2017 Winners
Citizen Services
Team Members: James McIvor, Kevin Bokenfohr, Michael Henighan, Garrett Watson, Danlin Su, Dayna Schell, Sandra Durante, Xiangfei Li, Ross Lauber, Dareskedart Amsalu and Michael Duerr.
The Stormwater Harvesting and Plant Health Project captures rainwater and uses unique ebb and flow irrigation tables to increase watering efficiency. The program harvests about 7500 litres of rainwater each month, reduces the demand for potable water and improves plant health.
Mike Jenkins, Senior Biological Science Technician
For 25 years, Mike has been working to educate the public on environmental stewardship issues, especially on the complexities of bugs and their interaction with the environment. Mike’s focus is on prevention-based initiatives that help preserve and sustain our natural ecology.
Financial and Corporate Services
City Analytics Centre of Excellence
Team members: Sunkanmi Owolabi, Maurya Braun, David Rauch, Chandresh Mehta, Manjot Gill, Frank Mao, Stephanie Zhang, Usman Rizwan, Karen Parker and Mike Kluh.
The team uses analytics to make environmental data interesting for Edmontonians on projects like mapping bike routes, and creating visualizations of trees throughout the city. The group worked with Parks to develop a model that could optimize turf maintenance across the city decreasing costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
City Operations
Eastgate Yard Rain Garden Demonstration
Team Members: Danlin Su, Andrew Liu, Arnold Matechuk, Liliana Malesevic, Ross Bulat, Fernando Sacluti, Larry Chyzyk, Max Mao and Xiangfei Li.
The Eastgate Yard Rain Garden is a landscaped area that collects, absorbs and filters stormwater runoff from rooftops, driveways and other hard surfaces. Funneling runoff through the Rain Garden helps filter the stormwater before it ends up in the river.
Root for Trees
Team Members: Katelynne Webb, Ian Brusselers, Evan Klein, Ben Rix, Sara Fyfe, Nicole Fraser, Jordan Veinot, Qiting Chen, Catherine Falk and Joy Lakhan.
Root for Trees is an enhanced tree planting initiative with the goal of creating a diverse and sustainable urban forest. Root for Trees managers the City’s tree planting programs and promotes tree planting initiatives, including volunteer tree planting.In 2016, the staff of City Operations with the help of 4,120 volunteers, planted over 101,892 trees and shrubs in the city.
Integrated Infrastructure Services
Sustainable Building Policy Update Working Team
Team Members: Jenny Hong, Michael Henighan, Pascale Ladouceur, Nicole Howard, Jodi Goebel, Juan Monterrosa, Jesse Banford, Daryle Tilroe, Shawn Allers and Kristi Olson.
This team update to Policy C532 calling for all new City of Edmonton buildings, or buildings undergoing major renovations, to be constructed to a minimum of LEED silver. The team established sustainability principles, created nation-leading energy and carbon performance expectations for City buildings and made Edmonton one of the only Canadian municipalities with an integrated sustainable building policy.
Contaminated Oil Collection and Transfer System
Team Members: Darsh Nawaratna and Jehovani Mejia
The team members researched and developed a collection, transfer and storage system for contaminated oil. The system allows the workers to safely dispose of used or contaminated oil in a storage tank that, when full, is disposed of by a waste disposal contractor.
Sustainable Development
Jim Andrais
Jim has been the driving force behind the creation of major environmental programs including, the Labatiuk awards, Enviso, the Way We Green and the Community Energy Transition Strategy. Jim’s dedication to environmental initiatives and his can-do attitude have been instrumental in the success of many of these program.
SmartTrip Program
Team Members: Dot Laing, Laura Henderson, Pam Hnytka, Laurie Bowe, Janada Hawthorne, Caroline Mills and Michelle Chalifoux.
The SmartTrip program was developed to provide City staff with education and options that help them to find new ways to commute to work including transit, bikes, ride matching and more. Staff who register in the SmartTrip program get feedback on the benefits they are achieving by using SmartTrip.
