Emerald Documentary Series – Season 6 | Discover Alberta-Based Environmental Solutions
The Emerald Documentary Series showcases the remarkable efforts of environmental leaders across Alberta. These inspiring micro-documentaries highlight innovative projects, passionate individuals, and groundbreaking initiatives building a more sustainable and resilient future for our province.
From reclaiming orphan wells to transforming stormwater management and restoring caribou habitats, Season 6 dives into Alberta-based solutions that drive sustainability forward.
A big thank you to The Distillery Film Company for their dedication to bringing this season to life!
Featured Videos
RenuWell Energy Solutions
Across Alberta, there are currently 170,000 inactive oil well sites, which is close to 340,000 acres of unusable land, most of which is agricultural land. Reclaiming these sites can take years and is often never the same.
With a background in Oil & Gas, Keith Hirsche had the idea to use these lands that had already been damaged and use them for renewable energy production, reducing the need to develop undisturbed land. This idea eventually evolved into RenuWell Energy Solutions, an organization dedicated to accelerating the closure of oil & gas lease areas and making them available for the agile and scalable deployment of small-scale solar facilities.
Cenovus’ Caribou Restoration Project
The Cenovus Caribou Habitat Restoration project has undertaken a significant endeavour to address the environmental challenges posed by development activities in the Boreal Forest of northern Alberta. The project is focused on restoring seismic disturbances in the Cold Lake Caribou range to sustain healthy caribou populations while also developing and sharing technical and scientific capacity in forest habitat restoration.
Over the years, the project has treated over 100,000 hectares and planted 1.6 million trees, making it the largest project of its kind globally.
Bill Wishart: A Lifetime of Impact on Alberta’s Fish and Wildlife Management Community
“We’ve got a lot to learn, but we’ve got lots to learn from” – Bill Wishart
Hear from Bill in this video as he reflects on his incredible 60-year-long career in Fish and Wildlife Management and shares words of wisdom on taking care of our beautiful planet.
Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park Society
As one of the largest urban parks in North America, Fish Creek Provincial Park boasts nearly 3,400 acres, nestled among three neighbourhoods on the Southside of Calgary, Alberta.
The Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to engaging park users through activities and awareness to conserve this unique naturalized urban park. With the help of their small but mighty staff and a team of nearly 300 volunteers from the local community, The Friends of Fish Creek take on numerous projects around the park aimed at restoring and conversing the landscape.
Repair for Good: Goodwill Industries of Alberta
Goodwill’s Repair for Good program doesn’t just divert 10,000 kg of furniture out of landfills each year; it provides skills training for people with disabilities, empowering them with the tools they need to gain employment.
Since 2021, the program has kept over 30,000 kg of furniture from being sent to landfills and trained over 30 volunteers!
Backyard Birds Nature Shop in Spruce Grove, Alberta
It all started when Alana Tollenaar graduated from university during the peak of the pandemic. After having a hard time finding a job in her field of study, she decided to take matters into her own hands and create a job for herself doing something she loved, and that’s when Backyard Birds Nature Shop was born.
Located in the heart of Downtown Spruce Grove, Alberta, Backyard Birds Nature Shop is dedicated to educating and inspiring our communities to notice the wildlife in their backyard and encourage them to protect it.
Livingston Pond E Storm Park – MAGNA Engineering
“When development happens, we replace grasses, trees, and soils with asphalt and pavement… there’s more runoff following a storm, and that has to be managed”
The traditional method of addressing runoff in areas with new development is through storm ponds. But MAGNA Engineering Services is bringing a new solution to Calgary and other Alberta municipalities – storm parks! These stormwater management facilities don’t just manage runoff, they integrate the surrounding community into its design, allowing residents to engage with nature in a non-invasive way.
Smart Sustainable Resilient Infrastructure Association
Buildings account for 18% of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions, and organizations like the Smart Sustainable Resilient Infrastructure Association (SSRIA) are seeking innovative solutions to this problem.
Through their three primary programs SSRIA is accelerating the adoption of innovative low-carbon solutions through demonstration project funding and supporting the growth of SMEs. Through project funding, SSRIA has demonstrated 38 technologies in 48 buildings across Alberta. Each project has averaged 62% energy savings—that’s equal to 8,000 tons of GHG emission reductions!
Social Work and Disaster Network – University of Calgary
As global temperatures rise and we experience more weather-related disasters, we need to change the way we prepare and respond; that’s where the Social Work and Disaster Network comes in.
Based out of the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Social Work, this network fosters connections and builds relationships between social work practitioners so that they’re better prepared to respond to the challenges that disasters present.
Alberta Envirothon
Access to in-depth environmental education isn’t always available to all students. Sometimes, this happens because they’re from a small community or because their school isn’t as focused on science. Despite these circumstances, students across Alberta have the opportunity to dig deeper into various environmental topics through Alberta Envirothon!
Since 1997, Alberta Envirothon has hosted competitions for high school students across the province, helping them explore environmental science and natural resource management. Over 600 learners from over 30 communities have participated in the program.
Alberta Conservation Association Land Management Program
Alberta is home to many incredible landscapes. From the grasslands to the rocky mountains, each unique space has so much to offer, whether fishing, hiking, or anything in between. However, these lands don’t exist in a vacuum; they need to be taken care of so Albertans and others can enjoy them for generations to come.
Since 1997, the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) has been fulfilling the role of caretaker by conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife populations and their habitats for Albertans to enjoy, value, and use.
Sustainable Projects Group
Buildings play a big role in our response to climate change, and The Sustainable Projects Group (SPG) is leading the way in maximizing their potential. SPG operates holistically, aiming to reduce energy consumption, minimize GHG emissions, and lower operating costs through various services tailored to a diverse clientele.
“If we start doing [this] at every one of these buildings in every major city across Canada, then we’re getting a long way to meeting our carbon [reduction] targets” – Lindsey Tourand, Sustainable Building Strategist, SPG
Looking for more stories of environmental excellence? Check out other seasons of the Emerald Documentary Series to discover Alberta-made solutions to the environmental challenges we face