A former Summerland resident has been appointed to the Order of British Columbia for her work on sustainability in the building industry,
Brenda Martens, who graduated from Summerland Secondary School in 1983, has worked on some of the province’s largest projects, including the Athletes’ Village in the 2010 Winter Olympics, as well as B.C. Housing residences around the province.
Within the region, Martens and the green building company she co-founded worked on the renovation of the Penticton Aquatic Centre and the Jim Pattison Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Technologies and Renewable Energy Conservation at Okanagan College.
The Order of British Columbia advisory council also noted the lengths Martens has taken to reduce her personal environmental footprint.
When she participated in the 2013 World Masters Games in Torino, Italy, she took six days to cross the North America by train, 11 days to cross the Atlantic Ocean on a freighter and a week to cross Europe by train.
Martens has also received national recognition with the Volunteer Leadership Award (2013) from the Canada Green Building Council.
She was named a LEED Fellow (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) in 2012.