The 24th Annual Emerald Awards
The Emerald Awards recognize and celebrate outstanding environmental achievements across all sectors in Alberta.
The recipients and finalists of the 24th Annual Emerald Awards were selected by a panel of knowledgeable third-party judges.
The 24th Annual Emerald Awards were presented on June 4, 2015 at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton.
Community Group & Nonprofit Association
Award Recipient
Camrose Wildlife and Greenspace Stewardship Project
Camrose Wildlife and Stewardship Society
This volunteer-based society is making the City of Camrose’s vision of “a greenspace network that enhances community values and quality of life for [city] residents” a reality. Since 2002, the CWSS increased community knowledge and engagement through interpretive events, high-profile stewardship activities, research projects, and an annual wildlife festival. In 2014, the city adopted a…
Shortlist
There are no other finalists in this category.
Education
Award Recipient
Green Commuting Hubs
Captain Nichola Goddard School
Many schools in Alberta are challenged with vehicle congestion and idling around school drop-off and pick-up points. A student-leadership group at Captain Nichola Goddard School found a solution to this environmental and safety risk. The Green Commuting Hubs program invites students to meet in various established hubs and, accompanied by a Grade 9 hub leader,…
Shortlist
There are no other finalists in this category.
Emerald Challenge Award: WATER
Award Recipient
Living by Water
Nature Alberta
In an ongoing effort to educate shoreline residents and communities on lake ecology and riparian health, the Living by Water program encourages responsible lake stewardship through promoting shoreline management. Advisors work one-on-one with residents to improve the condition of their watershed by evaluating their personal impact on water quality, shoreline health, and fish and wildlife…
Yellow Fish Road
Trout Unlimited Canada
When you walk through the streets of any major city in Alberta, you may see a bright-yellow fish painted on the storm drains reminding ‘only rain should be going down the drain.’ Celebrating its 24th anniversary, The Yellow Fish Road (YFR) program is Trout Unlimited Canada’s premiere environmental education program. This Alberta-grown educational phenomenon has reached…
Shortlist
There are no other finalists in this category.
Government Institution
Award Recipient
Designing for Wildlife Passage in an Increasingly Fragmented World
City of Edmonton
Habitat loss and fragmentation is the single largest threat to biodiversity conservation in an urban area. As large contiguous habitats are quickly converted into smaller more isolated remnants the value of maintaining functioning ecological connections between patches increases significantly. With the help of a multidisciplinary team, The City of Edmonton incorporated ecological infrastructure with human…
Shortlist
There are no other finalists in this category.
Individual Commitment
Award Recipient
Dr. Bonnie Shapiro
Dr. Shapiro has been an enthusiastic and passionate Science and Environmental Educator in the Province of Alberta for many years. She has provided tireless and committed support to promote environmental excellence through inspirational advisement and work with a generation of student teachers, practicing educators, hundreds of graduate students and members of the Alberta and Canadian Environmental…
Shortlist
There are no other finalists in this category.
Large Business
Award Recipient
Sandhill Fen Technical Advisory Committee
Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Reclamation research is integral to Syncrude fulfilling its commitment to return land disturbed by mining to a productive, biologically self-sustaining ecosystem. In 2008, Syncrude launched the Sandhill Fen Watershed Research Project to learn how to design and incorporate peat-forming wetlands into operational scale reclamation. The Sandhill Fen is the largest reclaimed wetland in the oil sands and…
Shortlist
There are no other finalists in this category.
Public Education and Outreach
Award Recipient
Quest/Destination Conservation Program
ConocoPhillips Canada
Since 2007, ConocoPhillips Canada School Environmental Quest has partnered with the Elements Society to fund the Destination Conservation Program, assisting schools in fostering an eco-friendly culture by reducing their global footprint and establishing student-led environmental projects and programs. Supporting 145 schools annually in Alberta, northeastern British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, the program grants schools…
Shortlist
There are no other finalists in this category.
Small Business
Award Recipient
Verge Permaculture
Rob & Michelle Avis
Rob and Michelle Avis envisioned Verge Permaculture as a way to provide real-world solutions to create more sustainable homes, resilient communities and a healthy eco-system; however, what they have accomplished goes far beyond teaching and gardening. Through their accredited Permaculture Design Courses, Verge Permaculture has produced a generation of graduates who apply this new integrated…
Shortlist
There are no other finalists in this category.
The Ron Kruhlak Youth Award
Award Recipient
Junior Achievement of Northern Alberta & NWT
For the past 50 years, Junior Achievement of Northern Alberta & NWT has engaged and inspired students from grades 3 to 12 in classrooms across Edmonton, Northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories. This has been possible thanks to the great partnerships with education and industry who recognize the importance of educating students about entrepreneurship, workforce…
Shortlist
There are no other finalists in this category.