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. Click here to see our eco-friendly digital program!
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!
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 
In 2016, the NSWA embarked on a 3-phase Riparian Health Action Plan to improve aquatic ecosystem health across the North Saskatchewan River watershed.
The Solar Energy Society of Alberta (SESA) is dedicated to advancing the awareness, understanding and use of solar energy as well as other renewable energy and conservation technologies. SESA is an EcoHero because they have been teaching Albertans about these technologies since 1991, partnering with provincial and municipal governments, academic institutions, and other community organizations.
The Green Team Council’s contributions to environmental protection have focused on reducing land pollution, education of the zoo community and environmental resource management. The zoo’s sustainability efforts have developed and expanded with the overarching goal to continue to create a more sustainable future for the organization while taking action for wildlife and wild places. Building off this philosophy and with our passionate advocates at the helm, we started taking ...
Momentum is striving to become a leader in the field of supporting employees to sustainably commute to work. As a not-for-profit, community organization, Momentum has made significant effort to promote more sustainable commuting for employees through a sustainable commuter bonus and creative staff awards to celebrate sustainable commuting – the good, bad and just plain boring of commuting to work by walking, riding a bike or taking transit. The ...
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 from real-life reclamation projects. It turned out to be a groundbreaking idea and the ...
The NSERC TRIA-Network: turning risk into action (2013-2018) for the Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic was founded in the TRIA Project which ran from 2007-2012. The collective focus of the TRIA Networks was deciphering the MPB complex using sophisticated research methodologies and communication. Heightened concern over the extent to which the MPB infestation could affect Alberta’s pine forests prompted an immediate coordinated response. It was envisaged there would be significant ...
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 and Métis leaders, technical experts, the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO), and provincial and ...
Brookfield Residential has built one of the greenest houses ever constructed in Alberta. The “Brookfield Residential Passiv Haus” will use 90% less energy than a typical new home constructed today. And this prairie house doesn’t come with a furnace!
Carbon Credit Solutions Inc. has created the most successful software platform for measuring, reporting and verifying GHG emission reductions on the planet. Their organization has grown revenue 1460% in 5 years, reducing the equivalent of one-million cars off the road in emissions.
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 to recognize municipal natural assets such as stormwater ponds and urban agriculture which provide ...
Edmonton’s residential labeling program helps Edmontonians understand the energy performance of a home and obtain expert advice on how to make it more energy efficient and comfortable. But Edmonton’s program goes beyond the individual home, as the labeling system allows for comparisons between homes so the market can make informed decisions.
Sustainable Produce Urban Delivery (
Reaching as far back as the 1980’s, Southland began exploring alternatives to the use diesel in their school buses. Resourcefulness is one of their core values and they embrace initiatives and innovative ways to get things done. Their fleet of school buses boasts over 500 propane powered vehicles and have become the largest privately-owned propane fleet in Canada and the third largest in North America. The change to propane ...
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 self-esteem, improved mental health, and had a greater sense of responsibility. Lloyd went on ...
Dr. Page has been a vigorous and innovative Alberta environmental leader, educator and bridge builder bringing together business, NGO, education, and government to advance environmental understanding and find sustainable solutions.
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. 
The Natural Leaders Project (NLP) is an immersive, year-long environmental leadership program designed to build ecological literacy, connect residents to place, and inspire stewardship and innovation. This program works with Grade 5-9 students and teachers, school administrations and districts, community partners, businesses, post-secondary institutions, members of the Blackfoot community, and the City of Lethbridge to create a community of knowledgeable, empowered and activated citizens.
The Alberta Tomorrow Foundation (
The Grizzly Bear Program (GBP) was created at fRI Research in 1998 to provide knowledge and planning tools to land and resource managers to ensure the long-term conservation of grizzly bears in Alberta. Under the guidance of Program Lead Gordon Stenhouse, the GBP has become widely recognized for excellent science, practical solutions, and strong partnerships. The success of the GBP has been built from its long-term partnerships with government, ...
The three-year GoatWorks Pilot Project was established to explore the use of goat browse an alternative weed management tool on City parkland. The project further aims to connect with Edmontonians to build a better understanding of the City’s integrated pest management practices. The benefits of this pilot, if successful, will have a positive impact on the environment (such as reduced carbon emissions from not mowing, less use of herbicide, ...
Leon Kassian, after hearing about the 
In August of 1932, four nuns from the French Roman Catholic congregation “Les Filles de Jesus” (Daughters of Jesus) arrived in Beaumont, Alberta. In 1939, a new convent was built. When the nuns were not serving the Community they would spend their time maintaining their one-acre property: growing fruit and vegetables and looking after fruit trees which are still here today. Although the Religious Sisters of “Les Filles de ...
Suncana Energy has developed the Grid Guard system, a smart micro-grid technology that is portable. These systems are built in Calgary using revectored oil and gas instrumentation personnel. Suncana is innovating new tech that will be part of the next generation in renewable power. They are currently nationally recognized trainers for the safe installation, system design and CSA certification of solar.