28th Annual Emerald Awards | Alberta Emerald Foundation

Community Group or Not-for-Profit Association: Grassroots

Finalists

Solar Energy Society of Alberta

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.

SESA offers:

Free Public Seminars on various solar and energy efficiency topics ...

Riparian Health Action Plan

North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance (NSWA)

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 three phases of our project are to:

1. Complete an inventory and assess the condition of riparian areas in the Watershed.

2. Collaborate with local municipalities to develop coordinating riparian bylaws.

3. Develop and support programs that incentivize ...

Conserving Alberta’s Most Fragmented Ecoregion

Edmonton and Area Land Trust

The Edmonton and Area Land Trust (EALT) celebrated its 10th Anniversary of conserving, stewarding and enhancing the region’s natural areas for citizens to value and enjoy. This effort is long term, taking years to conserve just one parcel; but years of hard work and significant commitment to the environment is evident in the 12 natural areas now conserved, in this the most fragmented and densely populated ecoregion in Alberta.

...

Community Group or Not-for-Profit: Large Organization

Finalists

Goodwill Edmonton Impact Centre Sustainability Program

Goodwill Edmonton Impact Centre

The concept behind the Goodwill Impact Centre (GIC) is all about sustainability. It is about providing a positive impact on the environment while providing employment for Albertans with disabilities. The GIC is home to Goodwill’s first outlet store in Alberta where donated goods have a second chance to be sold to consumers at discounted prices. Once a donated item passes through one of Goodwill’s retail locations and does not sell ...

“Dream big and take a small step”, The Calgary Zoo’s Commitment to being a conservation organization and the need to operate and educate in sustainability and environmental management.

Calgary Zoo

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 action ...

Green Way My Way – Sustainable Commuting at Momentum

Momentum

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 Green ...

Education: Post-Secondary

Finalists

Land Reclamation International Graduate School

Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences University of Alberta

Land reclamation is the process of converting disturbed land to former or other productive uses. Land reclamation professionals are increasingly in demand as our growing human population parallels a rapidly degrading land base from urban sprawl, soil erosion, resource extraction and industrial development. Thus, one of the most pressing challenges of this century is to reclaim disturbed lands around the world to secure the livelihood of future generations. The Land ...

NSERC TRIA-Net: Turning Risk Into Action

University of Alberta

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 impacts ...

Emerald Challenge: Climate Change

Finalists

Brookfield Residential Symons Gate Passive Haus

Brookfield Residential

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!

The catchphrase commonly used to describe a Passive House (Passiv Haus) is ‘you can heat it with a hairdryer and cool it with an ice cube,'” says Doug Owens, ...

Indigenous Electricity Technical Working Group

The Indigenous Electricity Technical Working Group (IETWG) includes membership of Indigenous (Métis and First Nations) practitioners from communities to inform government direction and develop technical expertise in electricity at a re-occurring table. It includes technicians from various regions, organizations, and interested communities. It also includes representatives from GoA ministries and agencies, including Alberta Climate Change Office, Alberta Electricity System Operator, Alberta Energy, and Indigenous Relations.

The tasks of ...

Software Platform Enables GHG Reductions at Scale

Carbon Credit Solutions Inc.

Carbon taxes and carbon markets dominate our political and environmental discourse. If you are reading this application, you appreciate how confusing and complex this system can be. Just recently, our provincial news blew up with misinformation about this subject.

As the Alberta Emerald Foundation and Carbon Credit Solutions Inc. (CCSI), we share a mission to celebrate environmental excellence even when the subject matter is difficult to explain. The ...

Government Institution

Finalists

Change Homes for Climate: Edmonton’s EnerGuide Residential Labeling Program

City of Edmonton

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.

The program consists of a home evaluation that includes recommendations on upgrades/renovations (for existing homes) and an ...

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

City of Edmonton

Natural assets form a valuable part of Edmonton’s landscape, provide essential ecosystem services and are the richest ecological sites (ecosites) within the city. • Edmonton is committed to “understand[ing] ecosystems and ecosystem services upon which Edmonton depends, valuing and protecting them as Edmonton grows.” Following this direction, the Office of Biodiversity embarked upon an innovative project that saw the standardization, through ecological vegetation classification, of a new and comprehensive Municipal ...

Large Business

Finalists

Propane Autogas in School Buses – SOUTHLAND’s Commitment to a Clean and Sustainable Future.

