Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards in Business Leadership, Innovation and Student Leadership Now Open

TORONTO, Oct. 19 /CNW/ - With rewards totalling $75,000, Scotiabank today announced the establishment of the Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards, a Canada-wide awards program which will recognize businesses, innovators and students for excellence in the development of home energy efficiency products, services and solutions. Submissions for award nominations are now open through Scotiabank's EcoLiving website and close on January 31, 2011.

"Finding ways to reduce our environmental footprint through the efficient use of energy is important to Canadians and to Scotiabank," said Anatol von Hahn, Group Head, Canadian Banking. "The EcoLiving Awards program provides an important new way for us to recognize leadership in green building and at the same time engage the general public in the importance of energy efficiency. We look forward to seeing the inspirational ideas and technologies that come forward and that have the potential to benefit all of Canada."

The awards program is unique in its focus on public awareness. An overarching criterion for all awards recipients is to demonstrate capacity to generate public interest and excitement in energy efficiency through submitted products or solutions. Full information on the awards, including submission forms, key dates, eligibility and judging criterion are now available exclusively on Scotiabank's EcoLiving website, http://ecoliving.scotiabank.com/awards

The Scotiabank EcoLiving awards are:

-   The Scotiabank EcoLiving Business Leadership Award ($50,000): to be
        awarded to a business or individual who is leading the way in home
        energy efficiency products, services or solutions.

    -   The EcoLiving Innovators Award ($15,000): will go to a business or
        individual who is demonstrating innovation in home energy efficient
        products, services and solutions. Where the Business Leadership Award
        will focus primarily on the execution of a proven idea or program,
        the Innovator's Award will focus on the introduction of exciting new
        ideas for products or programs.

    -   The Scotiabank EcoLiving Student Leadership Award ($10,000): will be
        awarded to a full-time college or university student who demonstrates
        promise for the future of home energy conservation.

"The Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards program provides an important and unique opportunity to help build awareness of the environmental and economic savings that come with having a more energy efficient home," said Kaz Flinn, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, Scotiabank. "In addition to rewarding leadership and innovation in home energy efficiencies, we hope our program will help encourage further product and service developments and foster public interest and education around the benefits of energy conservation."

The EcoLiving Awards tap into a growing environmental consciousness across Canada which has in turn led to increasing demand for building green and sustainable living spaces. In fact, Statistics Canada reports that between 2003 and 2007 50 percent of Canadian homeowners made at least one improvement to their home to reduce energy consumption.

Green Living Enterprises, one of Canada's foremost environmental experts, is Scotiabank's partner in the development of the Scotiabank EcoLiving Program and the EcoLiving Awards.

"Scotiabank is taking leadership in helping Canadians understand and appreciate the benefit of saving energy," said Laurie Simmonds, President and CEO, Green Living Enterprises. "The EcoLiving Awards will recognize, celebrate and reward those in our community who are committed to change."

The only awards program of its kind in Canada, the Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards is the second key cornerstone to the Bank's broader EcoLiving Program introduced earlier this year aimed at enabling and encouraging Canadians to live with better energy efficiency at home. The winners will be chosen by a jury of independent, expert judges. On June 2, 2011, during Canadian Environment Week, the winners will be announced at the Allstream Centre in Toronto, Canada's greenest conference facility. The Canadian Environment Week coincides with World Environment Day, established by The United Nations General Assembly in 1972 and is celebrated each year on June 5.

About the Scotiabank EcoLiving Program
    --------------------------------------

The Scotiabank EcoLiving Program was announced in June, 2010. Its first cornerstone was the establishment of the Scotiabank EcoLiving website, www.scotiabank.com/ecoliving. The website is a unique online consumer resource that provides home greening options together with government rebate and financial savings information all in one place - providing an easy-to-use resource for Canadians to learn about, plan and compare green home improvement options. The website includes project planning tools and a financial calculator to allow visitors to compare products and rebates, plan and finance their projects and see the savings that can result from each energy efficient renovation. The awards are the second major building block of the Scotiabank EcoLiving Program. A third cornerstone is support for environmental organizations. Earlier this year, Scotiabank announced its role as lead sponsor of Environmental Defence's "I am Green Power" campaign which features stories from Canadians on how they are making an environmental difference as part of their every day lives.

About Scotiabank
    ----------------

Scotiabank is one of North America's premier financial institutions and Canada's most international bank. With close to 70,000 employees, Scotiabank Group and its affiliates serve approximately 14.6 million customers in some 50 countries around the world. Scotiabank offers a diverse range of products and services including personal, commercial, corporate and investment banking. With more than $523 billion in assets (as at July 31, 2010), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (BNS) and New York Exchanges (BNS). For more information please visit www.scotiabank.com

About GreenLiving
    -----------------

Green Living Enterprises is a pioneer and leader in developing social and environmental marketing programs that keep consumers and clients at the forefront of the green agenda. Green Living Enterprises is a full-service, one-stop solution for green marketing, product and program development, custom publishing, and event management. Green Living Enterprises, an authentically green company, also includes Greenlivingonline.com and The Green Living Show, North America's largest green consumer show, dedicated to easy and workable solutions for leading a sustainable lifestyle.

* Statistics Canada, 2007 Household and the Environment - Energy Use
        Supplement