Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Mallard, Gwen
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
ca. 1917-1999
History
Gwen Mallard was born ca. 1917 in Fernie, B.C. Gwen and her husband Derrick started S.P.E.C. (Society for Promoting Environmental Conservation), the first citizens environmental organization in western Canada, with Bernard Hagell, Dr. Robin Harger, John Haywood, Ralph Lundahl, Larry McConnell, John Stigant, Dr. A. Turnbull and others in Vancouver Janauary 1969. In 1972, the Mallards severed ties with S.P.E.C., moved to Victoria and started C.A.S.E. (Citizens Association to Save the Environment), which they directed until their deaths.
Gwen was particularly interested in food and nutrition, biotechnology and bovine growth hormone. In the early years of C.A.S.E., she served as the Chairperson of the Foods and Nutrition Committee. From 1982 on, Gwen owned and operated Gwen’s Vegetarian Diner.
The Mallards were among the first in B.C. to speak on behalf of the environment and to enlist widespread public support. In 1992, they were awarded the Joint Environmental Award from the B.C. Minister of the Environment, Lands and Parks; in 1993, they were awarded the Lifetime Environmental Achievement Award by the Canadian Minister of the Environment. Gwen died in 1999.