The Alberta Emerald Foundation Announces 25th Annual Emerald Awards Finalists

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Today, at Calgary’s Eau Claire Market, hopeful nominees joined the Alberta Emerald Foundation (AEF), its sponsors, volunteers and other members from the local community, for the announcement of the 25th Annual Emerald Awards Finalists.

Over the past weeks, a panel of knowledgeable third-party judges with cross-sectoral experience rose to the challenge of narrowing down the brilliant examples of innovation and environmental achievement nominated this year for the uniquely-Albertan award. A maximum of three nominees in each of the ten Emerald Award categories have been selected as a finalist. Only one per category will take home the award.

“The Alberta Emerald Foundation is at the forefront of celebrating great achievements in sustainable development, bringing awareness to the many unique environmental projects occurring throughout Alberta,” says Aaron Dublenko, past Emerald Award recipient and member of the current judging panel. “Whether it’s schools, industry, government, non-governmental agencies, large or small companies, anyone can be acknowledged for their ingenuity in sustainable practices. Such recognition reminds us that despite the many pressures our air, water and soil face, people are working tirelessly to use less, reduce their footprints and educate others on how to do the same.”

“We are the only Foundation in the country to recognize the important work of environmental leaders across all sectors,” says Andy Etmanski, Chair of the Board, AEF. “By honouring and elevating the ingenuity, dedication and hard work of these individuals and organizations, we inspire others to follow their example, benefiting all Albertans with a healthier and cleaner environment.”

The Emerald Awards recognize and celebrate environmental excellence achieved by individuals, not-for-profit associations, large and small corporations, community groups and governments from across Alberta. Since 1992, the Emerald Awards has recognized over 475 finalists and 280 recipients who have demonstrated creative thinking and innovation in environmental management systems, technologies and education programs.

The 25th Annual Emerald Awards will be presented on June 8, 2016 at Telus Spark in Calgary.

Congratulations to ALUS in Alberta and Beaver Hills Initiative for being named finalists in the Shared Footprint category!

To read the full list of finalists, visit the Alberta Emerald Foundation’s website here.

AREF Announces Support of the Energy Futures Lab

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The Board of Governors of the Alberta Real Estate Foundation (AREF) approved a grant of $250,000 to foster community engagement with a focus on energy literacy across Alberta through the Energy Futures Lab. This is a bold commitment by AREF toward co-creating the province’s energy future as part of the Foundation’s 25th anniversary.

“This is an important conversation to have in the province and it affects all Albertans.” Charlie Ponde, Chair of the AREF Board of Governors states. “The Board is pleased that the Energy Futures Lab is representing a microcosm of Alberta as a whole by engaging industry, government, academia, non-for-profit and First Nations to achieve a robust and constructive conversation.”

Cheryl De Paoli, AREF’s Executive Director, and an EFL Steering Committee Member for the past year, adds, “We want people to really understand where their energy comes from, and to understand what it means to talk about renewables and innovation. We have to get beyond an “Us vs. Them” argument and a commitment to energy literacy is going to be a big part of getting us there.”

AREF’s funding is to support the Energy Futures Lab’s public engagement commitment to share more broadly EFL Fellowship discussions, prototyping and new innovations with communities across Alberta.

“Our grant to the Energy Futures Lab is AREF’s commitment to Alberta’s innovative spirit.” Cheryl De Paoli states, “We have a history of incredible ingenuity in getting oil and gas out of the ground and to market. And this spirit will be critical in setting ourselves on a path to move beyond oil and gas, and to position Alberta as a global energy leader now and into the future.”

One of the major opportunities to engage Albertans in shaping their energy future is the Newtonian Shift game which is an immersive simulation game that condenses 20 years of energy transition into a single day. Players take on one of a variety of roles within an outdated and inefficient energy system and collaborate in order to create the energy system of the future or risk being left behind. Over the coming year, a series of game sessions will be hosted in communities across Alberta. The first two of these will be held in Calgary on Thursday, April 7 and Edmonton on Thursday, April 14.

Read the full announcement on the Energy Futures Lab here.

The grant is made under the AREF’s new Community Innovation funding stream which supports projects, practices and ideas that encourage experimentation with the goal of creating new ways of realizing community potential and character within Alberta.

Board Chair named REALTOR® of the Year

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We are delighted to announce that Alberta Real Estate Foundation Board Chair, Charlie Ponde, was named REALTOR® of the Year at the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton’s gala dinner on March 4th, 2016.

Charlie has been an active and full-time member of the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton ever since he entered the real estate profession in 1992. Charlie was elected and served as the President of the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton in 2000. He has served on numerous committees relating to real estate including AREX Claims Committee, the Edmonton Realtors’ Charitable Foundation (Governor and President), the Arbitration and Professional Standards Committee, the Technology Committee and the Government and Political Action Committee.