2015 Winner
2016 Winner
2015 Winner
2014 Winners
Environmental Leadership
Trena MacGillivray
Trena has worked to ensure employees are able to easily take environmental actions themselves. When the new Animal Care & Control Centre first opened in 2010, Trena ensured the building was supplied with sufficient recycling bins and that all areas had access to them. She is also responsible for training new staff and maintains a no idling opinion by teaching new officers how to do their job without idling their vehicles. Trena goes above and beyond her required duties and roles as a peace officer, ensuring staff are informed about their environmental impacts. She has established a reputation within the department as a go-to person for questions on recycling. Her knowledge and motivation to make the city greener has inspired others.
Environmental Innovation
Street Lighting Team
The Street Lighting group has introduced a number of innovations to reduce emissions, including a Light Efficient Community Policy, approved by Council in August 2013, and associated policy report; LED street lighting, which began with a successful pilot project in 2009 and is now being implemented during neighbourhood renewal activities; and most recently, an adaptive lighting dimming project. The web-based system features the ability to control light levels at segments of roadways when the pedestrian activity changes; real-time notification of failures or power losses; and dimming of the luminaires to accommodate the geometry of the road, resulting in continuous light levels. Edmonton is the first Canadian city to pilot this technology.
Team includes: Vlado Cicovski, Ben Yarmuch, Gary Ursulak, Mike Rowell, Shawn Jacobs, Janusz Januszczak, Kevin Romans, Dhafir Hameed, Gord Cebryk
Continuous Environmental Improvement
Groat Road Basin End-of-Pipe Treatment Facility
The City was committed to reducing the amount of pollutants and TSS from the Groat Road outfall but due to the lack of space, was unable to construct a storm water treatment pond or other natural choice. The next, most logical choice was mechanical treatment. Construction of the Groat Road Basin End-of-Pipe Treatment Facility began in 2010 and has been in operation since 2011. It uses a series of filtering systems to trap particulates and absorb materials such as dissolved metals, hydrocarbons and nutrients. The filter system used is the leading technology in North America for use in “polishing” stormwater runoff and the first use of this technology in Alberta.
Team includes: Fayi Zhou, Wendy Laskosky, Liliana Malesevic, Arbind Mainali, Siri Fernando, Leonora Lumabi
2013 Winners
Environmental Leadership
Daniel Laubhann
Daniel shows extraordinary commitment and passion for environmental protection, taking on environmental protection in the most challenging setting – an urban municipality. He dedicates a significant portion of his work to managing invasive plant species which can negatively impact all functions of urban green space. He has worked on a number of key projects for the City including weed identification methods and a Smart Phone app to identify and report regulated weed species.
Environmental Innovation
Bill Covey & Sharon Swischook
Bill and Sharon set new standards for environmentally sustainable building on formerly City-owned properties. The new subdivision in Oxford was created with the goal of encouraging the construction of more energy-efficient, greener homes while creating a highly attractive but denser and more sustainable neighbourhood. The City also designed landscaping for Oxford’s public spaces that reflects the neighbourhood’s environmental theme.
Continuous Environmental Improvement
James McIvor – Muttart Conservatory
James McIvor's involvement in the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program, which uses biological controls such as predatory insects or bacterium to manage pest outbreaks, has been embraced by staff to better understand why pesticide usage can be harmful to the environment. With aim to continual improvement, James has purchased specialized grow tables to conserve potable water. The tables use a self contained watering system to capture excess water so none is lost on the floor surface. This equipment will enable fertilizer to be delivered by the system and eliminate nutrients entering the soil floor. The fabric floor covering eliminates weed growth under the tables and protects the soil environment from insect propagation and reduces the amount of pesticides used.
2012 Winners
Environmental Leadership
Erosion and Sediment Control Team
This team provides training to City employees about how construction and development can result in erosion and sedimentation which can be harmful to the environment. Since the team members began offering this training, there has been significant improvement in the monitoring of erosion and sediment on City construction projects.
