Tell me about Edmonton’s environmental programs.
The City of Edmonton is committed to building an environmentally sustainable city and educating its citizens about what they can do to help. The environmental programs are part of EcoVision, the City’s vision for an environmentally sustainable city. The City is also constantly updating its Environmental Strategic Plan, which is currently being reworked as The Way We Green.
One of the City’s initiatives is the Edmonton Waste Management Centre. It is North America’s largest collection of modern, sustainable waste processing and research facilities. At the centre, recyclables are sorted and baled, electronics are recycled, waste is composted, residents can drop off residential waste, and construction and demolition waste is recycled, among other things. The city is also part of the Edmonton Waste Management Centre of Excellence (EWMCE), a one-stop resource for services in sustainable waste management. EWMCA has state-of-the-art research, demonstration, and education facilities supported by the world-class expertise and waste management infrastructure of its members.
Beyond recycling, there are many other ways residents get involved. For example, some take part in the City’s master naturalist or a master composter/recycler training programs. In return, people who have finished the programs volunteer 35 hours of their time to applicable environmental programs and share their knowledge with Edmontonians interested in learning more. Residents also volunteer to “Adopt a Block,” picking up litter and reporting graffiti on their favourite block during the warm-weather months.
Edmonton is, of course, famous for its river valley. Our trees are not just beautiful, but also practical – a recent survey of Edmonton’s tree canopy shows that Edmonton’s tree cover removes 531 tonnes of pollution per year. The city and developers plant 5,000-10,000 trees or shrubs annually, and are working to increase the city’s tree canopy to help remove even more pollution.