Charlie is also an active member of the community. His involvement includes the Affordable Housing Committee, Sign of Hope Campaign – Catholic Social Services, The Christmas Bureau, Realty Watch and the Neighborhood Watch Programs, St. Albert Lottery Board, St. Albert’s City Plan 2000 Advisory Committee (Municipal Development Plan), the Edmonton Immigrant Services Association and is a Director with CARP, a seniors national advocacy organization.

Charlie was named Chair of the Alberta Real Estate Foundation Board on January 1, 2016.

On behalf of the Board of Governors and staff of the Alberta Real Estate Foundation, we would like to offer our sincere congratulations to Charlie on this achievement. Thank you for your dedication to the industry and the community!

Read the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton announcement here.

 

March 2016 Community Investment

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The Board of Governors of the Alberta Real Estate Foundation approved $445,000 in community investment projects at their recent meeting.

The Alberta Real Estate Foundation (AREF) supports initiatives that enhance the real estate industry and benefit the communities of Alberta. AREF was set up in 1991 under the Alberta Real Estate Act. Since then, it has awarded approximately 17 million dollars in community and industry grants to over 550 projects across Alberta.

AREF is currently celebrating its 25th Anniversary of making a difference in Alberta. To celebrate we launched a new area of interest call Community Innovation and will be highlighting past grantees. Keep in touch with AREF through our website or on Twitter (@arefabca) to ensure you do not miss out on what is to come!

Projects approved at the March meeting include:

Accessible Housing Accessible U

Accessible U is an information hub about accessibility, especially in residential environments. Meeting information needs for Albertans experiencing mobility barriers, Accessible U is committed to making relevant, understandable information readily available to everyone. We’re creating a space to inform and empower people, creating a more accessible Alberta.

Alberta Rural Development Network (ARDN) ARDN Sustainable Housing Initiative

There is an acute shortage of affordable housing in many rural Alberta communities. ARDN will work with several rural communities to start addressing this issue by conducting affordable housing needs assessments and feasibility studies in a coordinated and cost effective manner, and create and share a model of best practices.

Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) Communications and Outreach for the ALUS Alberta Municipal Alliance (AAMA)

The AAMA is made up of ten ALUS communities, led by ALUS in partnership with municipalities. These programs are changing private land and conservation dynamics in several ways: they incentivize conservation activities on agricultural land by paying for ecosystem services; they build ownership over conservation and community support (each community forms a Partnership Advisory Committee made up of farmers, municipal officials, realtors, watershed based conservation groups, etc.); and they achieve measurable, verified conservation.

Capital Region Housing Foundation (HOME Program) MOVE Forward

The MOVE Forward Program encompasses education, counselling and advocacy, and referral to service providers to assist and support individuals to become successful, stable tenants/renters. Program components include 12 hours of in-class education deigned to create a personalized plan for stable housing; improve an individual’s communication skills, and create a workable household budget that makes rent a priority. The core of the program is the education component of six 120 minute sessions delivered by a team of specialized facilitators and community experts.

Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST) Alberta Water Issues CAWST Capacity Building Workshop Package

CAWST is bringing its model for adult water education home to Alberta. With local partners, we will co-develop and pilot 3-5 lesson plans that introduce members of corporate groups and community organizations to water and sanitation issues, building their capacity to protect Alberta’s resources and share this knowledge.

The Natural Step Energy Futures Lab

The Energy Futures Lab (EFL) is an Alberta-based collaboration for tackling the interconnected issues of climate change, energy security, and sustainable development today in order to build the foundation for Alberta’s future prosperity. The convening question for the EFL is: How can Alberta’s leadership position in today’s energy system serve as a platform for the transition to the energy system that the future requires of us? We are requesting funding to develop and implement the public engagement stream of the EFL, which will use a community innovation approach to engage more than 100,000 Albertans, including real estate stakeholders, in dialogue, learning and action about energy transition in the province.

The Pembina Institute Renewable Best Practices

Over the next 15 years, wind capacity in Alberta will roughly quadruple, with the provincial goal of 30% renewable electricity by 2030. While wind is a cleaner source of electricity, some residents have concerns about the impact on vistas, property values, and local and migratory species. These concerns are best mitigated proactively by adhering to best practices for wind development. The purpose of this project is to highlight best practices that empower and benefit stakeholders as well as minimize the impact on the ecosystem, and to build a framework that will enable  development of responsible and socially acceptable wind projects in Alberta.

The University of Lethbridge Challenges and Solutions in Acquiring Water for Housing Development

Housing development is a $10 billion industry in Alberta. However, it may be curtailed by lack of water needed to service new residential communities. This study explores the challenges and solutions to acquiring water for housing development and the secondary impact a decline in the industry could have on the real estate market.