In a province where the realities of the climate crisis appear to have been neglected by those in power and their opposition, Alberta has found itself hosting some revolutionary initiatives around environment and sustainability.
June 8, which is recognized as United Nations World Oceans Day, saw two prominent environmentally-focused events take place in Alberta’s capital Edmonton: the Together|Ensemble conference and Sustainival.
Together|Ensemble is a national conference revolving around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and how they can be achieved in Canada. The event was held concurrently on campuses in Vancouver, Saskatoon, Halifax, Ottawa, and Edmonton. The Edmonton conference focused on the future of transportation in Alberta and what is being done to make it more accessible and sustainable.
Initiatives highlighted at the conference included a hydrogen-powered bus that was recently added to the city’s transit fleet as part of a pilot project on fully integrating such vehicles. The hydrogen bus project aims to make everyday transportation more affordable, efficient, and better for the environment, while educating citizens about the benefits of renewable energy.
Michael Janz, an Edmonton city councillor who spoke at the event, wants to make it clear to all Alberta residents that there is an irrefutable connection between the climate crisis and making life more affordable.
“The economics are very clear,” said Janz. “The cost of solar has dropped dramatically. Every single public building, whether it’s a school or a hospital or an office tower, every single publicly owned building by the government of Alberta could become a microgeneration site right now, pay off their energy bills and save taxpayers money. That, to me, is the idea of conservation: conserving the planet and conserving energy.”
Janz’s session at the conference, titled “People Power for Climate Cities,” highlighted the process behind raising public awareness in order to create meaningful climate action. One of Janz’s key strategies, displayed throughout his political career and examined during the session, is educating people about how sustainable and enviro-friendly initiatives directly benefit residents.
“The reason to do these things is, yes, the climate emergency. It’s mission critical, but also it helps Edmontonians save time and money and keep dollars in their pockets.”
Putting climate on the agenda
Many people in Alberta have not recognized the environment as a serious issue, which was reflected in the recent provincial election. While leaders Danielle Smith and Rachel Notley (of the United Conservative Party of Alberta and Alberta New Democratic Party respectively) debated issues around healthcare and taxes, issues around climate change were noticeably not mentioned.
With wildfires plaguing Canada for the past few weeks and smog even reaching the United States, it is hard to deny a link between the environment and quality of life.
“Edmonton is trying to move forward,” said Janz. “We’re trying to mobilize the million people of Edmonton to understand that there’s actions that we can take as a city that can have a dramatic effect, not just on on the planet, but also on our pocketbooks.”
One such action, which opened on the second afternoon of the Together|Ensemble conference, is Sustainival – a full-scale fair featuring a ferris wheel, bumper cars, and various rides and attractions as seen at any other carnival. What sets Sustainival apart from other carnivals is that it is completely powered by biodiesel. Labeled “the world’s first green carnival,” the carnival’s marketing states that it “is operated using a renewable clean fuel” that “reduces lifecycle greenhouse gasses by up to 86%, lowers particulate matter emitted by up to 46%, reduces smog” and “reduces hydrocarbon emissions by up to 67%.”
“How much longer are they going to just be wasting money, hemorrhaging heat when there’s the opportunity to do green energy retrofits and pocket those savings or to shift to solar and wind and pocket savings?”
Sustainival is a non-profit organization and the carnival, which is free to enter, aims to educate people on renewable energy while showing that it is just as effective as fossil power, if not moreso. April Bannerman, executive director of Sustainival, has faced backlash for the project.
“The fact that I run a green carnival, I have a lot of adversaries,” said Bannerman. “They’ve got to look it up, this is going to be the future. This is just to serve our community. People should get on board and be on the right side of history.”
While attendance at the first day of the carnival, which rans from June 8-11, was low, Bannerman believes in the potential of initiatives like these to raise awareness in Alberta and throughout Canada.
“For years I thought Edmonton was just an oil field,” said Bannerman, who moved from Toronto several years ago. “But the people here doing events are the best people, like literally the best people…. People in Edmonton are amazing and they do respond. I just want the day where the image changes of the province as just oil, and I feel like that’s kind of the image now. Like that’s what you think of: oil.”
Environmentalism in Alberta has been and continues to be a controversial subject. Many remain unaware of its realities, while many oppose initiatives such as renewable energy and lowering emissions due to the province’s heavy economic focus on fossil fuels. As initiatives like Together|Ensemble and Sustainival show, there is still room – and a lot of potential – for the environmental movement to grow in Alberta. Activists and leaders are working towards raising awareness on the need for climate action and its direct benefits to the public.
At the provincial level, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s failure to put the climate crisis at the forefront of government discussions and decision-making allows public disinterest and disdain towards environmental issues to continue.
“The rhetoric, to be honest, has been a little bit disheartening on the climate side,” said Janz. “The party in power is going to have to look at some investments. How much longer are they going to be satisfied spending a good chunk of money on our public institutions, on energy bills? How much longer are they going to just be wasting money, hemorrhaging heat when there’s the opportunity to do green energy retrofits and pocket those savings or to shift to solar and wind and pocket savings?”
Photo via Sustainival
Amir Said (he/him) is a journalist, immigrant, and settler ally on Treaty 7 territory who seeks to promote global citizenship and sustainability through his work.
