Hyundai Canada presents the 2023 AJAC Environmental Journalism Awards

Hyundai Auto Canada is proud to present the 2023 Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) Environmental Journalism Awards for a third year in-a-row.

Elle Alder of Driving.ca is the 2023 overall winner for his story titled “Driving a Porsche on gas made from recycled CO2.” Mark Toljagic’s article titled, “Life beyond the scrapyard? How auto visionaries are reimagining car recycling,” has been selected as-the runner-up. To commemorate these award-winning stories, 100 trees will be planted in the name of Elle Alder, and 50 trees will be planted for Mark Tojagic thanks to the organization, A Living Tribute.

The winners were selected by a panel of three independent judges with extensive experience within the automotive industry, all of whom were unaware of the authors’ identity at the time of review. The panel included Dominique Gargour, media director, Innocean Worldwide Canada; Axelle Techer, vice-president at Middle Child Public Relations; and Paul-André House, account executive at Tequila Communication et Marketing.

The winners were selected based on a number of variables, but focused on three overarching criteria: style, creativity as well as content and impact. Entries were submitted and reviewed anonymously. All three judges agree this was a difficult decision to make as all entries reflected tenacious research, valuable information, and key findings for the readers.

Driving a Porsche on gas made from recycled CO2 – by Elle Alder

The winning article written by Elle Alder was selected based on its original topic as well as its great storytelling and the skillful explanation of a complex subject. The article as published on Driving.ca addresses the technology of synthetic fuels through a recent trip made by the journalist in Patagonia to visit an eFuel facility.

All three judges were impressed by Alder’s ability to explain this rather complex technology, and also share some background on how it could shape the future of transportation. “First of all, the topic is genius. It’s interesting, new, innovative and it quickly grabs the attention of the reader,” says Axelle Techer, vice-president at Middle Child Public Relations. “The article is well written, well thought, backed by research and providing interesting insights on the topic.”

Paul-Andre House, account executive at Tequila Marketing says, “Elle tackled this incredibly complex topic with flair. He effectively introduces a concept that is hard to fathom, yet alone explain eloquently which he does for the duration of the article. I also appreciated how he managed to seamlessly blend Porsche’s past with this futuristic technology.”

The runner’s up article as published in the Toronto Star and on Wheels.ca was appreciated by the judges for its coverage on an environmental topic that is too often overlooked: vehicle recycling. In this article, Mark Toljagic takes the example of an Ontario auto recycling center before taking the subject to a broader level, explaining what kind of role scrapyards can play in making sure the auto industry keeps getting greener.

“The subject covered in this article highlights an often overlooked aspect of the automotive industry, recycling. The author succeeds in demonstrating the importance that recycling centers play in the life cycle of a vehicle, going well beyond tires, batteries and metal as well as the challenges they must face. It also notes the responsibility that manufacturers must take in a circular economy to extend the life of their vehicles and spare parts in order to reintegrate production waste into the manufacturing process”, says Dominique Gargour, media director at Innocean Worldwide Canada.