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, documentary film, and community conversation series.
When ...
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, bargainistas, and upcyclers pay by the pound or at discounted prices. In ...
Green Calgary
After 40 years serving Calgary communities with a number of environmental programs, Green Calgary has found a new niche as the voice for those just starting their ‘green’ journey. From youth programs in waste, water and energy efficiency to adult efforts on food sustainability and green cleaning, Green Calgary is refocusing its attention on environmental literacy, awareness and action for all Calgarians.
As of Spring 2017, those ...
RiverWatch Institute of Alberta
Have you ever wondered where rain and snow melt goes beyond the storm drain? Some assume such water is treated and then sent out into the river, but that’s not the case. Now, thanks to CreekWatch, citizen scientists are finding out exactly what pollutants are in these water sources—everything from concrete and plastic to garbage and animal droppings.
A spinoff of the popular RiverWatch program, a student-focused ...
City of Calgary
We all know about the savings that come from switching out home light bulbs in hanging fixtures and lamps to LED, so imagine what can be saved when an entire city retrofits street lights with LED luminaires? That’s just what Calgary has done with a four-year, $32 million project, laying claim to the largest LED retrofit in Canadian municipal history (and even finishing the project 1.5 years ...
Lonny Balbi
Lonny Balbi offers the secret of success for Calgary’s Bike to Work Day, a one-day event now in its 12th year with over 5,000 participants peddling into the city core – keep it simple.
Long advised to have registration fees and sponsors, Balbi has instead kept the event bare-bones, determined that anyone can hop on a bike that day and ride for the fun of it. Hosting ...
Syncrude Canada Ltd & the Fort McKay First Nation
When a large corporation in Alberta’s oil sands teams with a neighbouring First Nations community to repurpose reclaimed land, it’s a good thing. But when a threatened species of wood buffalo flourish, creating a genetically pure line of animal that is culturally significant to this and future generations of the First Nations people of Ft. McKay, it’s a great thing.
In 1993, 30 wood bison from Elk ...
If there’s an example of taking the classroom out into the real world, Innovate has to be it. In fact, there’s no classroom at all with this unique program. Instead, Edmonton high school students host and attend career fairs on urban agriculture, create gym-sized maps to understand the migration routes of bears, and install solar panels on school rooftops.
Teacher Aaron Dublenko works with students and teachers ...
SAIT ARIS Green Building Technologies
SAIT’s Green Building Technologies (GBT) Lab and Demonstration Centre is Calgary’s first net-zero commercial building—a living research lab that is an innovative example for the green building and structure sector to see, feel and understand how to design, build and live more sustainably. Working with government and industry partners and available for research and development to post-secondary students (capstone projects) and for public tours, the GBT Lab is getting ...
Alberta Environment and Parks
Calgary students and residents know the gem they have in the Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre. For over 35 years, its home in a 1,300 hectare urban park has connected people with nature: the birds, animals and landscape not only create an outdoor classroom for 15,000 students each year, it’s also a space for the 180,000 residents in 18 communities bordering the park to enjoy cycling or a walk. ...