Southland Transportation

Southland commenced exploring propane as an alternative to diesel fuel in our School Bus fleet in the 1980’s. Their partnership with the automotive industry has evolved, and by means of financial commitments, they have gradually increased our propane School Bus fleet to a total of 535 buses by 2018. Their propane fleet ranks as follows: Largest propane fleet of School Buses in Canada and, Third largest privately owned fleet of ...

SPUD.ca: Let’s Not Waste!

SPUD.ca

SPUD.ca is an online grocery delivery service with a focus on local and organic food. Since opening in Calgary in 2005 and Edmonton in 2014, SPUD has been committed to providing simple access to real, healthy, local food in communities across the province. SPUD brings positive change to people’s lives by supporting sustainable food systems that cultivate healthy communities, caring for the earth’s natural harvest, and reducing our ...

Lifetime Achievement

Finalists

Lloyd Dahl

Lloyd was born in 1929 in Donalda Alberta. His childhood was spent farming land, mainly by hand, and helping others in the Buena Vista area with their farms.

While working for the Village of Alix he developed many parks and playgrounds around the community. He also developed the Alix Lake Campground and the Haunted Lake Campground north of Alix.

In 1987, he retired and went on ...

Dr Robert Page, Lifetime Environmental Influencer and Bridge Builder

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.

He spent two terms as Dean, Environmental Design, U of C training environmental professionals. He was then recruited to be TransAlta’s VP, Sustainable Development, the largest Alberta Electrical Utility where he won global awards for the company’s environmental ...

David Owen Trew, Lifetime Achievement in Water Resource Management

Dave Trew has recently retired after a 50-year career as a water scientist, including 44 years in Alberta as a government scientist and as the executive director of the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance. Over the course of his time in Alberta, Dave led or participated in numerous important studies and initiatives to protect lakes, rivers, and wetlands in Alberta, along with the species they are home to. Dave’s bibliography includes ...

Public Education and Outreach

Finalists

Natural Leaders Project

City of Lethbridge – Helen Schüler Nature Centre

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.

This unique program goes ...

Empower Me Alberta

Empower Me

Launched in 2012, Empower Me is Canada’s only energy conservation and behaviour change program aimed at members of diverse, multilingual communities. It is a peer-to-peer program, delivered in communities, and in language. Empower Me helps participants understand energy bills and choices, save energy, save money, and increase the comfort and safety of their homes.

While energy conservation, rebate messaging and safety information is widely available, it’s almost always ...

Alberta Tomorrow: Planning for a Better Future

Alberta Tomorrow

The Alberta Tomorrow Foundation (albertatomorrow.ca) is an eco-hero because to date it has educated more than 12 000 Albertans on land-use and has given many students exposure to critical, real life, environmentally sensitive decisions being made in Alberta. Alberta Tomorrow is a free, online, educational tool that educates Albertans on the importance of sustainable land-use planning. Alberta Tomorrow is critically reviewed and has a board of ...

Shared Footprints Award

Finalists

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

Battle River Watershed Alliance

Finding Common Ground is a three-part project meant to increase knowledge, dialogue, and action about energy and climate change in the Battle River Watershed. The project has three distinct parts: the Bike Tour, the Documentary, and the Community Conversation Series.

The project started with a three-day bike tour exploring the energy options and opportunities of the region. 25 community members participated in the tour, stopping at 14 sites ...

fRI Research Grizzly Bear Program

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 of the GBP has been built from its long-term partnerships with ...

The Goatworks Program

City of Edmonton

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, etc.) ...

Small Business

Finalists

Promoting Environmental Sustainablity Through the Crepe and Shake Cafe

Crepe and Shake Cafe Ltd

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 Jesus” ...

Move the World!

College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving

Suncana Energy

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.

Youth

Finalists

Sustainability Leadership Council

MacEwan University

This team of student leaders has been involved with nearly 20 projects that provide educational, skill and community building opportunities to students, staff and faculty, and external community members at MacEwan University. Their work has been featured in campus news, and this Winter, they presented on their initiatives at the AB Student Leadership Summit. The majority are under 25 years of age.

THE 28TH ANNUAL EMERALD AWARDS Will be presented on june 4, 2019.

Community Group or Not-for-Profit Association: Grassroots

Finalists

Community Group or Not-for-Profit: Large Organization

Finalists

Education: Post-Secondary

Finalists

Emerald Challenge: Climate Change

Finalists

Government Institution

Finalists

Large Business

Finalists

Lifetime Achievement

Finalists

Public Education and Outreach

Finalists

Shared Footprints Award

Finalists

Small Business

Finalists

Youth

Finalists