Anti- shark fin soup campaigner up for award
Claudia Li, who founded Shark Truth, is nominated in GLOBE Foundation’s Next Gen category
A first generation Chinese- Canadian woman who campaigns against shark fin soup is nominated for a 2012 GLOBE Foundation award.
Claudia Li, 25, grew up in a traditional family that ate shark fin soup on many special occasions, as it was seen as both a status symbol and a show of generosity. In 2009, Li founded the Vancouver non- profit organization Shark Truth to stop the hunting of sharks for shark fin soup, and because she wanted to keep the legacy of her heritage alive, she said.
“Because our parents were immigrants, we saw how hard they worked for us,” Li said. “Now that we’re adults we have the responsibility to carry on that legacy for our children, so that they have a safe and healthy planet to live on.”
Li said she encourages people to make a donation to a non- profit or environmental organization as a better way to show their generosity. Li is nominated for the Next Gen Entrepreneur Award, one of seven 2012 GLOBE Foundation awards for Canadian companies that have merged their daily business practices with environmental stewardship.
“I’m very honoured to be nominated for the GLOBE award because it showcases the diversity of leadership. I am a young, Chinese female, and you don’t see that very often in this type of work,” Li said. Other notable Vancouver nominees include the University of British Columbia’s Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability and their Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Project, the City of Vancouver and London Drugs. For a full list of nominees in all categories visit www. the globeawards. ca/ finalists. The awards will be presented March 16 at the closing luncheon for GLOBE 2012, the international conference and trade fair on the business of the environment being held in Vancouver March 14 to 16. For ticket information visit tickets. theglobeawards. ca.