We are honoured to share that Dirk Brinkman, Founder of Brinkman Group, has been awarded the 2026 Clean50 Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his decades of leadership in ecosystem restoration, climate resilience, and environmental innovation. 

For more than five decades, Dirk has been a pioneering voice for ecological renewal in Canada and around the world. Under his leadership, Brinkman has planted over 1.85 billion trees, restored hundreds of thousands of hectares of ecosystems - from intertidal zones to alpine regions. His leadership has helped shape national forestry policy, advance progressive models of collaborative stewardship with Indigenous Nations and communities, champion ecosystem-based forest management, and inspire generations of environmental practitioners. 

“Dirk was chosen after rigourous screening and research by Delta Management, with advice from internal researchers and external advisors, and was among Honourees selected from an initial pool of well over 1,000 well qualified nominees.” Gavin Pitchford, CEO, Delta Management Group 

This recognition is especially meaningful as Dirk’s partner and Brinkman co-founder, Joyce Murray, has also independently received a Public Sector Clean50 award in 2018, celebrating her own distinguished contributions to environmental leadership and public service. Together, Dirk and Joyce represent the first couple to have both been honoured with Clean50 awards — a testament to their shared lifelong commitment to Canada’s ecological future.

Joyce and Dirk in tree planting camp, circa 1973 

Dirk will be amongst 180 past and incoming Clean50 Honourees meeting on Wednesday October 15th at the “Clean50 Summit 15.0” in Toronto, to spend a day amongst peers and colleagues, tackling critical sustainability challenges facing Canada. 

Presented annually by Delta Management Group, the Clean50 Awards celebrate individuals and organizations who have made outstanding contributions to sustainability and clean capitalism across Canada.

About Delta Management Group / Canada’s Clean50: Leading ESG, sustainability and clean tech search firm Delta Management Group founded, and remains the steward of the Canada’s Clean50 awards, created in 2011 to annually identify, recognize and connect 50 sustainability leaders from every sector of Canadian endeavor, in order to facilitate understanding, collaboration and innovation in the fight to keep climate change impacts below 1.5 degrees C.  Ancillary awards also recognize 20 Emerging Leaders and the 40 Top Sustainability Projects of the year, as well as bestow 5 Lifetime Achievement designations.        

Media Contact: Gavin Pitchford 774-330-6606 / [email protected]