Team includes: Christina Tatamiuk, Kristen Tappenden, Wanda Goulden
Environmental Innovation
Winter Roadway Maintenance Team
In recent years the winter maintenance program has been improved with the increasing use of recycled sand (taken from city street sweeping), the introduction of limestone chip to the mixture, improving mixing technology and reducing the amount of salt applied to city roads. The use of recycled sand reduces transportation costs and keeps street sweepings diverted from the landfill. Adding limestone chip into the sand-salt mix improves traction and makes the mixture more recyclable.
Continuous Environmental Improvement
Forestry Group
The forestry team has nursed Edmonton’s urban forests through years of drought and has created a number of new initiatives to preserve the health of Edmonton’s urban trees. New initiatives include testing watering systems for new trees, creating the Really Grate program to help downtown trees grow larger by improving their soil and growing conditions and conducting research on elm tree diseases to ensure that pruned branches from sick elm trees could be safely mixed into the Waste Management Centre’s wood chip-based compost.
Team includes: Jenny Wheeler, Dan Chouinard, Bonnie Fermanuik, Travis Kennedy, Megan Rogers, Mark Wartenbe, Bill Barr, Mario Castillo
Nation’s Leader Award (new)
Roy Neehall, Manager
Roy has been actively involved in waste management and environmental initiatives in the City for close to 30 years. His commitment to environmental stewardship and his innovative thinking helped make the City a Nation’s Leader in solid waste management.
2011 Winners
Environmental Leadership
Janice Dewar
Janice developed two drainage education programs that help teach citizens about the proper disposal of fats, oils and grease as well as other potentially harmful products. The Treat It Right® program is designed for school students while the Store It Don’t Pour It program is for adults.
Environmental Innovation
Aggregate Recycling Program Team
The team runs the City’s Aggregate Recycling Program which diverts 200,000 m3 of waste concrete and asphalt from construction projects away from landfills and grinds it into coarse aggregate that can be used in road and sidewalk construction.
Team includes: Blair Buccholtz, Al Marlowe, Mike Wuthrich, Dean Vick, George Carnegie, Darrell Schild, Doug Gilbert
Continuous Environmental Improvement
Vegetation Management Team
This team is responsible for controlling unwanted vegetation in City parks. Thanks to their environmental commitment, they have been able to substantially reduce the amount of City parkland treated with herbicide from a high of 50 per cent of City parks in 2000 to only 10 per cent today. The team also works closely with local groups to preserve native plants in City parklands.
Team includes: Gary Chan, Maurice Pelletier, Don Slobinyk, Jason Gross, Mark McNicholl, Tim Mulrooney, John Sowinski
2010 Winners
Environmental Leadership
Wendy Laskosky
Wendy helped develop, design and implement the internationally-recognized ISO 14001 environmental management program in Drainage Services.
Environmental Innovation
Carmen Linman
Carmen introduced the concept of green burials in city cemeteries.
Continuous Environmental Improvement
Greg Sorenson & Don Tymchak
Greg and Don created the measures to prevent or control leaks from the City’s fuel storage facilities.
2009 Winners
Environmental Leadership
Chris Saunders
Champion of new environmental programmes for Parks, including composting diseased tree/woody material and "doggy doo" waste; championed new and innovate ways of improving environmental performance; and promoted strong relations with various communities, including partnerships with government organizations and educational institutions.
Environmental Innovation
Water Re-Use Team
Recognized an opportunity to reuse swimming pool water that was currently being drained to the sanitary sewer; solved chemical and logistical challenges associated with using chlorinated swimming pool water; and implemented a strategy that offset the effects of drought, lowered the cost of irrigation and reduced the demand on the sanitary sewer system.
Team includes: Don Bilyea (Parks), John Dudka (Parks), Mark Farhat (Parks), Denis Hillier (Drainage Services), Chris Saunders (Parks), Kerry Sharkura (Recreation Facility Services).
Continuous Environmental Improvement
ETS@Work Team
Implemented the ETS@Work program that encourages corporations to support employees in using transit.
Team includes: Daniel Mulloy, Patricia Waisman, Nathan Walters, Dawn-Louise Wiens.