The Cochrane High School Sustainable Development Committee has been involved in the planning, design and installation of a 5 kW Evance R9000 wind turbine on their school property. This committee’s motto is to be the change they wish to see in this world and their mandate is to transform their school’s operations and activities into those that are sustainable and, thus, achieving greater efficiency. Installation of the 5 kW wind ...
Nikki Heck is an example of how one person can make a big difference within a large corporation. For nearly a decade, Nikki has shown environmental leadership and personal dedication by working to protect avian species on AltaLink’s electric system. Prior to Nikki’s work, the impacts resulting from avian–power line interactions were virtually unknown, despite birds causing an estimated 20 per cent of all power outages. Through the implementation of ...
For more than 20 years, Dory has created and organized events and campaigns to help bring awareness and positive change to many environmental issues. In response to manufacturers using excessive amounts of packaging when marketing products, she organized a national letter-writing campaign generating more than 145,000 letters. She wanted to clean up areas that were polluted with garbage, so she organized and participated in more than 30 area clean-ups. Dory ...
Since 1988, Mike has worked at the University of Calgary’s Kananaskis Field Station (now called Biogeoscience Institute BGS) where he has pioneered the development, implementation and evaluation of field-based education programs to enhance ecological understanding for students, teachers and educators, policy makers and the general public. Mike has worked tirelessly to create programs for students and teachers ranging from day trips to week long residential field trips. He has taken ...
Lonny Balbi, Q.C., is an avid cyclist, noted humanitarian and environmental sustainability advocate. It was these three passions that led him to create Calgary’s most recognizable cycling-themed environmental support event – Bike to Work Day. As the founder and inspirational leader of this annual event, Lonny Balbi devotes countless hours of his own time, as well as the resources of Balbi & Company Legal Centre, the law practice he founded ...
Alberta’s Department of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development actively pursues innovative solutions that balance economic, environmental and social concerns. Stewardship requires particular emphasis be placed on conservation of aquatic habitats and sensitive lands. The problem is traditional mapping of water in Alberta relies upon photo interpretation. But unseen, wet areas, soils that are sensitive to disturbance and small channels remain unknown to resource planners. The Department commenced on what has ...
The Legacy Pointe Built Green/Secondary Suite Pilot project demonstrates an innovative and sustainable reuse of a surplus school sites. The project provides valuable neighbourhood infill and density with construction of energy-efficient, BuiltGreen homes containing secondary rental suites. Legacy Pointe is an attainable housing project with new owners eligible for Cornerstone Grants of up to $20,000 providing they agree to rent to persons of median income for five years.
Higher education plays a key role demonstrating and advancing sustainability in society. To advance the University of Alberta’s performance, the Board of Governors endorsed the campus sustainability initiative in 2008 and creation of the Office of Sustainability. Launched in 2009, the office delivers programs in three focus areas: outreach & engagement, academic teaching & research and facilities & operations. This nomination concentrates on the outreach & engagement focus area which: ...
Shirley Pickering’s leadership on progressive water management and stewardship has no peers in the private, volunteer, or public sectors. She has built community and agency capacity and then crafted strategies that address intractable watershed issues with solutions that last because they meet provincial needs and are based on community consensus and technical competency. Shirley’s accomplishments stand in marked contrast to her deliberate, modest and self-effacing manner. She gives freely of ...
Youth Wavemakers engages Alberta youth to take action on local and global water issues. Since 2008, this program has reached 20,000 youth and educators, who in turn have raised awareness with another 60,000 people in their communities on water issues. This increased awareness has catalyzed independent action in these communities through youth action projects. From reducing domestic water use to building rainwater storage tanks and retrofitting schools with water saving ...