Emerald Awards celebrate environmental excellence in Alberta
June 5, 2025
From a Fort Chipewyan company whose technology for washing floor mats cuts water use and CO₂ emissions, to a solar greenhouse project that gives Red Deer Public School students hands-on experience in sustainable food production and energy-efficient building design, to a 30-acre community farm in Calgary rooted in Blackfoot wisdom, the nominees for the 34th annual Emerald Awards have made an impact across all of Alberta.
But a common thread runs through the nominations from 14 communities. They have all raised the bar to address environmental challenges.
The Emerald Foundation will hand out awards in 14 different categories on June 5th in Edmonton. The awards have showcased nearly 400 recipients and 900 finalists since 1992.
“It’s unique because the Emerald Awards are the only program in Canada to recognize environmental excellence across a diverse range of sectors,” says Sabrina Huot, the foundation’s Communications and Engagement Specialist. “This is a nonpartisan space to celebrate the excellence of innovators in this province, whether they are youth, nonprofit groups, municipalities, educators or businesses.”
Pathways Alliance is one of the sponsors of the Emerald Awards, which Navjeet Sidhu, Pathways’ Manager for Stakeholder Engagement, sees as a key part of the organization’s wider commitment to promoting innovation and environmental projects.
“In addition to sponsoring the awards, Pathways is also proud to support the foundation’s youth grants, which empower young people aged five to 25 to take on environmental projects that inspire change and foster environmental stewardship” says Sidhu. “By providing up to $1,000 to fund those projects, we hope we are helping bring along the next generation of innovators who will help make a difference.”
A third-party panel of volunteer judges shortlisted three nominees for each of the 14 categories based on the degree of environmental impact and impact on the community. Judges also factored each project’s alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Seventh Generation Principle on ensuring a more sustainable world seven generations into the future.
Award recipients will receive a $1,500 grant to further their environmental work as well as a custom trophy, crafted from recycled chopsticks by ChopValue YYC. They will also be featured in the Emerald Documentary Series.
The foundation will also present a lifetime achievement award to Dr. Brad Stelfox, the developer of the ALCES (A Landscape Cumulative Effects Simulator) modelling system that assesses how land uses, natural disturbance regimes, and people affect and interact with natural ecosystems and human-created landscapes. Government agencies, Indigenous communities, conservationists, and industry groups have adopted ALCES, which has shaped Alberta’s Land Use Framework, regional watershed management strategies and resource extraction policies.
You can find a complete list of this year’s Emerald Award nominees here.
