28th Annual Emerald Awards

Emerald Awards recognize and celebrate outstanding environmental achievements across all sectors in Alberta. A third-party panel of knowledgeable judges was tasked with selecting a maximum of three finalists per category, one of which has been named the category recipient at the Emerald Awards ceremony.

The 28th Annual Emerald Awards were presented on June 4, 2019 at Triffo Theatre in Edmonton.

Photo Gallery

Pierrette Requier, former Poet Laureate, reciting her poem at the 28th Annual Emerald Awards. Click to read A Round of the Seasons / La ronde des saisons on our blog!

Community Group or Not-for-Profit Association: Grassroots

Award Recipient

Conserving Alberta’s Most Fragmented Ecoregion

Edmonton and Area Land Trust

The area surrounding Edmonton is considered the most fragmented and densely populated ecoregion in Alberta. In the 1990s, public support for a local land trust began to build. Six organizations wanting to conserve native habitats through public engagement joined forces to create the Edmonton and Area Land Trust (EALT). With only six volunteers, limited public…

Shortlist

There are no other finalists in this category.

Community Group or Not-for-Profit: Large Organization

Award Recipient

Goodwill Edmonton Impact Centre Sustainability Program

Goodwill Edmonton Impact Centre

The Goodwill Impact Centre (GIC) is the first of its kind in Western Canada. The GIC opened its doors in 2017 and illustrates how this non-profit organization is taking its commitment to reusing, repurposing, and recycling to another level. Overlooked treasures from their Edmonton region thrift stores are sent to the GIC outlet, where DIYers,…

Shortlist

There are no other finalists in this category.

Education: Post-Secondary

Award Recipient

Land Reclamation International Graduate School

Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences University of Alberta

When Dr. Anne Naeth was in the early days of her career in land reclamation, she had a vision. Naeth imagined a graduate school dedicated solely to the study of land reclamation, where students would not only study in an interdisciplinary academic environment, but would be given a chance to connect with experts and learn…

Shortlist

There are no other finalists in this category.

Emerald Challenge: Climate Change

Award Recipient

Indigenous Electricity Technical Working Group

The Indigenous Electricity Technical Working Group (IETWG) was created to explore Indigenous participation in the growing renewable energy industry. The group was a result of the Government of Alberta’s move towards 30% renewable energy by 2030 and a commitment to foster a greater socio-economic capacity for Alberta’s Indigenous Peoples. The IETWG brought together First Nation…

Shortlist

There are no other finalists in this category.

Government Institution

Award Recipient

Natural Asset Mapping: A strong tool for effective local and regional conservation planning, protection and stewardship

City of Edmonton

With the release of the Government of Alberta’s Primary Land and Vegetation Inventory (PLVI) in 2010, over 75% of rural Alberta was described by this and other provincial land-cover inventories. While the project mapped rural parts of the province, densely populated urban areas were simply classified as combinations of residential or industrial development and neglected…

Shortlist

There are no other finalists in this category.

Large Business

Award Recipient

SPUD.ca: Let’s Not Waste!

SPUD.ca

Sustainable Produce Urban Delivery (SPUD) sources and delivers local groceries to their customer’s doorsteps. Since expanding to Alberta in 2005, the company has modelled how a social enterprise can “change the world, one bite at a time”. Part of SPUD’s commitment to sustainability has been to model how food waste can be minimized in innovative…

Shortlist

There are no other finalists in this category.

Lifetime Achievement

Award Recipient

Lloyd Dahl

Lloyd Dahl was raised on a farm near Donalda, Alberta, which fostered his lifelong passion for the natural world. After working in a sawmill in BC, Lloyd began a lengthy career with what later became Corrections Canada (CSC). He noticed that inmates who worked on campgrounds in wilderness areas and park trails throughout BC gained…

Shortlist

There are no other finalists in this category.

Public Education and Outreach

Award Recipient

Empower Me Alberta

Empower Me

More than one in five of Albertan households pay more than double the national average of the percentage of their income on their utility bills. Empower Me, Alberta’s first energy efficiency program targeted at hard-to-reach communities, bridges cultural and language gaps by informing people from multilingual, multicultural, and vulnerable communities about important energy and utility…

Shortlist

There are no other finalists in this category.

Shared Footprints Award

Award Recipient

Finding Common Ground: Exploring Energy Options and Opportunities in the Battle River Watershed

Battle River Watershed Alliance

The Battle River Watershed Alliance (BRWA) has a focus that extends far beyond just its lakes and rivers. The non-profit develops innovative ways for the public to connect with broader issues that impact their watershed region. In 2017, the BRWA created a government sponsored project with three distinct parts: The Finding Common Ground bike tour,…

Shortlist

There are no other finalists in this category.

Small Business

Award Recipient

Move the World!

College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving

Leon Kassian, after hearing about the College HUNKS concept from his brother-in-law, made the journey to Tampa, Florida to learn more. The one-stop pickup for junk removal with an eco-friendly twist inspired him to open the first College HUNKS franchise in Canada. Whether they are helping a family downsize, decluttering an office, or removing debris…

Shortlist

There are no other finalists in this category.

Youth

Award Recipient

Sustainability Leadership Council

MacEwan University

MacEwan University’s Office of Sustainability launched the Sustainability Leadership Council (SLC) in 2016 as a means for students to make their dream sustainability projects come to life. The SLC’s volunteer squad has grown from 10 to 35 people and has been involved in over 20 projects since its inception. Since 2017, the SLC has partnered…

Shortlist

There are no other finalists in this category.