Peace Energy Cooperative, best known for the reason the Dawson Creek horizon is lined with wind turbine generators, won the Innovative Green Business award in the 2010 Civic Awards.

“I’m proud of the cooperative,” said Executive Director Valerie Gilson about the award. “We have a hard-working board of directors, so it was really nice to have the community recognize the work that we’ve done.”

President Rupert Kirk agreed and said it obviously stemmed from the organization’s work on Bear Mountain.

Peace Energy Cooperative, which has 400 members across the country, was incorporated in 2003 and has spent most of its existence working on the Bear Mountain project.

Gilson said it was particularly interesting to win the award because the cooperative isn’t necessarily an environmental awareness organization like Northern Environmental Action Team (NEAT) or other groups.

“We promote renewable energy,” explained Gilson. “Along with that goes some education as well. That’s why when we received the green award, it was really neat because we aren’t truly a green environmental platform kind of company.”

Kirk explained that the journey of implementing wind turbine generators on the Bear Mountain hillside wasn’t met with unanimous support at first.

“Any new project, whether oil wells or gas wells, there’s always somebody who – and rightfully so, that’s the joy of democracy – can object or make sure that what happens is in the best concern of all people and stakeholders,” he said.

Gilson elaborated that there are always concerns about new technology or anything people don’t yet understand.

“I think once our project was up on the hill, people could see it and feel it and then knew what it was looked like and everything, and I don’t hear anything from that any more,” she said. “The community was always a large supporter of the project.”

Kirk added that often when people object to new technology, they are looking from the standpoint of concerns about older versions of that technology.

In terms of how green Dawson Creek is looking, Gilson said a lot of small steps like geothermal in homes have impressed her.

“The city is really promoting sustainability and everything that they do with energy, waste, recycling and water,” she said. “Conservation is a big thing. Although it’s not something that we talk a about a lot, we definitely promote that. The first form of new energy I guess you could say is conserving it.”

Because much of its energy and focus has been on the Bear Mountain project, Peace Energy Cooperative is now just in the research and development steps of its future projects, which could include dealings with bio diesel and other solar and wind projects.