Alberta’s environment is full of diversity, so it’s fitting that the many finalists for this year’s Emerald Awards — which celebrate environmental excellence — are so varied, as well.

The list of 34 finalists includes everything from a bicycle recycling service reaching Calgary, Mexico and Uganda, to the lifetime achievement of a man breeding endangered species for reintroduction into the wild.

A panel of nine judges representing industry, corporations and the community spent Wednesday and Thursday narrowing the list of finalists from 96 nominations. There were fewer submissions this year than last year, when the Emerald Awards attracted a record-setting 123 nominees. But the high calibre of the projects nominated hasn’t changed.

“As a whole, this year’s nominees were very strong,” said Emmy Stuebing, executive director of the Alberta Emerald Foundation. This year submissions exemplified “the fact that the bar is continuing to rise in Alberta’s environmental stewardship.”

Bob Peel, who breeds endangered species at the Calgary Zoo and has worked there for the past 41 years, is one of six finalists in the individual commitment category. Barry Kolenosky, Polly L. Knowlton Cockett, Michael J. Ricketts, Xiying Hao and Erin Bayne are also finalists.

The community group and non-profit association category was one of the most competitive, receiving 24 nominations that were eventually whittled down to five finalists. Among the contenders are Calgary-based Bicycles for Humanity, a group that distributes recycled bicycles in Calgary, Mexico and Uganda; Camp Maskepetoon; the Miistakis Institute; the Solar Energy Society of Alberta; and CASA Home.

The small business category will see the Rough Fescue Grasslands project, which has developed successful techniques for restoring foothills rough fescue, go up against the Waldron Project, a protected property of more than 12,000 hectares along the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains.

This year’s finalists include a wide range of projects of varying scope.

“The judges have a real challenge of weighing and comparing these very unique and very different projects, while still giving everyone a fair chance,” Stuebing said. The panel kept four principles in mind through the judging process; environmental benefit and outcome, long-term commitment, influence on others, and innovation.

Other categories included the Emerald Challenge Award, large business, government institutions, public education outreach, shared footprints, schools and youth.

The Emerald Awards are the flagship initiative run by the non-profit Alberta Emerald Foundation. It is now in its 23rd year of celebrating exemplary environmental stewardship across the province.

“The Emerald Awards are all about taking a positive approach and giving a much needed platform for the excellent projects happening across Alberta,” Stuebing said. “Nobody else is doing that.”

The Emerald Awards are funded by a combination of individual donors, government grants and various sponsors.

This year’s winners will be revealed on June 5 in Calgary, during a gala at the Martha Cohen Theatre.

For a complete list of the finalists

