironmental education has given Joseph Ln a deeper love and respect for his Canadian home. The former resident of Taiwan moved to Vancouver eight years ago and began the Taiwanese Canian Intercultural Green Club. As a medical doctor in Taiwan, he had been involved in environmental groups, and wanted to use his knowledge in that area to benefit both his new city and Vancouver*s burgeoning Asian community. No longer practicing medicine, Joseph estimates he volunteers 70 hours a week to the Green Club, doing everything from leading nature walks and eco-tours to publishing an electronic newspaper and overseeing the clubs website.

Joseph believes the more Vancouver citizens know about the environment around them, the more they will cherish it. After leading nature walk through parks in the Greater Vancouver area for the last eight years, he knows the nature and human history of those parks, he says. Teaching about the plants, birds and ecosystems in Vancouver helps foster a greater commitment to caring for our city, which he thinks is the greatest in the world. Joseph has won several other awards for his environmental efforts, and the Taiwanese Canadian Intercultural Green Club has become one of the most active and popular Asian environmental organizations in the Greater Vancouver area and Canada.

A Group of Seven: Creative Volunteers on The Vancouver Sun section B4
Seven British Columbia residents are being honoured this week for their volunteer work in the variety fields in which they support services and programs run by national organizations.

A pediatrician in his native Taiwan, Joseph Lin no longer practices medicine, but instead volunteers about 70 hours a week to Vancouver*s Green Club. Lin leads nature walks in parks all over Vancouver, writes columns in Chinese newspapers and maintains the club's Web site at www.greenclub.bc.ca .

Believing his work for the environment has given him a deeper appreciation of his adopted home, the 47-year-old father of two works hard to impart those feelings to others in the Asian community. Especially for the new immigrants, [if] they don*t understand the nature, they won*t cherish it, he said. This is a good way to help them to commit themselves to this new homeland.

As the formal Executive Director of the Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Society, Lin thinks his work makes immigrants feel more welcome by offering them knowledge in their native languages. However, he is quick to point out that Environment Canada*s three award recipients in Ottawa are just three of many. We represent thousands of volunteers doing the work in Canada, he said. This is an honour.